IIE BA Honours in Interior Design - Distance

Overview

The IIE BA Honours in Interior Design builds upon the IIE BA in Interior Design to expand and deepen the student’s research skills, design knowledge, and design ability to prepare them for professional life as a senior interior designer or design lecturer. Students learn to challenge conventional design thinking and develop refined and innovative design methodologies that consider the impact and effectiveness of proposed interior solutions. Students are further exposed to advanced professional practice within the built environment in the form of the establishment and conception of a project, thorough analysis of a site, drafting the project contracts, estimating fees and budgets, writing specifications and professionally presenting project proposals.

The research module introduces students to formal design research methodology, students are supervised by an experienced supervisor who is an expert in the field of Interior Design. Students are encouraged to select a topic in the field that they are passionate about where after they are exposed to the various methods used to conduct design research. The research component forms the basis for a career in design research and provides students with the research skills necessary for advanced practice as an Interior Designer.

Modules:

• Interior Design Discourse
• Interior Solution Design A and B
• Design Research
• Interior Design Professional Practice

The Interior Design Discourse module examines a range of key theories and contemporary discourse that frame the interior design discipline and practice. The Professional Practice module further prepares students for industry and comprise themes such as project management, entrepreneurship and the legal and ethical requirements related to interior design.

Interior Solution Design A and B develop students’ ability to create a professional portfolio in response to complex design problems. Students demonstrate their advanced practical and conceptual skills in interior design and communicate these in a visually appropriate and professional manner.

The Research module  introduces students to formal design research methodology, students are supervised by an experienced supervisor who is an expert in the field of Interior Design. Students are encouraged to select a topic in the field that they are passionate about where after they are exposed to the various methods used to conduct design research. The research component forms the basis for a career in design research and provides students with the research skills necessary for advanced practice as an Interior Designer.

IIE-Vega is an Education Member of the IID

Study further with IIE Pathways

The successful completion of the IIE BA Honours in Interior Design enables you to progress into an appropriate Master’s qualification, subject to meeting the admission requirements.

Distance delivery includes:

• An online learning system that leads students through the content, prescribed material and activities.
• Online academic navigators (tutors) who are subject experts and maintain the human experience of the learning process.
• Weekly live sessions with your distance navigators.
• A dedicated success navigator who supports students throughout the learning journey.
• Distance research supervisors who guide students’ research design, development and learning.
• Access to our online information centre and resources.

Note:

While you can generally structure your study time as you need, there are scheduled online sessions during which you will get mediated support. Scheduled assessments in the form of online activities, assignments and exams are paced to ensure your studies progress.

What you need in terms of time and materials:

• Prescribed textbooks are available for online purchase.
• Distance students need to commit to approximately 12-15 hours a week for distance engagement (most of which is after hours) with material and assessments to succeed.

Please note synchronous sessions generally take place after hours.

Device and Connectivity Specifications Required for Online Study:

• Reliable internet connection (we recommend 5-10 GB of data per month and an internet speed of at least 0.15 Mbps).
• Desktop PC or laptop with at least an i3 processor and 4GB RAM memory.
• Windows 8 or macOS 10.15 (Microsoft Office 365 is available as a free download for IIE students), and Google Chrome, Microsoft Edge Chromium or Firefox.
• A working webcam and microphone.
• An uninterrupted power supply is also highly recommended.

Exams are written at an exam centre and in some instances online. These details will be specified in your programme assessment schedule.

To succeed in your distance journey, you need to be:

• Self-motivated and invested in your learning journey.
• Disciplined and able to balance studying with work and family commitments.
• Able to direct your own studies, maintaining a diligent pace.

To assist you in succeeding in your distance journey, our teaching approach is:

• Student-centric: we facilitate your thought processes to foster innovative ideas and creative solutions.
• Authentic: we use real-life examples and case studies.
• Activity-based: We move your learning forward through applied activities and assessments.
• Discussion-based: we ask you questions and stimulate debate to provoke deep thought and insights about course content.

Where assessments are written in person:

• For students based in South Africa, online students may select any campus of The IIE’s Varsity College, Rosebank College, Vega, or IIE MSA as their Examination Centre.
• An alternative examination centre is only permissible for students studying abroad and those located in a province of South Africa where there is no IIE campus. If there is no IIE campus within reach, an alternative venue will need to be sourced by you. For non-IIE venues, there is an alternative venue levy per module.

Entry Requirements

• An appropriate Bachelor’s Degree with an average of 60% in the final year OR
• An appropriate Advanced Diploma, provided that a 360 credit Diploma or appropriate equivalent has been completed, with an average of 60% in the final year.
• All candidates are required to submit an Interior Design portfolio.

Please note:

• Candidates are normally required to have a minimum final year average of 60% in the qualifications final-year (NQF L7) modules. Those with a final year average of 55 - 59% will be admitted if they attained 60% or higher for the designated cognate/core discipline module at final-year (NQF L7)

Senate Discretionary Admission:

Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL):

• Where candidates do not satisfy the formal admission requirements for this qualification, The IIE may consider an admission application in terms of the Credit Accumulation and Transfer, Recognition of Prior Learning and Qualification Completion Policy (IIE010).
• If applicant does not meet minimum admission requirements and there is no alternative (such as completion of NQP modules) but they have relevant experience, the following must be requested to consider admission via RPL:

1. Certificates for all formal (Accredited Higher Education qualifications) and/or informal qualifications/modules (SLP’s, Microcredentials etc). SAQA certificates must be provided for any international qualifications.
2. CV to determine whether the following are related to the qualification that the applicant is applying for:

1. Formal (Accredited Higher Education qualifications) and/or informal qualifications/modules (SLP’s, Microcredentials etc)
2. Relevant work experience

Additional Notes:

Graduates of The IIE who do not meet the conditional admissions requirements for admission to Honours can enrol for and repeat all or some of their NQF Level 7 modules in order to improve their marks so that they can meet the entry requirements for Honours. These graduate students will then receive an additional transcript after the completion of the repeat module(s), where the repeat module(s) will appear as a second iteration of the module(s) on the transcript. The marks from the second iteration can then be used for admission to Honours in the subsequent academic year. This option is only available to graduates from The IIE and does not apply to graduates from other HE institutions.

International Admission:

• A SAQA NQF L7 Evaluation Certificate in an appropriate field and meeting the additional admission requirements.