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Four interior design students and a lecturer sitting in a modern hotel lobby discussing the

Interior Design

Train as an interior designer and find out how to design spaces of all shapes and sizes, including residential homes, educational spaces, workplaces, and residential interiors. It’s an exciting career where you can balance technical building knowledge with artistic ideas.

Explore your options

Study interior design at Unitec and you’ll spend lots of time in the studio working on projects for cultural and commercial spaces. You’ll design inspiring retail stores, bars, restaurants, and residential interiors. You’ll study building construction technology alongside architecture students and be introduced to key trade industry suppliers.

Start with the New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Residential) and focus on the interior design fundamentals that span across both residential and commercial. You can then pathway into the New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Commercial) to gain commercial design knowledge and skills. Note that the residential programme is a prerequisite for the commercial.

There’s the opportunity to complete work experience in the industry, as well as working on your own in-depth projects. It’s great experience and one of the reasons our graduates have gone on to win at New Zealand’s Best Awards.

Unitec’s interior design programmes are highly respected in the industry, and you’ll be inspired by experienced tutors and expert guest lecturers. You will have opportunities to work on real-world projects where you will collaborate with other professionals and clients on the design.

You’ll get to show off your hard work in the campus galleries and at the end-of-year graduate show.

UPCOMING EVENTS:

In School of Creative Industries we have a wide range of shows and events, discover more from: 

What's On 

Programmes and study path

Start with a programme that suits your qualifications and/or experience, then progress to a level that achieves your goals.
PROGRAMME LEVEL DURATION CAREER OPTIONS START DATES
New Zealand Certificate in Study and Career Preparation (Level 4) - Architecture 4 Full-time for 16 weeks or part-time options available. This programme prepares you for study toward a career in architecture and architectural technology February or July
New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Residential) 5 Full-time for 1 year. Part-time options available. Self-employed residential interior designer, Kitchen and bathroom designer, Junior interior designer (residential), Interior design assistant (residential), Specialist sales roles in textile, furniture, lighting, Colour consultant February
New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Commercial) 6 Full-time for 1 year. Part-time options available. Junior interior designer (commercial), Commercial interior designer within a design or architectural practice, Specialist sales roles e.g. architectural representatives, Design stylist February

Facilities

Study interior design and you’ll have access to the latest computer software to give you the technical skills you need for the industry. Our five computer labs include one 40-seat dual boot iMac, two 20-seat dual boot Mac (iMac and MacPro), and two 15-seat PCs. You’ll use the latest software, like Autodesk AutoCAD, Archicad, Autodesk Revit Architecture, and freeware such as Google SketchUp and Blender.

You’ll also have access to fully-equipped wood and metal workshops, plastics and mould making rooms, laser cutters, printmaking studio and spray painting booths. It’s a great opportunity to get hands-on practise with tools and techniques you’ll use in your career.