Despite not needing a formal qualification to become an interior designer in Australia, gaining a bachelor’s degree, or a similar level of education, will elevate your chances of landing a role at a decent design firm, as well as propelling your earning potential. In fact, a bachelor’s degree is the highest level of education obtained by more than 2 in 5 interior designers (44%) surveyed by Houzz in 2022, while 27% went on to earn a master’s degree. More than a quarter of interior designers surveyed by Houzz report having a lower credential.
Why Should Designers Attend a School for Interior Design?
Earning an interior design degree provides you with the knowledge, expertise and specialist skills needed to succeed in this creative and competitive industry. Through rigorous practice and creative, collaborative ventures, a degree helps to develop your aesthetic, technical and business education in order to open more doors of opportunity and increase your career prospects. Completing a degree and any interior design certification exams is a sure fire way to kickstart your career in this rewarding industry.
How to Choose a University or School With an Interior Design Program
The first step in choosing a top interior design degree course is to make sure it is accredited by The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). Graduating from an accredited institution of learning with a tertiary degree is a prerequisite for many employers and contractors looking for a completely qualified interior designer.
- TEQSA
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) is Australia's independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. Its purpose is to protect student interests and assure public confidence in higher education. Some universities or schools will be authorised by TEQSA to self-accredit their own courses. Check TEQSA’s national register for more details, and read on to see more detailed information about each institution.
Top Interior Design Universities & Schools in Australia
If you’re struggling to decide which accredited university or school is best for you, this concise list of degree programs will help you narrow down your options, or at least kickstart your search for the right course.
Bruce, Canberra, ACT
For a relatively new establishment, the University of Canberra has celebrated some remarkable achievements, such as number one in the ACT for full-time employment and starting salary for undergraduate and postgraduate student. It has also been recognised as the fastest rising university in Australia, and is 17th in the Times Higher Education Young University World Rankings (2022). Their unique Bachelor of the Built Environment (Interior Architecture) course focuses on creating inspirational urban environments and public areas by exploring their context in modern society. Robust creative and critical thinking skills are developed alongside the digital design software know-how, arming students with the expertise and knowledge required to practice as a dynamic, agile and inspiring interior design professional.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: AU $8,021 per year
University of Technology Sydney
CBD, Sydney, NSW
Located at the City campus, at the southern gateway to Sydney’s cosmopolitan central business district, this dynamic Interior Architecture degree course has a research-led approach, equipping students with skills to change and shape the way people experience public and urban spaces alongside internal environments. Students are taught by academic and industry experts, and benefit from yearly international design visits to cities, such as Hong Kong, Prague and Venice, while there are a number of monetary prizes awarded each year to students that excel. Graduates have gone on to work in a variety of professions, including museum and exhibition design, production design for film and television, and theatre and performance design.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: AU$8,301 per year
Queensland University of Technology
CBD, Brisbane, Queensland
QUT’s Interior Architecture degree graduates are consistently recognised at the Design Institute of Australia's Graduate of the Year awards for their outstanding work, while the university is recognised for producing some of the country's best interior designers. This highly-regarded course, recognised by the Design Institute of Australia, boasts ‘real-world experience’ with its strong links to local industry, and offers undergraduates internships that help them to transition seamlessly into full time work when they graduate. There’s also a chance to complete a ‘double degree’, by combining a design degree with a second degree, in subjects like Business and Construction Management, to gain a broader range of skills and knowledge, a competitive advantage and enhanced career flexibility.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost:AU $8,021 per year
Various locations around Australia and China
Torrens University Australia, which has a national campus network, makes it possible for students to choose where they want to study, whether that’s Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, the Gold Coast, the Blue Mountains or even China. This highly-regarded design college offers students the chance to specialise in either commercial or residential interior design. The Bachelor of Interior Design (Commercial) focuses on the reinvention of commercial environments, such as retail, hotels, restaurants, nightclubs and workspaces, while the Bachelor of Interior Design (Residential), teaches practical design skills and essential theory to help create future-ready living solutions. Both courses partner with industry leaders to offer internships, networking opportunities and insider knowledge, while 3D-modelling software is also used on both programmes. There’s also an opportunity to study a Diploma of Interior Design and Decoration, which takes 18 months full time or 3 years part time, providing more flexibility. All three courses are recognised by the Design Institute of Australia, ensuring they meet the highest industry standard.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons), Diploma
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: AUBA (Hons)$3,270 per unit, Diploma AU$2,180 per unit
Swinburne University of Technology
Melbourne, Victoria
Swinburne University of Technology offers a host of bachelor degrees, diplomas and masters in interior design, all based from their Hawthorne campus in Melbourne. The Bachelor of Design (Interior Architecture) is blended learning both on campus and digitally, giving students added flexibility. You’ll learn conceptual processes, creative tools, management strategies and develop research skills in order to design a variety of public and private interior/spatial projects. Degree students are also guaranteed a work placement, internship or industry-linked projects. Alternatively, you could study for a Diploma of Interior Design, where you’ll gain an in-depth understanding of design processes and principles, and open doors to becoming an interior decorator, interior stylist or in-house designer in retail, domestic and exhibition spaces.
- Degrees Offered: BA (Hons), MA
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: BA (Hons) AU$8,021 per year, Diploma AU $21,790 entire course fee (if you do not receive a VET student loan or Skills First government-subsidised place )
Melbourne, Victoria
Ranked 2nd in Australia, and 44th globally, Monash University is a ‘modern, global and research-intensive’ institution. It’s Bachelor of Interior Architecture is a full time four year course and aims to teach creative design and construction technology in order to solve interior spatial challenges, preparing you to work as an interior architect/interior designer. Graduates of this course go on to work alongside developers, builders and architects on a wide range of projects that may include commercial, cultural, institutional, hospitality and domestic spaces.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: BA (Hons) AU$8,021 per year but are subject to change annually.
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)
Melbourne, Victoria
As well as offering a Bachelors and Masters degree in Interior Design, the RMIT also offers highly-regarded vocational courses, such as the one year nationally accredited Certificate IV in Interior Decoration, which prepares you for a career as an interior decorator or assistant, making your qualified to work in consultancies, retail furnishing and flooring stores, furniture and fabric supplying, shop fitting and self-employment. If the Bachelor’s degree is more your pathway, this four year ideas-led course offers students in the third and fourth year to undertake internships and gain valuable experience with leading design practices in Melbourne and internationally. On graduating, students are eligible for membership of the Design Institute of Australia (DIA).
- Degrees and Certifications Offered: BA (Hons), MA, Certificate IV in Interior Decoration
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: BA (Hons) between AU$4,124 to AU$15,142, Certificate IV AU$12,500
Sydney, New South Wales
Not only is UNSW ranked in the top 50 of the QS World University Rankings, 2022, it’s also the number one Australian university attended by start-up founders. For budding interior designers, the four year Bachelor of Interior Architecture (Honours) course teaches students how to improve interior environments in which we live, work and play. From week one students have the opportunity to explore interior architecture through both theory and practice, thanks to industry leads in the classroom, while strong, long lasting networks are established through substantial industry links, partnerships and world-class alumni connections. On graduating, students will be recognised by the Interior Designer/Interior Architecture Educators Association (IDEA), and invited to join the Design Institute of Australia (DIA) and International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI).
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: $8,080 per year
Whitehouse Institute of Design
Sydney and Melbourne
The Whitehouse Institute claims that ‘you won’t find another degree like it in Australia’ as the Bachelor of Design specialising in Interior Design, is the only degree of its kind. The course incorporates residential, commercial, and industrial design into a single two-year accelerated degree, giving students the opportunity to become qualified quicker than other degree courses. With design-centric campuses in Melbourne and Sydney to choose from, depending on your preferred location, Whitehouse students are provided with state-of-the-art facilities, including a fully-equipped photography studio, digital resources, online trend-forecasting services, a specialist design library and even a student rooftop garden. Recognised by the Design Institute of Australia (DIA), graduates have gone on to pursue careers as a spatial designer, furniture designer, CAD operator, interior designer, commercial designer, hospitality designer, and magazine editor.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: $2,897.80 per unit, or $14,490.00 per trimester
City West, Adelaide
UniSA is South Australia’s number one university based in Adelaide’s modern and vibrant precinct of City West. UniSA is home to Australia’s only architecture museum filled with over 200,000 items, including records, drawing and photographs, giving the students who enroll on their Bachelor of Interior Architecture course or Master of Design (Interior Architecture) program, a fantastic resource opportunity that will enhance their studies. With a focus on design research, theory and practice, the Bachelor degree prepares students for a rewarding career in the creative interior architecture industry, which is elevated by real-world experience in the fourth year, when they are paired with an industry mentor who will support their transition to the workforce.
- Degree Offered: BA (Hons)
- TEQSA registered: Yes
- Self Accrediting Authority: Yes
- Estimated Cost: $31,900 per year
Conclusion
Hopefully, this useful list of the top 10 interior design courses will give you a better understanding of what choices you have, as well as the costs you’ll have to prepare for. As mentioned above, gaining a high education in interior design will propel your earning power and show potential employers you have the skills and experiences to succeed. After you receive a formal degree, it is also important to consider other interior design certifications. Read “The Ultimate Guide to Interior Design Certification” by Houzz Pro next to learn more.
