We have no pre-requisites for entering this course, apart from meeting the Last Aggregate Score.

Our Interior Design programme focuses on spatial design, marrying materials, lighting and colour together into interior spaces that create experiences, moods and ambience to enhance peoples’ everyday lives. Although furniture selection and decoration is one part of Interior Design, the programme focuses on designing spaces and experiences for users.

Unlike Architecture, we do not explore form, structure and systems that form and complete a building. We explore on a more intimate scale - the way space are used by people and how the design of the space has an impact on its inhabitants.

If you are passionate about the design of space, transforming the experience of everyday living, have a curious mind to experiment with materials and enjoy making, you are the budding designer that we want!

The course is designed to stage your learning, progressively introducing skillsets and competencies through exercises and projects to support your learning. We start from the basics, guiding students step by step, be it how to draw, make a physical model and progress to Computer Aided Drawing (CAD) programs. You will pick up these skillsets and progressively develop them as you work on design projects.

The course is designed to stage your learning, building up skillsets and competences incrementally. Students will start with smaller scale projects, eg. residential apartments in year 1 and slowly build up their confidence as they progress to year 2 with a larger retail project and finally the Final Year Project. Tutors will be on hand to support and guide students through their journey of self-discovery and build up their design skillsets. With an open mind, passion and determination, we believe our students can succeed in this course!

As the course work will involve Computer Aided Drawing (CAD), a laptop with higher memory, higher specifications for graphics card, etc. will definitely help enhance your productivity and efficiency. That said, computing power has improved dramatically and are more affordable now. SP has financial assistance schemes for students to purchase laptops.

As some of the software used do not run on a MAC platform, it is advisable to use a Windows OS laptop. The basic requirements for a laptop that can meet your 3 years of study needs at DID can be found here.

This course is project based, 100% course work. Modules are taught through lectures and tutorials. For project work, we adopt the studio critique method which involves peer to peer learning, workshops together with consultations with your tutors to get feedback. There will also be a variety of group, as well as individual assignments in order to prepare your knowledge to apply back to your project. (See Question 9)

There are no examinations in DID. DID is a project-based programme, with 100% in-course assessment. You will be asked to demonstrate how you have applied knowledge from lectures and assignments back into your design project; your project hence will serve as the main means of assessment. This means that apart from a few tests and quizzes, you will not be examined in the traditional examination method.

Mimicking industry practice, students will be asked to submit and present their projects (through drawings, models, and other forms of communication methods), to a panel of tutors, who will then assess you based on your presentation and subsequent Q&A. This process is called a Critique session. The assessment criteria will be made available at the start of the project so that students will be aware of what and how they are being assessed on for that particular project.

Students will be guided and trained on both visual and verbal presentation techniques so as to prepare you for industry practices, such as presenting to clients, etc.

As the course is a project based programme, there will be costs incurred as part of the coursework. During critique sessions you will be asked to present using physical models and printed drawings on presentation boards. Some presentations will be digital submissions using projectors to showcase students’ works. The course seeks to find a balance between digital submissions and physical submissions, so as to reduce the reliance on printing and physical models. For some projects, base materials and some subsidies are provided.

If you have successfully been admitted into the course, we would suggest you expose yourself to interior design projects by going out! Keep your eyes open and analyse different spaces such as Museums, Shopping malls, Exhibitions, Retail and Food & Beverage projects. Read up through the internet or visit the library through periodicals and books! Otherwise, you will be advised on what laptops and what materials and equipment to purchase on the first week of school, so there is no need to worry if you are starting school not fully equipped.

DID constantly reviews its programme and pedagogy with Industry Partners to ensure that your education will allow you to grow and develop holistically and be relevant to the industry. The programme believes in a hands-on approach, learning through making, with numerous out of classroom activities, showroom / supplier visits and even overseas workshops or local master classes with industry leads. For the Final Year Project, we adopt an Atelier or Studio system where students can ballot for a project theme of their interest.

At the end of your 3 years with DID, you be equipped with the frame of mind to question, research and ideate to design for the Interior Design and its related built environment industries (architecture, visual merchandising, stage design, graphics, illustration, 3D visualisation to name a few). We believe that the journey of self-discovery to be a designer will prepare you with the skillsets and mind set to take on the challenges in the ever-changing work environment when you graduate.

If you already have an interest or passion for Interior Design, we would highly recommend you considering kick starting your academic career path here at DID. At the Polytechnic, we have designed the course to develop your spatial design skillsets and competencies to prepare you for the start of your design career!

Our graduates have gone on to degree Interior Design programs both locally at LASALLE College of Arts and Singapore Institute Technology (SIT), as well as overseas universities in Australia, United Kingdom and United States. Graduates have also moved on to study at NUS (Architecture) and other overseas Architectural degree programmes. Our program has received recognition and validation from many universities locally and abroad.

One of the key focuses at DID is to prepare you with the key fundamental skillsets and professional competencies in spatial design, with relevant knowledge of local design practices for you to grow further in the industry. Our graduates are often well received by the industry, with graduates often finding placements in firms before graduation. We also have an internship program that will give you the first insight to industry practices in order to prepare you to be work ready, world ready.