You don’t need a degree to become an interior designer. A university degree is one route, but it is not the only one. In the UK, you can start a career in interior design through college courses, online short courses, an apprenticeship, a diploma, by working up from an assistant role or by gaining interior design showroom experience. As long as you build the right skills, a strong portfolio and the confidence to back your decisions, you can achieve your interior design goals.
Plenty of working designers don’t hold a degree, and clients rarely ask to see one. What matters is whether you can plan a space, choose materials and lighting well, and carry a project through to completion. UK career guidance agrees there is more than one recognised way in, so here is how to do it without a degree.
Why you do not need a degree to start
The National Careers Service lists university, college, apprenticeships and working towards the role as recognised pathways, so a degree is one option among several. Interior design is not a legally protected title in the UK, which means there is no single qualification you must hold to practise. Clients will hire you based on your skills and your portfolio far more than on any qualification, so developing your skills and demonstrating your abilities is far more important.
The routes in without a degree
By building the right skills, you can set yourself on the path to be a successful interior designer. A professional diploma studied online is a flexible route if you are looking to change career or want to fit your study around work. Many interior designers simply start with their love of interior design and grow from there. If you are starting from scratch, our guide on how to become an interior designer with no experience walks through the first steps.
Build the skills a degree would teach you
Without a degree, you still need the foundational skills, so learn them deliberately. Focus on space planning, scale, colour, materials, lighting and presentation. Develop an understanding of technical drawings and how interiors are built. Get comfortable with identifying the elements of design and how they are working within a space and treat being able to learn new competencies as a skill in itself. The National Careers Service highlights design knowledge, attention to detail, creativity, and confident computer use as core skills, and none of those require a university degree to acquire them.
Build a portfolio that speaks for you
Your portfolio is what replaces a degree when you’re working with clients. It should show how you think, not just that you can make a pretty image. Over time, you will include a small number of well-developed projects that showcase the brief, research, concept, space planning, drawings, material choices and final presentation. Student, personal and hypothetical projects are perfectly fine when you are starting out. You should always lead with your strongest work and explain your decisions, so a client can see you solving real design problems.
Get experience and your first role
Experience is where a no-degree route is won. Look for design projects that you can help friends and family with, internships, placements, showroom experience or interior design assistant roles. The National Careers Service notes that starting as an assistant and progressing with training is one recognised way to start your career in interior design. Always tailor your offer and portfolio to each client to remain relevant. EG: If a client’s interested in you helping them decide the colour palette for their new home, include colour consultation projects in your portfolio, not the new retail café you helped to design.
If you are weighing it all up and want to decide if this is for you, our guide on whether interior design is a good career covers pay and demand.
How to become an interior designer without a degree, in short
Learn the design, technical and software skills through college, an apprenticeship or a professional diploma. Build a portfolio that shows your thinking. Gain experience through friends and family, placements or assistant roles, and keep growing. The degree is optional; the skills and the portfolio are not. For the complete overview, see our guide on how to become an interior designer.
Frequently asked questions
Can you become an interior designer without a degree in the UK?
Yes. Interior design is an unregulated profession, that means there’s no degree required.
Do interior designers need to be qualified or licensed?
There is no single mandatory qualification in the UK. As an unregulated industry you need not have any professional qualifications or memberships to official (or non-official) bodies or associations to work in the industry. Though professional bodies offer recognition as you gain experience, but clients and employers judge you mainly on your skills and portfolio.
Is a diploma enough to become an interior designer?
What you really need to become an interior designer are the skills and confidence to provide your services. Starting with a short course is a great way to prepare you to step into the industry and working as a professional interior designer.
Prefer a flexible, no-degree route?
The Professional Interior Design Course teaches the craft through practical course assignments, with personal feedback from a professional interior designer and a portfolio to show clients by the end of your course. Study online at your own pace, up to one year, and earn your Diploma of Professional Interior Design and Interior Designer I.D. Pass. Flexible payment plans are available. Enrol now, or get the free course guide.
