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Interior Architecture and Venue Design with Foundation Year

BA (Hons) · 4 Years · Full-time · 09/2026 · UndergraduateMain Site

Course summary

Our foundation year offers the chance to strengthen your skills, knowledge and confidence – with extensive support from our expert staff – before you advance to stage one of your honours degree. It could also be beneficial if you are planning a career change and want to get to grips with aspects of subjects which are new to you.

Learn to develop striking three-dimensional spaces on this accredited interior architecture and venue design degree. From bars to hotels, live performance spaces to museums, you’ll cover a wide range of venue designs on this accredited course featuring industry placements and an excellent employment record.

KEY FEATURES OF THE COURSE:

  • RANKINGS: Our Architecture courses have been ranked in the Top 5 for teaching and Top 10 for learning opportunities in the National Student Survey 2025.

  • ACCREDITATION: This course is accredited by the Chartered Society of Designers (CSD), so you’ll develop the knowledge and skills you need to become professionally qualified.

  • STRONG EMPLOYER LINKS: This course is designed with the help of employers, so it is focused on preparing you to hit the ground running from day one in your career. Our associations span major names such as Akarstudios, Virgin Atlantic, Interserve, Benoy Architects, Jacobs, Bouygues UK, Pick Everard, Lathams, WCAC Group, Maber, Morrisons Design Ltd., CPMG and Akar Studios, and Millar Management. Our industry partnerships mean that you will have the chance to see real-world projects at first hand and go on study trips in the UK and Europe. You will also be inspired by guest lectures delivered by experts from industry.

  • LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES: During your studies, you will be constantly challenged to conceptualise, investigate and develop the design of three-dimensional spaces. You will work on real-world projects based upon actual sites and go on study trips. On top of all that, your work will be highly visible because we encourage you to enter exhibitions.

  • WORK EXPERIENCE: The optional year in industry could be an unforgettable and CV-transforming experience; previous students have been to Los Angeles and Singapore.

  • EXPERT TEACHING: We foster an ethos where you will produce socially, culturally and environmentally responsive design proposals, drawing upon best practice and the wide-ranging expertise of our teaching teams.

WHAT YOU'LL COVER:

  • Throughout your studies, you will gain a thorough understanding of the ways in which architectural and interior design histories and theories, as well as existing physical and cultural contexts, inform design processes, programmes and proposals. In your third year, you will also get to carry out an Integrated Design Project.

HOW YOU'RE ASSESSED:

  • You will be assessed in a variety of ways to help you develop your presentation and communication skills, which are essential for professional practice.

YOUR CAREER

  • Our amazing employment record should reassure you of your prospects. There are plenty of employment opportunities for BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Venue Design graduates, ranging from generic architectural or interior design to venue project management and technical consultancy. Our links with companies like Lathams, WCAC Group, Maber, and Morrisons Design Ltd., will ensure you are well-connected and able to break into this industry.

STUDY OPTIONS:
This course is available with a Placement Year.

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
K111
Institution code:
D39
Campus name:
Main Site
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Foundation

Open days

Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - 72 points

We encourage you to outline all your qualifications and achievements in your application to provide us a full picture. Your offer will typically be based on your predicted and/or achieved grades from full level 3 qualifications or above e.g. A levels, BTEC Ext Diploma, Access to HE, etc. Any subject specifics are outlined below in the Further Information section, and these specifics are applicable across all equivalent qualifications. A strong application/performance and appropriate experience will be taken into account where typical criteria is not met.

A level - DDD

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - MMP

Access to HE Diploma - D: 0 credits M: 30 credits P: 15 credits

GCSE/National 4/National 5

GCSE Maths and English Grade 4/Grade C (or above) or equivalent qualification

T Level - P

English language requirements

IELTS overall score at a minimum of 6.0; with at least IELTS 5.5 in each band (Reading, Listening, Speaking, Writing) or another Secure English Language Test(SELT)at CEFR level B2 or above

Contextual admissions

Universities and colleges consider more than grades when assessing applications and may make offers based on a range of criteria. Learn more about contextual offers.

We have excluded the Grades on Entry data for this course. We may operate some flexibility with entry grades to support widening participation, though most of the students that enrol on this course achieve the published entry tariff or above. Applicants who achieve grades below the published tariff may be offered an alternative course or a 4-year route if there is one available. For further information please contact askadmissions@derby.ac.uk.

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

90 Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)

100 Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

LocationFeeYear
EU£16900*Year 1
International£16900*Year 1
England£9535*Year 1
Northern Ireland£9535*Year 1
Scotland£9535*Year 1
Wales£9535*Year 1
Channel Islands£9535*Year 1

* This is a provisional fee and subject to change.

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

The quoted fee is an indicative fee based on last year’s fees, as the fees for the 2026 term not yet been confirmed.

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