Interior, Architectural and Spatial Design MA (eca)

Level: Postgraduate taught

Subject: Architecture and Landscape Architecture

Year of entry: 2026

Study options

Mode of study

On campus

Full-time
  • MA (eca) | 1 year | Start date: September 2026

Key facts

School

Edinburgh College of Art

College

College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences

Programme website
Study location

Lauriston campus

Accreditation

Not available

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About the degree programme

What - and where - is interior? Interiors - and interiority - can be challenging to define. They can take specificity from a multiplicity of roles and functions, and must respond and adapt to site and situation. They can be porous, have fuzzy edges and extend beyond their physical limits. As such, to practice interior making - and the making of interiority - demands agility, responsiveness and the capacity to extend oneself beyond boundaries.

The MA Interior, Architectural and Spatial Design (IASD) programme is designed to support you in establishing your own approaches in defining interiors and interiority, supporting you to lay the foundations for your own path through the opportunities this field of knowledge and practice presents.

In this programme, you will engage with a range of theoretical positions and concepts, to creatively and critically explore and craft experimental and technically resolved design outcomes across a variety of scales. You will complete creative projects that give attention to detail design and construction at a human scale with direct material engagement with buildings and environments, as well as extending beyond the boundaries of a discrete site and conceive strategic masterplan approaches to understand how interiors connect with contexts and ideas at the scale of the city.

At the same time, you will explore and experiment with various media including writing, drawing, digital modelling and physical exhibition to engage with the theoretical, historical, and cultural contexts that frame the practices of interior, architectural and spatial design.

Following the deep site-focused character of the programme, each year engages with a particular site, situation or institution in the city of Edinburgh, be it a local community, a historic building, or a changing organisation. Using their own research to inform teaching, staff will work together with you to unlock the creative possibilities presented by that specific environment. 

In joining this programme you will also be joining Interior Lab – a wider family of staff, students and researchers - including professional alumni, undergraduate interior design and PhD students who will join us for talks, exhibitions and other events. 

Thinking about studying MA Interior, Architectural and Spatial Design at Edinburgh College of Art? Discover the programme, how you'll be taught, and hear from our students about their study experiences with us.

Programme benefits

  • City as laboratory: we engage with the historic and contemporary buildings and institutions of the world-renowned city of Edinburgh as sites for design experimentation.
  • Developing diverse skills: you will undertake courses that engage with creative and technical practices of interior design, from model making and material fabrication, to construction detailing and master-planning, utilising your skills from manifesto writing to digital visualisation.
  • Theory is practice: our programme encourages you to think and experiment across different media, developing new ideas by working from, writing to drawing, making to debating, and analogue to digital.  
  • A global community: Through group working we welcome and encourage conversation between the diverse interior experiences that our students bring from all over the world.
  • External engagement: we work together on live projects, and you will share your work with the broader public and industry in various ways.

Tuition fees

Tuition fees by award and duration

Tuition fees for full-time and part-time options are listed for one academic year.

Full-time

Graduate discount

If you are a University of Edinburgh graduate, you will be eligible for a 10% discount on your tuition fees for this programme. You may also be eligible if you were a visiting undergraduate student.

Find out how to receive your graduate discount

Deposit

You do not have to pay a deposit to secure your place on this programme.

Costs

Additional programme costs

To fully participate in this programme you are recommended to budget a minimum of £300 on top of the tuition fee for the following costs:
Travel and Accommodation
There are optional travel costs associated with field-trips and visits. 
 
You will be expected to pay the cost of local or national travel by public transport or car.
Equipment and software
Most equipment and software required will be provided by the School, but you will be expected to provide some specialist equipment including for example, a laptop, headphones, SD cards or USB drives.
Materials
You will be expected to pay for general art and design materials, such as sketchbooks, paper and pens. You will also be expected to buy some specialist materials required by your course.
 
Course organisers will support you in meeting intended learning outcomes while keeping material costs to a minimum, encouraging sustainable, responsible sourcing through Free Use Hub, but you will be expected to pay optional material costs as necessary for your own project work.
Printing
You are expected to pay for occasional A4/A3/A2/A1 printing and booklet binding. You may print in sizes and lengths outside of the ‘A’ range, off rolls, larger than A1, in long/high banner formats on different media like paper, trace and film.

Accommodation and living costs

You need to cover your accommodation and living costs for the duration of your programme.

We estimate that you might spend £1,167 to £2,330 per month if you are a single student.

Living costs include:

  • food
  • utility bills
  • travel, clothes, books and stationery
  • recreational costs (for example, TV subscriptions and social events)

Living costs

Accommodation costs depend on where you live while studying and the type of accommodation you choose.

University postgraduate accommodation options and costs

Funding opportunities

Funding for postgraduate study is different to undergraduate study, and many students need to combine funding sources to pay for their studies.

Most students use a combination of the following funding to pay their tuition fees and living costs:

  • borrowing money
    • taking out a loan
    • family support
  • personal savings
  • income from work
  • employer sponsorship
  • scholarships

Explore sources of funding for postgraduate study

Search for other funding opportunities

You can find scholarships, bursaries and other funding you might be eligible for on our Scholarships and Student Funding site.

Postgraduate funding opportunities

These entry requirements are for the 2026-27 academic year and requirements for future academic years may differ. Entry requirements for the 2027-28 academic year will be published on 1 Oct 2026.

Qualifications

A UK 2:1 honours degree or its international equivalent, in a relevant subject such as architecture, interior design, landscape architecture, product design and 3D design.

We also welcome applicants who do not meet academic entry requirements but demonstrate relevant professional experience.

You must submit a portfolio as part of your application. Your portfolio should include:

  • completed interior, architectural, spatial or landscape projects undertaken individually or as part of a group (please note that you should state your involvement in the group projects)
  • evidence of hand drawing, sketching, model making, orthographic drawing and rendered visuals
  • engagement with materials and detailing
  • work demonstrating a range of research methods and lines of enquiry
  • development work, demonstrating the iterative design process, as well as finished projects.

As part of your portfolio submission, you should include a personal video, no more than 2 minutes long, talking about your best piece of work.

As part of the application process, you must submit a personal statement and CV. Your personal statement should include why you want to study at ECA and what you feel you would contribute to the programme. Selection will be made on a variety of key criteria:

  • engagement with existing buildings: how does your work demonstrate an understanding of and engagement with the opportunities of a specific building or site?
  • research: what has generated your design ideas and what methods did you use to support this?
  • conceptual ambition: what are the big ideas driving your work? How are you questioning current design thinking?
  • development: how have you developed those ideas in your project work through the iterative design process?
  • resolution: how have projects been resolved and communicated?
  • awareness: what do you consider interior, architectural and spatial design to be, and where does your work sit within the discipline?
  • evidence of exploring interior, architectural and spatial design through a number of media including hand sketching, model making, 3D visualisations.

International qualifications

To find international equivalent qualifications, select where you studied from the country or region list.

English language requirements

You must prove that your English language abilities are at a high enough level to study this degree programme.

This is the case for all applicants, including UK nationals.

You can meet our English language requirements with one of the following:

  • an English language test
  • a degree that was taught and assessed in English
  • certain professional qualifications

English language tests we accept

We accept any of the following English language tests, at the specified grade or higher:

  • IELTS Academic: total 7.0 with at least 6.0 in each component We do not accept IELTS One Skill Retake to meet our English language requirements.
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition): total 100 with at least 20 in each component We do not accept TOEFL MyBest Score to meet our English language requirements.
  • C1 Advanced (CAE) / C2 Proficiency (CPE): total 185 with at least 169 in each component.
  • Trinity ISE: ISE III with passes in all four components.
  • Oxford ELLT: total 8 with at least 6 in each component.
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced: total 155 with at least 135 in each component.
How old your English language tests can be
Tests no more than two years old

The following English language tests must be no more than two years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality:

  • IELTS Academic
  • TOEFL-iBT (including Home Edition)
  • Trinity ISE
  • Oxford ELLT
  • Oxford Test of English Advanced
Tests no more than three and a half years old

All other English language tests must be no more than three and a half years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts, regardless of your nationality.   

Degrees taught and assessed in English

We accept an undergraduate or postgraduate degree that has been taught and assessed in English in a majority English-speaking country, as defined by UK Visas and Immigration.

UKVI list of majority English speaking countries

We also accept a degree that has been taught and assessed in English from a university on our list of approved universities in non-majority English-speaking countries (non-MESC).

Approved universities in non-MESC

How old your degree can be

If you are not a national of a majority English-speaking country, then your degree must be no more than five years old on the 1st of the month in which your programme starts.

This time limit does not apply to your degree if you are a national of a majority English-speaking country.

Find out more about our English language requirements

Find out about other English language qualifications we accept, including professional qualifications.

English language requirements

What you will study

This programme runs over three consecutive semesters and is full time. The programme is composed of core and elective courses.

Semesters 1 and 2 are split into 3 courses of 20 Credits each, covering design practice and theoretical studies in the field of design. The summer semester consists of a single 60 credit course.

Semester 1

In Semester 1, there are two core courses:

  • Adapting Interiors
  • Reading Interiors

Both are taught by IASD staff and focus on a chosen site, situation, or institution.

The remaining 20 credit course is elective, which you will choose from a selected list of courses with a more theoretical and written focus. These are delivered by other colleagues in ECA.

Semester 2

In Semester 2, the two core courses are:

  • Connecting Interiors (taught by IASD staff and focusing on the chosen site)
  • Disseminating Design Practices (delivered by other colleagues in ECA)

The third course in this semester is elective. You are encouraged to choose a course that will develop your design thinking beyond interiors to gain valuable experience in a related field.

You may take suitable elective courses from anywhere within the University. Options vary each year and are dependent on level, availability and timetable suitability.

Summer semester

The final summer semester consists of a single core course, Intersections, which contains three elements:

  • An individual ‘synthesis’ design research project, based in our site/situation/institution, but following a project brief of your own choice.
  • A group project in which you work together as a team disseminating the approaches and work of the programme to the broader public beyond ECA.
  • A portfolio in which you document your learning throughout the year and propose the future directions of your practice.

Find courses for this programme

Find out what courses you can study on this programme and how each of them are taught and assessed.

The courses on offer may change from year to year, but the course information will give you an idea of what to expect on this programme.

Full-time

We link to the latest information available. This may be for a previous academic year and should be considered indicative.

Field trips

Our core course consists of design projects that are site-based and you be spending much time engaging with these sites and situations in the city. In the past, these have included:

  • various historic buildings on the university campus
  • the former Edinburgh Royal Infirmary
  • the Edinburgh Freemason’s Hall
  • Summerhall Arts centre
  • Leith Custom House.

In addition, where appropriate, we organise day trips to encounter buildings, exhibitions or events that are relevant to your studies.

Approach to site

We think of Edinburgh as a ‘living lab’ which we can use to experiment with the ways in which interior, architectural and spatial design can unlock the potential of buildings and the communities and institutions that occupy them.

Each of our core courses begins with a visit to our site, situation, and/or institution of interest, and we regularly engage with those institutions and communities throughout the design development process for each project.

Each of our core courses, and our programme, all culminate in events, physical exhibitions, or digital media that you will conceive, design and implement in order to share your work with the people for and about whom it has been created.

Teaching and assessment

Teaching

Our core teaching and learning is based in our studio, which is a collaborative working space for staff and students.

Working with our experienced staff, we expect you to take charge of the direction of your coursework as a postgraduate student. We are here to guide and advise you on developing your own practices and thinking in new directions, rather than instructing you in preconceived ideas and practices.

While much of your work is self-directed, your weekly core classes will involve engagement with your peers and academic staff. In these classes, you will encounter:

  • lectures and seminars
  • group and individual design tutorials
  • workshop activities
  • intensive design ‘lock-ins’.

In our core courses you will explore the potential of our host institution and/or situation through design projects set at different scales, from detail to masterplan. In each, you will follow a structured process that will introduce you to practices and processes from building survey to construction drawing, urban and community, to structural analysis.

In the final third semester you will pursue design projects of your own with greater autonomy, building on the approaches you have learned in earlier semesters, and turning these approaches to your own career aims and objectives.

Assessment

We have designed our core assessments to reflect and reward a continuous and student-centred model of creative learning. To complete each core course you will produce a portfolio of work summarising and reflecting on your learning journey, as well as the resolution of completed design work.

Along the way, you will produce specific pieces of work for interim review, including drawings, physical models, short pieces of writing, digital animations, and temporary installations.

Learning outcomes

To successfully engage and complete this programme, we expect students to do the following:

  • Critically engage with and analyse the characteristics of an aspect of a given interior, through a variety of theoretical lenses, with a view to making original proposals for its adaptation.
  • Use a significant range of forefront professional skill, techniques, practices and materials to conceive, develop, and resolve original detailed designs for the adaptation of an aspect of a given interior.
  • Communicate, using appropriate methods, diverse understandings and proposals for the adaptation of an aspect of a given interior to a range of audiences with different levels of knowledge/expertise, including peers, more senior colleagues and specialists.
  • Using autonomy and judgement, write a critically constructed, original and personal definition of ‘the interior’.
  • Apply varying interior, architectural and spatial theories, through a range of special research techniques and enquiry in the formulation of a brief for a given interior.
  • Show independence and initiative in developing masterplan responses to complex problems in a given interior.
  • Communicate to a range of audiences a cohesive creative solution of outline scheme design.
  • Apply critical analysis to a body of work in relation to a given site, and using informed judgement, develop a synthesised design response to it.
  • Develop and realise an original creative response to the practice of professional dissemination within the context of interior, architectural and spatial design.
  • Communicate professionally an edited and critically analysed body of work practices in response to the presentation of a body of self-generated work relating to the programme.

Support for your studies

You will have access to a range of support services if you need them throughout your degree.

We will assign you to a student adviser, and this should be the first person to contact if you need help. They can guide you to other University service teams depending on what support you need.  

How we support you

Our academic staff

Staff on the programme include: 

  • Edward Hollis
  • Rachel Simmonds
  • Dave Loder

Where you will study

Study location

Our base is a studio in ECA’s Lauriston Campus, in the heart of Edinburgh. This is where you will have a place to draw, make models, meet your classmates for social and group sessions, and attend classes and seminars.

The Lauriston campus is 10 minutes’ walk from the University of Edinburgh’s central campus, with its libraries, museums and social spaces.

In addition Scotland’s national galleries, museum, opera house and parliament – all examples of exceptional design, both ancient and modern - are all within 30 minutes’ walk.

ECA are excited to be undertaking a capital redevelopment of ECA’s Lauriston Campus over the next 3 years, from April 2024 to April 2027.

The project aims to maximise the use of existing space, improve accessibility, and create a vibrant campus that fosters collaboration and innovation.

The project involves refurbishing and repurposing various spaces across the Lauriston campus, including technical facilities, student and teaching spaces, and the relocation of the Reid School of Music from Alison House to the Lauriston Campus. New social spaces, seminar rooms, and studios are being created to accommodate our growing community.

You can find more about the project at the below link:

Building work starts at ECA’s Lauriston Campus | Edinburgh College of Art

Academic facilities

The ECA campus is well-furnished with diverse workshops facilitating digital and analogue methods. We encourage you to use these, and you can access them with short induction courses. It also has two art and architecture libraries, and numerous spaces to encounter your fellow students and their work.

Virtual tour

You can take a closer look at the Edinburgh College of Art and explore our facilities and campus with our virtual tour.

Take a virtual tour of Edinburgh College of Art

Career opportunities

We have a strong track record of graduates working in interior design and architectural practices both here in the UK and overseas, or setting up their own businesses once they have completed the programme.

Graduates have also gone on to further academic study at masters or PhD level in various institutions around the world.

Further study

After completing this programme, you may wish to consider applying for a PhD or other research programme.

Applying for research degrees

Moving on to a PhD (advice from the University's Careers Service)

Careers Service

Our Careers Service can help you to fully develop your potential and achieve your future goals. 

The Careers Service supports you not only while you are studying at the University, but also for up to two years after you finish your studies. 

With the Careers Service, you can: 

  • access digital resources to help you understand your skills and strengths
  • try different types of experiences and reflect on how and what you develop
  • get help finding work, including part-time jobs, vacation work, internships and graduate jobs
  • attend careers events and practice interviews
  • get information and advice to help you make informed decisions 

Visit the Careers Service website 

How to apply

You apply online for this programme. After you read the application guidance, select your preferred programme, then choose 'Start your application' to begin.

If you are considering applying to more than one programme, you should be aware that we cannot consider more than 5 applications from the same applicant.

When to apply

Programme start date Application deadline
14 September 2026 29 June 2026

We encourage you to apply as soon as possible so that we have enough time to process your application. This is particularly important if you are also applying for funding or will require a visa. Applications may close earlier than published deadlines if there is exceptionally high demand.

For an application to be reviewed, it must be a complete application by the application deadline with all supporting documentation uploaded, including your transcripts.

If you already have evidence that you meet the English language entry requirements, such as via an approved English language test, please upload this evidence at the time of your application. If you have not already met your English language requirements, we will still review your application and issue a decision providing it is otherwise complete.

Application fee

There is no fee to apply to this programme.

What you need to apply

As part of your online application, you will need to provide: 

You will also need to submit some or all of the following supporting documents:

When you start your application, you will be able to see the full list of documents you need to provide.

References

You do not need to provide a reference when you submit your application for this programme.

There may be certain circumstances when a reference will be required, for example if we need to verify work experience. If that is the case, we will contact you after we have reviewed your application to request a reference.

Portfolio

You must submit a portfolio as part of your application.

You won't be able to submit your portfolio immediately, but you'll receive an email prompt within a few days of submitting your application that will explain how to upload your portfolio.

Apply

Select the award, duration and delivery mode you want to study. Then select the start date you want to apply for.

After you apply

Once you have applied for this programme, you will be able to track the progress of your application and accept or decline any offers.

Checking the status of your application

We will notify you by email once we have made a decision. Due to the large number of applications we receive, it might take a while until you hear from us.

Receiving our decision

What to do if you receive an offer:

What our students say

What is it really like to study here? Our students share their experiences on our social media. 

You can find out what a day in the life is like for an Edinburgh College of Art student, from late nights in the library to their favourite walks around the city! 

Instagram: Edinburgh College of Art

Our community

At Edinburgh College of Art (ECA) we bring together creative practices that shape the world around us.

We deliver innovative teaching, research and public engagement in an inclusive and sustainable environment with outstanding services and facilities to support your ambitions.  

With degrees in Art, History of Art, Music, Architecture and Landscape Architecture, and Design, you’ll be joining a diverse community of artists, art historians, designers, academics, researchers, architects, landscape architects and musicians. 

ECA is a rich, textured, and inclusive learning environment. Diverse practices co-exist as the embodiments of an individual and collective pursuit of knowledge, for the betterment of humankind and our planet.   

Our approach is explicitly inclusive, future facing and interdisciplinary, embracing of bold innovation and continuous enhancement.  

Find out more about the Edinburgh College of Art community

Accommodation

We guarantee an offer of University accommodation for all new, single postgraduate taught students from outside the UK and new, single postgraduate research (typically PhD) students who:

  • apply for accommodation by 31 July in the year when you start your programme
  • accept an unconditional firm offer to study at the University by 31 July
  • study at the University for the whole of the academic year starting in September

University accommodation website

Accommodation guarantee criteria

We also offer accommodation options for couples and families.

Accommodation for couples and families

If you prefer to live elsewhere, we can offer you advice on finding accommodation in Edinburgh.

Accommodation information from the Edinburgh University Students' Association Advice Place

Societies and clubs

Our societies and sports clubs will help you develop your interests, meet like-minded people, find a new hobby or simply socialise.

Societies

Sport Clubs

The city of Edinburgh

Scotland's inspiring capital will form the background to your studies — a city with an irresistible blend of history, natural beauty and modern city life. 

Find out more about living in Edinburgh

Our vibrant capital is a blend of culture, history, nature and modern city life. A fantastic place to live, it is also the perfect location to study interior, architectural and spatial design. 

Edinburgh’s dynamic cultural scene boasts the largest collection of historic buildings, museums, art galleries and theatres of any city in Scotland. 

The University of Edinburgh’s museums and galleries include: 

  • the Talbot Rice Gallery
  • the Centre for Research Collections
  • St Cecilia’s Hall: Concert Room and Music Museum 

Edinburgh is home to several major annual festivals, each bringing talent from around the world to our streets and stages, making the celebration of diversity an intrinsic part of the city’s culture. These include the: 

  • Festival Fringe
  • Film Festival
  • Art Festival
  • Book Festival
  • Jazz and Blues Festival 

Some of our students even participate in our annual festivals. 

Health and wellbeing support

You will have access to free health and wellbeing services throughout your time at university if you need them.

The support services we offer include: 

  • a student counselling service
  • a health centre (doctor's surgery)
  • support if you're living in University accommodation
  • dedicated help and support if you have a disability or need adjustments

Health and wellbeing support services 

Disability and Learning Support

General enquiries

Contact our enquiry team about your eligibility or how to apply.

Contact us

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