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Be part of the expanding field of Spatial and Interior design, moving beyond the fixed spaces of retail and urban environments to include independent structures and the utilisation of existing spaces in advertising and marketing.
Overview
Work in dedicated design studio spaces as you discover the diverse nature of the field, developing your own unique style and portfolio as well as creative and practical specialisms.
Why study Spatial and Interior Design at Kent?
- Your course, your way: Study all aspects of Spatial and Interior Design, from digital modelling and hands on sketch and scale model to transforming existing urban spaces and designing temporary or ephemeral architecture for festivals, celebrations and promotions.
- Access fantastic facilities: Our specialist spaces include modern design and dedicated model workshops; laser-cutting facilities; computer studio and labs; a digital hub; and a Digital Crit Space for presenting designs which includes 75-inch Clevertouch screens.
- Get career ready: Produce live briefs for a range of clients in real-work situations and develop your capacity to showcase the World Economic Forum’s ‘Top 10 Job Skills of Tomorrow’. You can also work in industry, spend a year abroad or add a year in Computing, Journalism or a Language to your degree to increase employability.
- Explore Canterbury: Our modern city is a hub for creatives yet historically and architecturally diverse enough to inspire your projects. Placed in the heart of rural Kent, you can travel to London in under an hour by train, and coastal beaches are a bus ride away.
- Join our community: As part of the School of Architecture, you can attend guest lectures and research seminars with industry professionals or join the student-run Kent Architectural Students Association (KASA) and help organise social events, design competitions and the End of Year Show
What you'll learn
You will explore different cultural perspectives on design and understand how creative agencies operate globally. You will learn how to exploit the digital age, developing a responsive practice where you are proficient working in 2D, 3D and 4D – with moving images. By the end of your course, you will be fully prepared for a career in Spatial and Interior Design within the expanding multidisciplinary opportunities in the Creative Industries.
Study abroad
We have partnerships with universities around the world, offering you the chance to study abroad for a term. Rising to the challenge of living in another country and immersing yourself in a different culture is a rewarding experience and demonstrates to potential employers that you are independent and flexible in your outlook.
Year in industry
It is also possible to undertake a year’s placement in industry either at home or abroad, gaining experience working in a professional environment. We offer support and advice to help you find a placement either in the design industry or other sectors such as charities, arts organisations and architectural practices.
Flexible tariff
Make Kent your firm choice – The Kent Guarantee
We understand that applying for university can be stressful, especially when you are also studying for exams. Choose Kent as your firm choice on UCAS and we will guarantee you a place, even if you narrowly miss your offer (for example, by 1 A Level grade)*.
*exceptions apply. Please note that we are unable to offer The Kent Guarantee to those who have already been given a reduced or contextual offer.
Entry requirements
The University will consider applications from students offering a wide range of qualifications. All applications are assessed on an individual basis but some of our typical requirements are listed below. Students offering qualifications not listed are welcome to contact our Admissions Team for further advice. Please also see our general entry requirements.
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A level
BBC in art/design/technology related subjects.
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Access to HE Diploma
The University welcomes applications from Access to Higher Education Diploma candidates for consideration. A typical offer may require you to obtain a proportion of Level 3 credits in relevant subjects at merit grade or above.
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BTEC Nationals
Distinction, Merit, Merit in an appropriate subject.
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International Baccalaureate
30 points overall or 14 points at HL including Visual Arts or Design Technology
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International Foundation Programme
Pass all components of the University of Kent International Foundation Programme with a 60% overall average including 60% in Design/Art and Design module (plus 50% in LZ013 Maths and Statistics if you do not hold GCSE Maths at 4/C or equivalent).
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T level
The University will consider applicants holding T level qualifications in subjects closely aligned to the course.
If you are an international student, visit our International Student website for further information about entry requirements for your country, including details of the International Foundation Programmes. Please note that international fee-paying students who require a Student visa cannot undertake a part-time programme due to visa restrictions.
Please note that meeting the typical offer/minimum requirement does not guarantee that you will receive an offer.
English Language Requirements
Please see our English language entry requirements web page.
Please note that if you do not meet our English language requirements, we offer a number of 'pre-sessional' courses in English for Academic Purposes. You attend these courses before starting your degree programme.
Form
Priority Clearing
Register for Priority Clearing at Kent to give yourself a head start this results day.
Course structure
Duration: 3 years full-time (4 with a year abroad/in industry), 6 years part-time
The following modules are indicative of those offered on this programme. This listing is based on the current curriculum and may change year to year in response to new curriculum developments and innovation. On most programmes, you study a combination of compulsory and optional modules. You may also be able to take ‘elective’ modules from other programmes so you can customise your programme and explore other subjects that interest you.
Stage 1
- 2D Design Fundamentals
- The Virtual Model
- Sketch & Scale Model Making
- Visual Communication: The People and Ideas
- Experimental Typography
- Digital Imaging
- Creative Narratives and Environments
- Communication Culture: The People and Ideas
Stage 2
- Digital and Interactive Media
- The Brand Experience
- Ephemeral Architecture
- The Design Industry
Year Abroad
Going abroad as part of your degree is an amazing experience and a chance to develop personally, academically and professionally. You experience a different culture, gain a new academic perspective, establish international contacts and enhance your employability.
All students within the Faculty of Humanities can apply to spend a Term or Year Abroad as part of their degree at one of our partner universities in North America, Asia or Europe. You are expected to adhere to any progression requirements in Stage 1 and Stage 2 to proceed to the Term or Year Abroad.
The Term or Year abroad is assessed on a pass/fail basis and will not count towards your final degree classification. Places and destination are subject to availability, language and degree programme. To find out more, please see Go Abroad.
Year in Industry
You can extend your studies from three to four years by taking the Year in Industry option (this option is not available if you are studying on a part-time basis). This provides the opportunity to gain relevant workplace experience as part of your programme of study. You can also increase your contacts and network so that you can hit the ground running when you graduate.
The Year in Industry is taken in addition to your standard undergraduate programme and normally falls between your second and final year. You typically work on a placement for the full calendar year, and salary and holiday entitlements vary according to the employer. The year is assessed on a pass/fail basis through employer feedback and a written report that you submit. Students also have the option to take a Term in Industry.
Stage 3
- Intervention Project
- Introduction to Research Preparation
- Extended Research Essay (Dissertation)
- Individual Spatial Design Research Project
Stage 1
Compulsory modules currently include
On this module students will be introduced to the fundamental principles of materiality and construction. Both materiality and construction collectively form a key pillar of knowledge for spatial and interior designers, whose role usually entails and relies on an understanding of materiality and construction to make their creative designs tangible and built – in a form true to original concept. This module introduces students to the process of material selection (including an evaluation of the inherent qualities of materials and finishes through development of a critical approach), material specification (the process of how to accurately assign a material or finish within a spatial / interior design project), alongside the process of how materials are sourced and managed – including building an awareness of suppliers and the basic approach to constructing a physical or virtual material library. Students will learn more about materiality and construction through lectures and workshops, but will also be expected to conduct and share research into both within the module, for the benefit of all peers.
This module acts to introduce students to basic to intermediate level digital software. Digital skills are now expected within almost all industry roles and are critical tools used in the generation of design – from concept to execution and construction. This module introduces students firstly to basic two dimensional drafting which enables students to work digitally in drafting their spatial / interior design to scale. Following this students will then focus on basic three dimensional modelling to explore and examine virtual representations of space and their ideas in 3d using the computer as a tool. Students will be introduced to the relevant software through tutor led demonstrations. Through the module students will build confidence and competency in specific skills but also improve upon more generic IT literacy.
On this practical module students will be introduced to the creation and transformation of architectural space through hands on model making. The sketch model will be introduced as a way of thinking and problem solving, an opportunity to experiment with materials and explore their structural properties and imaginative associations. The techniques and skills required to make scale models will be acquired using actual buildings to measure and scale. The model as a means of communicating intent will be introduced.
This module will provide a broad introduction to the important key people and ideas in the development of visual communication and culture from the twentieth century to the present day. This will include an exploration of designers, artists and philosophers that have been significant in transforming our seeing and thinking.
This module will introduce the attributes and language of typography. It will examine the principles of type and how it enables an idea to be written and given visual form. The module will examine the breaking of conventions and will encourage type/letterform experiments where function and form are challenged and where the concept of type as image is explored.
There will be the opportunity to pursue two and three dimensional outcomes as text is increasingly sculptural and integrated within architecture.
During this module students will experiment and test the flexibility and fluidity of digital images, by drawing on previous projects (Photography & Imaging) students will work to produce a short film of both still and moving images for editorial production. Students will have the opportunity to explore the relevant industry software programmes to produce an online and physical catalogue of their digital imagery. The final project is directed by the student's specialism, 2D print or screen, 3D environmental (e.g. projection or sculptural) and 4D time based.
The story or narrative is at the core of the majority of advertising and marketing campaigns as well as discrete design outcomes. This module will introduce the identification of narrative elements from a range of sources, understanding narrative structures with particular emphasis on storyboarding & script writing, often a combination of both. Exploring the hand drawn, collage and photomontage, utilising a rich range of techniques. Final projects can take experimental adventurous interpretations of a storyboard, including 2D & 3D comics, graphic novel book form, 3D structures and performance space (including live action/animation of space). Knowledge and skills gained on this module will be transferable to creative projects across the programmes.
This module will provide a broad introduction to the important key people and ideas in the development of design culture from the twentieth century to the present day. This will include an exploration of designers, artists and media processes that have been significant in transforming our seeing and thinking.
Stage 2
Compulsory modules currently include
How we play and interact with design is paramount to understanding user experience and engagement whether on mobile phones or in virtual environments. All designers must be comfortable in their ability to explore notion of play and interaction; in this module students will learn how to critically analyse users' needs and define user experience through systematic research principles. They will also design and make final outcomes using play and interaction methods. Underpinning the practical work, we will consider how digital media and interaction design plays within our lives, exploring how people use and respond to emerging technology and media.
Students will emerge equipped with adaptable practical and theoretical skills to allow them to design for current and future trends, whether creating for screen-based media or interactive experiences. You will gain experience in the use of computer-based authoring tools to design for audio, video, 2D and 3D experiences to design interactive interventions.
This module focuses on embedding employability within a design curriculum in a seamless and meaningful way within the context of students' future working environments. Students will identify their own strengths and talents, form their own creative agencies and pitch for work to selected live brief clients. The aim of this module is to evaluate critically and develop a focused understanding of the commercial concerns of the creative business sector and to show their own work in a public space. The role of freelance, self-employed creative, the financial demands placed upon designers and the expectations of employers will be explored. It is anticipated that students will understand the changing creative job market and be well placed to make appropriate careers decisions accordingly. Several external talks and visits will focus on design jobs within the design sector and will provide a useful contact network for future internships and work experience.
Non-permanent architectural structures have a long history, form and function changing with technological developments and shifting societal needs and desires. In this module students will investigate this development through lectures and seminars and practice based exercises. Nomadic tent structures, market stalls, festival stages and stadium shows that arrive in a dozen articulated wagons will be investigated in terms of social context, habitation and transportation. The structural geometry of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic domes and tensegrity will inform student's work with an emphasis on craft and simple engineering. This will involve hands on exploration of materials, structures, construction techniques, fixings and function. Finding out how structures remain stable, students will engage in thinking and learning through making. Multiple re-use and environmental sustainability will be an important consideration.
Students will design and develop modular systems that can have various functions and applications. For example; exhibition stands, display units, pop up retail units. The modular system will be experimental and may be realised in a combination of materials at different scales.
This module explores the wider context and application of branding and identity as applied to products and experiences. Starting from an exploration of historical, social, cultural and commercial contexts students will then undertake a series of briefs that enable them to apply their design skills to external spaces and interiors, packaging, moving image, storytelling and narrative. It will encourage initiative, exploration and innovation. The skills developed include audience engagement through the development of brand stories, cross cultural communication and brand personalities, the potential for societal change and for audience engagement through a range of technologies.
Stage 3
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Some other similar courses you may be interested in.
Fees
The 2022/23 annual tuition fees for this course are:
- Home full-time £9250
- EU full-time £15900
- International full-time £21200
- Home part-time £4625
- EU part-time £7950
- International part-time £10600
For details of when and how to pay fees and charges, please see our Student Finance Guide.
For students continuing on this programme, fees will increase year on year by no more than RPI + 3% in each academic year of study except where regulated.*
Your fee status
The University will assess your fee status as part of the application process. If you are uncertain about your fee status you may wish to seek advice from UKCISA before applying.
Additional costs
General additional costs
Find out more about accommodation and living costs, plus general additional costs that you may pay when studying at Kent.
Funding
University funding
Kent offers generous financial support schemes to assist eligible undergraduate students during their studies. See our funding page for more details.
Government funding
You may be eligible for government finance to help pay for the costs of studying. See the Government's student finance website.
Scholarships
General scholarships
Scholarships are available for excellence in academic performance, sport and music and are awarded on merit. For further information on the range of awards available and to make an application see our scholarships website.
The Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence
At Kent we recognise, encourage and reward excellence. We have created the Kent Scholarship for Academic Excellence.
The scholarship will be awarded to any applicant who achieves a minimum of A*AA over three A levels, or the equivalent qualifications (including BTEC and IB) as specified on our scholarships pages.
Scholarships
We have a range of subject-specific awards and scholarships for academic, sporting and musical achievement.
Search scholarshipsTeaching and assessment
Our staff bring with them a broad range of experience, from our expert academic staff to our highly qualified technicians and practising professionals. Together they support, develop, challenge and inspire you throughout your studies.
We use a variety of teaching methods including practical and technical workshops, performance platforms, seminars, lectures and group projects.
Contact hours
For a student studying full time, each academic year of the programme will comprise 1200 learning hours which include both direct contact hours and private study hours. The precise breakdown of hours will be subject dependent and will vary according to modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Methods of assessment will vary according to subject specialism and individual modules. Please refer to the individual module details under Course Structure.
Careers
Apply for this course
If you are from the UK or Ireland, you must apply for this course through UCAS. If you are not from the UK or Ireland, you can choose to apply through UCAS or directly on our website.
Contact us
International student enquiries
T: +44 (0)1227 823254
E: internationalstudent@kent.ac.uk
School website
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