Study an Interior Design Foundation course with OCA

This course aims to explore your interest in designing spaces and provide a foundation level course which may lead on to the Open College of the Arts Interior Design degree course.

Interior design has changed significantly, evolving from its beginnings over 100 years ago as a purely ‘decorative’ pursuit, into today’s highly specialised spatial design profession.

Thoughtful interior design can make a space function better and look amazing, but more importantly it can also impact mood and wellbeing. Human beings respond to their immediate environment and as spatial designers we can create surroundings that positively enhance these natural responses.

The course has been designed to offer you an insight into the creative processes, critical thinking and practical skills necessary to carry out a personal investigation into the occupation and conceptualisation of interior spaces.

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Course Content

You will develop confidence in design thinking through independent study, growth of personal ideologies, self analysis, evaluation and critical reflection; enabling you to enrich and enhance your creative design work.

You will explore several different communication methods to explain your ideas. Coursework exercises will generally employ analogue media to articulate your research and designs, but you should also experiment with digital 2D and 3D media if you can.

On completion of the course, OCA will help you decide whether you have gained sufficient skills and enough confidence to go on to further study at Higher Education level with OCA, or elsewhere, and also to determine the nature and direction of your studies or practice.

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Course Outcomes

Through the course, you will:

  • Gain confidence in your understanding of spatial environments.
  • Explore 3D design skills and techniques in drawing and making.
  • Learn about the use of lines, shapes, lighting and shadow in interior spaces.
  • Develop your knowledge of materials, texture, pattern and finish.
  • Make a creative intervention in a spatial context.

Foundations

£915

Per course

Level 1 (HE4)

£4,080

For the level

Level 2 (HE5)

£4,080

For the level

Level 3 (HE6)

£4,080

For the level

Breakdown of costs...

Level 1 (HE4)

£1,360

Per course unit (4o credits)

All of the OCA’s Level 1 (HE4) course units are worth 40 credits each. If you’re studying towards an Open degree, you’ll need three Level 1 (HE4) course units to gain the necessary 120 credits to move on to Level 2 (HE5).

Deposit is £430 followed by 7 monthly instalments of £140.
Level 2 (HE5)

£2,040

Per course unit (6o credits)

All of the OCA’s Level 2 (HE5) course units are worth 60 credits each. If you’re studying towards an Open degree, you’ll need two Level 2 (HE5) course units to gain the necessarry 120 credits to move on to Level 3 (HE6).

Deposit is £550 followed by 11 monthly instalments of £140.
Level 3 (HE6)

£4,080

For the level

OCA’s Level 3 (HE6) course units hold differing amounts of credits depending upon the given Open degree pathway. Two 40 credit units are studied concurrently and the deposit for these two units is £860 followed by 7 monthly instalments of £280.

Foundations

£1,052

Per course

Level 1 (HE4)

£4,680

For the level

Level 2 (HE5)

£4,680

For the level

Level 3 (HE6)

£4,680

For the level

Breakdown of costs...

Level 1 (HE4)

£1,560

Per course unit (40 credits)

All of the OCA’s Level 1 (HE4) course units are worth 40 credits each. If you’re studying towards a degree, you’ll need three Level 1 (HE4) course units to gain the necessary 120 credits to move on to Level 2 (HE5).

Deposit is £560 followed by 7 monthly instalments of £150.
Level 2 (HE5)

£2,340

Per course unit (60 credits)

All of the OCA’s Level 2 (HE5) course units are worth 60 credits each. If you’re studying towards a degree, you’ll need two Level 2 (HE5) course units to gain the necessary 120 credits to move on to Level 3 (HE6).

Deposit is £740 followed by 11 monthly instalments of £150.
Level 3 (HE6)

£4,680

For the level

OCA’s Level 3 (HE6) course units hold differing amounts of credits depending upon the given degree pathway, and therefore are varied in cost. For individual pricing, please see the individual course unit pages on this website. Two 40 credit units are studied concurrently and the deposit for these two units is £1,120 followed by 11 monthly instalments of £300.

Fees, Funding and other costs

Foundation courses are ineligible for Student Finance funding, but we have deposit and instalment options available to help spread the costs. 

There are also bursaries available for students on low incomes. See our fees and funding page for more info.

Other costs you may find on your degree include purchasing software (i.e. Adobe Suite) and /materials/books/texts to assist in your practice and research. These can be up to £400 per foundation course.

Fees, Funding and other costs

Course Sample

Click below to download an in-depth guide to the course.

If you have any questions before enrolling, please don’t hesitate to contact us!

Download course sampleGet in touch with the team

BA Interior Design

Looking for degree-level study? Explore our BA Interior Design qualification.

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