Best Interior Architecture or Interior Design Degree Courses in Malaysia at 5 Top Private Universities
- Students should choose a top university in Malaysia to study interior architecture, one that has proven itself with experience and having won awards.
- The Interior Design degree should be Professionally accredited by Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM), where the programme is developed in-line with the guidelines of LAM or Board of Architects Malaysia and appraised under the same rigour as the Architecture programme.
Interior design is all about how we experience spaces. It’s a an important part of our lives impacting our emotions and feeling in how we live, work, play, and even heal. Comfortable homes, functional workplaces, beautiful public spaces—that’s interior design at work. Interior Designers create spaces that anticipate our needs and appeal to our emotions while pulling from a broad set of skills and technical knowledge.
Furthermore, Interior designers are expected to have working knowledge of:
- Textiles, materials, color, space planning, sustainability, and more
- Software applications for 2D & 3D computer-aided design (CAD) and building information modeling (BIM)
- Structural requirements, health and safety issues, and building codes
Education is the best way to get the skills you need to succeed. To be successful in your career in Interior Architecture or Interior Design, you need a well-rounded education and the skills to work within many disciplines such as architecture, graphic design, decorative arts, textile, furniture, and lighting design. Therefore, students must choose a top university in Malaysia so that they can gain the necessary design skills and specific knowledge.
- Malaysia’s Top Private Universities Offering Interior Design Architecture Degree Courses Accredited by Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia
- 3 Top Private Universities & Colleges in Malaysia for Interior Design (Interior Architecture) Degree Courses
- Study at a Top University in Malaysia for Interior Design (Interior Architecture)
- Choose to Study at the Best Colleges & Universities in Malaysia for Interior Design or Interior Architecture Diploma
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Study Interior Architecture (Interior Design) at the Best Private Universities & Colleges in Malaysia
What is Interior Architecture?
Jun Hao at his graduation showcase, Interior Design at First City University College
Interior architecture is a combination of the study and practice of interior design with architecture. Interior Architecture explores how the interiors of buildings such as offices, homes, condominiums, hospitals, hotels or restaurants are inhabited, used and experienced by their target audience.
Interior Architects are trained to consider the modification of the interior structure of the building rather than just refinishing and furnishing existing spaces.
Interest in interior architecture in Malaysia has grown rapidly in recent years as we have become more affluent and design conscious. New materials, technologies and techniques are giving interior architects in Malaysia exciting new ways to enclose and use space using, such as architectural glass for floors and ceilings and new environmentally friendly technologies for heating and lighting.
Interior architects plan and detail commercial and residential building interiors for effective use with particular emphasis on space creation, space planning and factors that affect our responses to living and working environments. Good design can enable us to live and work more efficiently, comfortably, profitably, securely and pleasurably in a more aesthetically fulfilling and functional environment.
Interior Architects plan space allocation, traffic flow, building services, furniture, fixtures, furnishings and surface finishes. They consider the purpose, efficiency, comfort, safety and aesthetic of interior spaces to arrive at an optimum design. They custom design or specify furniture, lighting, walls, partitions, flooring, colour, fabrics and graphics to produce an environment tailored to a purpose.
In your work as an interior architect in Malaysia, you’ll prepare drawings of interior spaces, and you might even design the furniture that will be used in those spaces. You might work for an architectural firm or another company that designs hospitals, offices, homes or schools; you could also go into business for yourself.
Education Pathway into an Interior Design Course in Malaysia
Wei Siong, Diploma in Interior Design at First City University College
Entry requirements for the Diploma in Interior Architecture or Interior Design is a minimum of 3 credits in SPM or IGCSE/O-Levels.
Students can apply for the PTTPN Loan for their Diploma. There is also no PTPN loan for Foundation studies. However, the PTPTN Loan is available for the degree course.
If you are still unsure of what to study, then you can go for the Foundation in Arts with 5 credits and then enter into the Interior Architecture at a top private university in Malaysia.
However, note that some universities do not accept a Foundation course without any design subjects. In this case, the best choice is to enter the Foundation in Design or Foundation in Architecture course.
Students taking the Pre-University courses such as STPM, A-Levels, SAM, AUSMAT, CIMP, etc should have taken subjects in design at Pre-U level or in SPM/O-Levels.
Top Private Universities and Colleges offering the Foundation, Diploma and Degree in Interior Architecture Design Courses
Zhi Yih, Interior Design at First City University College
Students should choose a top university in Malaysia to study interior architecture, one that has proven itself with experience and having won awards. Moreover, it should have excellent facilities and computer software to support your design studies.
The degree should be Professionally accredited by Lembaga Arkitek Malaysia (LAM), where the programme is developed in-line with the guidelines of LAM or Board of Architects Malaysia and appraised under the same rigour as the Architecture programme. Graduates will need an accredited degree in order to work as a professional Interior Architect in Malaysia.
Don’t be fooled by advertisements or glamour and make your choice based on these factors. A good interior architecture school doesn’t need to be very expensive.
Top 4 Private Universities & Colleges in Malaysia for Interior Design Courses
- Taylor’s University
- First City University College
- Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)
- UCSI University
- Saito University College
Top Ranked Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Interior Architecture Programme at Taylor’s University in Malaysia
Kenneth, Interior Design at Taylor’s University
Taylor’s University 3½-year Interior Architecture degree programme is a pre-professional programme that provides a recognised qualification in Interior Architecture, which is necessary in the journey to become a Registered Interior Designer.
Taylor’s University is ranked Top 3 in Malaysia according to QS World University Ranking for Art & Design. Furthermore, Taylor’s University has emerge top in many interior design competitions.
Taylor’s students will experience a thorough education to Interior Architecture and gain valuable industry exposure through lecture series, external design reviews, field trips, site visits and the option to participate in international study trips. The Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Interior Architecture programme at Taylor’s University also includes a 6-month internship locally or abroad, to develop better understanding of the industry through real-life experience and first-hand practice in the field. In addition, students are exposed to the industry though industry collaborations and participation in local and international design showcases.
Top BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design Degree in Malaysia at First City University College
Zi En, Interior Design at First City University College
Students can now obtain a top ranked UK dual award BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design degree at First City University College. Upon graduation, students will receive a degree from First City University College and Manchester Metropolitan University, UK. Manchester Metropolitan University, home to Manchester School of Art, has been ranked 15th out of UK universities for art and design courses in the Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2017.
Furthermore, students and lecturers from First City UC have won numerous awards throughout the years in interior design competitions such as the Malaysian Institute of Interior Designers’ (MIID), Nippon Paint Young Designer Awards (NPYDA) and MIFF.
The 3½ year programme- BA (Hons) Interior Architecture & Design at First City University College is renowned for developing creative and knowledgeable graduates; armed with skills and ability to embark on careers as professional interior architects.
Find Out the Course Details for the BA (Hons) Interior Architecture and Design at the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA)
Students who have completed the Foundation in Design or Diploma in Interior Design and interested to pursue the Interior Architecture and Design Degree can consider the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA). The Interior Architecture & Design degree is a 3+0 Programme and the degree is awarded by Birmingham City University, UK. With more than 50 years of providing design and music courses, students will find that this award-winning college has the necessary experience and facilities to enhance your design skills to secure a job for the future.
Malaysian Institute of Art is vital from its role as a pioneer art and design institute to being a renowned, trusted and reliable arts education provider. Since its founding, MIA has continuously championed quality and affordable art, design and music education. The College believes that arts education should not be seen as elite or just for a select few.
It is the college’s aim to have as many students as possible to be able to think creatively and have novel ways of addressing issues and nurture problem-solving skills. This is achieved through our holistic education and highly qualified group of educators.
MIA’s track record in producing relevant and capable workforce for the creative industry is proven with the numerous alumni making a name for themselves.
Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA) is a community of lively young artists in the making. At MIA, students will find themselves experiencing and exploring new creative forms, expressions of various kind of arts and skills that will contribute to their future careers. To enhance the live and learn experience, we provide an ideal hands-on learning environment, classrooms and facilities for our students as well as living facilities close to campus. With the growing numbers of amenities around the campus such as a shopping mall and an upcoming convention center, MIA is located in an area where students can truly live and learn to the fullest.
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Interior Architecture at UCSI University
An Drea, Interior Architecture at UCSI University
Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Interior Architecture offered at UCSI University is a full time 3.5 year fully accredited degree programme governed by the Council of Architectural Accreditation & Education of Malaysia (CAAEM).
The Interior Architecture degree programme at UCSI University gears its students towards the future of being thinkers rather than just doers; ‘think-and-do-tanks’ that addresses human needs on a variety of scales. This will enable UCSI’s students to engage with current public expectations of interior architecture practice with the adaptive and increasingly complex and ever changing demands of design and current trends from the industry.
Various electives courses are introduced in the degree programme where interior architecture and environmental skills are developed through lecture, studio presentations and workshop based projects. Theoretical and technological studies offered in the elective programme explore the use and experience of interiors in various ways.
Elective/Option courses are introduced in the degree programme in order for students to obtain exposure in a selected field of interest :
- Concept Design
- Digital Architecture
- Set & Exhibit Design
- Furniture Design & Workshop
- Advertising and Promotion for Designers
- Experiencing Culture
Top Rated Diploma in Interior Design at Saito University College
Kin Fen, Design student at Saito College
With more than 20 years of experience, Saito College is one of the best colleges for multimedia design in Malaysia with many award-winning students, highly experienced & qualified lecturers and having produced thousands of graduates highly in demand by the industry.
Saito College achieved a 6 Star rating in the 2013 Malaysia Quality Evaluation System (MyQuest) which is the highest for colleges in Malaysia.
In 2015, Ee Meng Chyi won Silver for the Interior Design Category in the prestigious Nippon Paint Young Designer Award. The competition draws participants from top private colleges, private & public universities in Malaysia. The Nippon Paint Young Designer Award (NPYDA) is organised by Nippon Paint and gives recognition to young, talented designers.
