Interior design courses

An interior design degree is a qualification that empowers you to pursue a career in interior design—that is, the art and science of enhancing the interior of a building to create not only a more pleasing space, but one that encourages greater health and behavioural outcomes.

Interior designers research, plan, coordinate and manage the improvement of interior spaces, providing their recommendations for clients.

In most courses, you’ll gain both theoretical knowledge as well as practical skills.

This will involve exploring aspects of technical documentation and contract management as well as understanding the impacts of selecting different materials, lighting, joinery and furniture. 

Above all else, you’ll be challenged to apply critical and creative thinking to solve interior design problems for clients – using innovative special solutions. 

The time it takes to complete a interior design course depends on the type of qualification you enrol in. Whether you choose a Diploma of Interior Design online or a Bachelor of Interior Design, for instance, will impact the length of time you spend studying. Of course, there are many other options, including an Undergraduate Certificate in Interior Design and an Associate Degree of Interior Design, among others. 

Generally, a bachelor degree will take 3 years of full-time study and a masters degree will take 2 years of full-time study. A certificate will take 6 months to complete, and a diploma will take about a year. 

If you’d like to study for a shorter length of time, a microcredential or single subject may be a more suitable path. These range from hours to weeks in length. 

ATAR requirements for interior design vary greatly between universities, with many requiring an ATAR that sits between 60 and 80 at the time of publishing. 

Enrol through Open Universities Australia, however, and you can get started online with subjects from leading Australian universities with no entry requirements. That’s right, no ATAR at all.

Simply enrol in in select open enrolment subjects, and you can use your passing grades to gain entry into a bachelor degree. To discuss which subjects are best suited for an interior design study path, speak with our friendly student advisors. 

While these two fields are related, there are key differences.

Interior architecture is concerned with the structure and special layout and planning of interior spaces. Meanwhile, interior design is the art of using fashion, fixtures and decorative lighting to increase the aesthetics and usability of a space. Find out more about the difference in our blog. 

Choose to study interior design online as opposed to in person at a bricks and mortar university, and you’ll experience greater flexibility while completing your qualification.

Online study through Open Universities Australia allows you to study when and where it suits you. You may choose to listen to lectures on your lunch break, while maintaining full-time employment, or once you finish your care-taking responsibilities at home of an evening. 

You also have the power to pause or speed-up your studies depending on your needs. Stop and start when it suits you using Open Universities Australia’s year-round academic calendar.

The best part? You’ll graduate with a reputable qualification from the university of your choice. The name of the university you studied with, not Open Universities Australia, will be on your qualification when you graduate. 

Online study can also encourage you to expand your digital skills, communicate and collaborate in new ways. 

There are a lot of reasons to study your course online through us.

• You can enrol without entry requirements 
  We have a unique open-door policy that makes it possible for everyone to enrol in university study, no matter their academic history. If you don’t meet the entry requirements for a degree, we’ll help you get in through single undergraduate subjects and transition into a qualification from there.
• You have total control over how you study
  Upskill without committing to a whole degree upfront. Or enrol in a full degree, but take it a subject at a time. We’ll introduce you to flexible study options you didn’t even know about, so you can fit uni around what matters to you.
• You’ll graduate with the same qualification as an on-campus student
  Once you enrol through us, you’ll study online with the university that provides your degree. This means that when you complete your qualification, you’ll graduate with the same degree as on-campus students.
• We’ll help you navigate the university world
  Our friendly student advisors will be your guide every step of the enrolment journey. They'll help you compare universities, choose a course, provide documentation and understand your finance options.

Depending on the particular online interior design course or interior design degree you choose to study, you may find employment in one of the following roles:

• Interior designer or stylist
• Virtual environment designer
• Residential designer
• Property stylist or real estate home stager
• Soft furnishings consultant
• Events and installation designer

Before starting an enrolment, it’s important to read the entry requirements for your chosen course to ensure that you’re eligible to apply. If you don’t quite meet the requirements, we may be able to help you find a pathway into your course through open-entry subjects, which anyone can study.

Chat with us to find out more.

Here at Open Universities Australia, we make enrolling online as straightforward as possible. To get started, find the course for you by browsing the options on this page. You can also compare different qualifications using our handy comparison tool, or request help from one of our student advisors.

When you’ve made your choice, click ‘Apply now’ on the relevant course page and follow the prompts to begin your enrolment. We’ll ask you to supply some supporting documentation, including proof of your identity, your tax file number, and a unique student identifier (USI) during this process.

Your university will get in touch with you via email to confirm whether or not your application has been successful.

Please note that enquiries and applications for some courses are handled directly by the university. If this is the case, it will be indicated on the course listing page.  

For more information about enrolment, read our online self-service enrolling instructions. If you get stuck at any time, contact us and we’ll talk you through it.