MA Interior Design

1 Years On Campus Masters Program

Kingston University London

Program Overview

Kingston’s MA Interior Design is designed for creative thinkers who want to push boundaries and shape spatial experiences in a meaningful way. It suits students who are curious, ambitious, and eager to explore how interiors can respond to people, culture, and the future of design.

Curriculum Structure

Designing Research

You’ll begin by learning how research can unlock stronger design ideas. In Designing Research, you’ll explore the political, social, and material contexts that shape our environments, using these insights to develop your own design questions and creative direction.

Space and Communication

Next, you’ll dive into Space and Communication, where you’ll work through real or speculative spatial challenges. Here, you’ll experiment with representation tools — from sketching and model-making to digital visualisation — while exploring sustainability and spatial storytelling.

Interior Practice

As you move into Interior Practice, you’ll refine your ideas through hands-on experimentation. This module gives you space to test, revisit, and strengthen your concepts, helping you build the foundations for a confident, well-articulated interior proposal.

Creative Futures

Creative Futures encourages you to think bigger about what an interior designer can be. You’ll explore new and emerging roles, from curator to design strategist, imagining “what if?” scenarios that help you understand your place in the industry.

Major Project

Your journey culminates in the Major Project, where you’ll define and deliver a fully developed design proposal of your own. With sustainability, research, and personal vision at the heart of this project, you’ll graduate with a portfolio piece that truly represents who you are as a designer.

Focus areas: “sustainable spatial design, research-led design practice, future design roles, spatial storytelling, design innovation”

Learning outcomes: “gain strong research skills, develop strategic and expressive design proposals, master physical and digital representation methods, and understand the wider cultural and social role of interiors”

Professional alignment (accreditation): While not formally accredited, the course aligns closely with professional practice through studio-based learning, live or speculative briefs, and professional-level project development within Kingston School of Art.

Reputation (employability / rankings): Kingston University holds a Gold rating in the Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF), reflecting outstanding teaching quality and student support. The course sits within Kingston School of Art, known for its creative, interdisciplinary approach and strong industry reputation.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

What really sets Kingston’s MA Interior Design apart is how much you make. From your first week, you’ll be working in busy studios, experimenting with materials, testing ideas, and building models in workshops that feel like professional design labs. Instead of learning design only in theory, you’ll constantly translate your thinking into physical or digital form — which is exactly how interior designers work in the real world. And because Kingston School of Art has such an open, creative culture, you’ll always be surrounded by people who are building, testing, and pushing ideas alongside you.

All of this comes to life through the facilities and hands-on activities you’ll use throughout the course:

Specialist 3D workshops — including ceramics, concrete, wood, metal, plastics, and resin casting — where you can prototype full-scale elements or create highly detailed models.
Creative media studios with digital media suites, photography studios, moving-image spaces, and editing rooms, so you can develop strong visual communication skills.
Textile and print workshops, from sewing and knitting to letterpress and printmaking, giving you space to explore materiality and craft in your interior concepts.
HackSpace, a collaborative maker environment where you can experiment, prototype, and problem-solve with students from other creative disciplines.
On-site galleries, including the Stanley Picker Gallery and Dorich House Museum, which give you opportunities to situate or present work in professional exhibition settings.
Studio culture & design crits that mirror real design practice — you’ll share ideas, discuss concepts with peers and tutors, and learn how to present your work with confidence.
Library and digital research resources, plus the Canvas learning platform, supporting your independent research and helping you build a strong foundation for your major project.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduating from Kingston’s MA Interior Design gives you the confidence and skills to step straight into a wide range of creative roles. Many alumni go on to become Interior Designers, Exhibition or Spatial Designers, Visual Merchandisers, or even run their own design studios. Because the course blends hands-on studio work, research, and real-world projects, you’ll leave ready to make an impact in both traditional design agencies and emerging creative sectors.

Kingston supports you every step of the way:

Personalised career support: The Student Career Service helps you build a strong portfolio, prepare for interviews, and connect with the right opportunities in the design world.
Industry exposure: You’ll work on live briefs and projects with real-world relevance, so your portfolio showcases work that employers actually value.
Socially engaged projects: Many projects address cultural or community challenges in London, giving you experience in thoughtful, purpose-driven design.
Future-ready skills: The Creative Futures module encourages you to explore roles beyond traditional interiors — as a maker, curator, educator, or design strategist — giving you flexibility for a changing industry.
Graduate outcomes: Kingston alumni have successfully moved into roles across spatial design, exhibitions, retail interiors, and production design, demonstrating the practical, career-focused benefits of this MA.

Further Academic Progression:
If you’re keen to dive deeper, the MA provides a solid foundation for PhD or MPhil study in interior, spatial, or design research — letting you explore advanced theory, push creative boundaries, and open doors to specialist or academic careers.