Bachelor of DesignINTERIOR DESIGN

The Bachelor of Design with specialisation in Interior Design is a degree at Whitehouse Institute of Design that combines spatial planning, materiality, styling and business acumen. It is delivered on campus in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, and you graduate with a strong technical foundation and a portfolio that speaks directly to industry.

The Whitehouse Bachelor of Design in Interior Design is a 2 year accelerated degree, delivered across 6 trimesters at a full-time load of five subjects per trimester, and it is also offered part-time. It comprises 18 core subjects and 12 Interior Design specialisation subjects, totalling 288 credit points.

Whitehouse has three main intakes each year for the Bachelor of Design in Interior Design, in February, June and September. Applications are open year-round and typically open 6 to 12 months before the intake starts, so applying early helps you secure your preferred campus and start date.

You will learn space planning, drafting and technical specification, technical documentation covering interior construction and regulation, colour theory and decorative product selection, and professional practice and project management. You train in SketchUp, Autodesk Revit and Adobe Creative Cloud (Illustrator, InDesign and Photoshop), and every Whitehouse interior design student gets free access to SketchUp and Revit for the duration of their studies (Revit is normally about $4.4k per year).

You complete six industry-focused projects, one each trimester, progressing from residential to commercial design: Residential Foundations, Luxury Residential Apartment Design, Multi-Space Interior Design, Commercial Hospitality and Retail Design, Commercial Office Design, and a Signature Graduate Project exhibited at the annual Graduate Exhibition. Each trimester you pitch your design proposal to a review panel, with 20+ hours of face-to-face studio time a week.

There is a lot of overlap, as the Digital Design subject is best described as a graphic design course within your degree. You develop core graphic design principles using Adobe Creative Cloud, including Photoshop, Lightroom and InDesign, and apply them directly to your interior design projects across print and digital formats.

Whitehouse Interior Design graduates go on to work as Interior Designers across residential, commercial and corporate projects, and in roles such as Spatial Designer, Design Manager, Furniture Designer, Hospitality Designer, CAD Engineer, Lighting Designer and Exhibition Designer. You graduate with a professional portfolio spanning residential, hospitality, retail and commercial interiors, and alumni include Bradhly Le, a Designer at Hassell.

No ATAR required. You need to have completed Year 12 or equivalent, attend a Design Meeting and provide a portfolio, and international students also need a minimum level of English and a valid visa for studying in Australia.

No. No ATAR required: all Whitehouse courses, including the Bachelor of Design in Interior Design, have no ATAR requirement, as an ATAR does not assess how well a student will succeed creatively.

A creative portfolio is a selection of your best work, usually 4 to 6 examples, in mediums such as illustration, digital design, photography, film, creative writing, textile design or fine art. Whitehouse uses it to assess your creative potential, looking for an understanding of design, innovative thinking and the ability to develop ideas independently.

If you don't have a creative portfolio or have questions about yours, call Whitehouse on 1300 551 433 or email study@whitehouse-design.edu.au. Whitehouse also runs short workshops throughout the year that help applicants develop their portfolio.

Recommended Year 11 and 12 subjects include Design and Technology, Visual Arts, Visual Communication, Textiles and Design, and Modern or Ancient History, but Whitehouse has no compulsory prerequisite subjects. The Certificate III in Design Fundamentals, which you can take in Year 10, 11 or 12, offers its graduates direct entry into the Bachelor of Design.

In 2026 the trimester tuition fee for full-time study is $14,610, with an indicative average unit fee of $2,922 (based on 5 units), and fees exclude course materials and technical kits. The course is FEE-HELP approved, so eligible domestic students need no upfront tuition payment.

FEE-HELP limits apply. Check the latest limits and eligibility on the Australian Government's StudyAssist website.

Yes. Whitehouse may award credit for accredited subjects from another provider or relevant industry experience, and Advanced Standing to students who have completed courses in a similar field, which can mean direct entry into study period two, three or four of the Bachelor of Design. If advanced standing is awarded, the length of your study may be reduced.

Yes. If you have received an offer but aren't ready to start, you can defer to the next intake without reapplying, as long as you do so before the census date.

Yes, absolutely. Call Whitehouse on 1300 551 433, email study@whitehouse-design.edu.au or book a campus tour, and when you're ready, apply directly on the Whitehouse website with no application fee.

The Bachelor of Design, Interior Design is an AQF Level 7 qualification, the level for bachelor degrees under the Australian Qualifications Framework. It is a higher education award delivered by Whitehouse Institute of Design and is FEE-HELP approved.