New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Commercial)

Diploma

This programme is for aspiring qualified Interior Designers within commercial interior design practices.

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Key details

Degree Type

Diploma

Intake Months

Feb

Domestic Fees

$7,400 per year

International Fees

$25,377 per year

About this course

This programme is an extension of the New Zealand Diploma of Interior Design (Residential) (which is also a prerequisite for this commercial programme) and prepares you to develop your knowledge and extend your skills into commercial environments. If you're looking to enter the commercial interiors industry or if you're already working in this field and would like hold the formal qualification, this is the programme for you.

Our industry focused approach to learning interior design, means that in addition to developing your necessary knowledge and skills in commercial interior design, we also integrate you into the industry. You'll do this through practical learning, facilitated industry connections, working on actual client projects, guest speakers from industry, undertaking internships within specialist design practices, and much more.

This diploma will advance your technical knowledge and skills of CAD, consenting and documentation processes, products, materials and lighting design in order to equip you to design for complex environments within the retail, hospitality and workplace sectors.

Highlights

Highly industry integrated and connected
Work in 2 internships with practising commercial designers
Work on actual client projects
Practical projects which model current design processes used within industry practice.
Off site visits to trade suppliers and manufacturers
Guest speakers from industry
Programme content includes lighting design and furniture design
Focus on "work ready skills" that can be used in practice
Knowledgeable and skilled staff. Many of your lecturers are practising professionals at the top in their field
Is a continued pathway from the New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Residential)

Qualification pathway

The New Zealand Certificate in Interior Design (Residential) is a prerequisite of for this Commercial programme.

Once you've completed this programme you can go onto to work in the commercial and/or residential interior industry in the careers or similar careers as listed above.

As a Unitec Interior Design student and graduate, you can also join the Designers Institute of New Zealand.

Scholarship

We are awarding a $750 Interior Design (Commercial) Study Award Scholarship to encourage students beginning their New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Commercial) at Unitec and to help cover education-related costs. Find out more about the scholarship.

Entry requirements

For this programme you need:

1. to hold the New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Residential)

2. 8 credits at NCEA Level 2 in English (4 in reading, 4 in writing).

3. If English is not your first language, you will need one or more of the following:

Have achieved NCEA Level 3 and New Zealand University Entrance
Be able to provide evidence you satisfy our criteria for existing English proficiency such as IELTS
Have achieved at least one English proficiency outcome in the last two years

4. As part of your application you may be required to do the following unless you've already done so as part of entry into the New Zealand Diploma in Interior Design (Resdiential) or similar programme:

Attend an interview
Present your portfolio (view the portfolio the guidelines here)
Sit a test for colour vision

Don't meet these requirements? We also accept:

Entry by special or discretionary admission.

Special admission:

Be 20 years old or above at the start of your programme; AND
Provide sufficient evidence of aptitude or appropriate work or other life experience that would indicate a successful outcome in the qualification.

For more information download the programme regulations:

Programme Regulations

Study locations

Mt Albert

Career pathways

- Junior interior designer (commercial) - Commercial interior designer within a design or architectural practice - Specialist sales roles e.g. architectural representatives - Design stylist

Unitec Institute of Technology