Master of Interior Architecture – MIA
Build your expertise and improve your career prospects with advanced study of interior architecture.
Become a specialist in spatial experience design by studying a Master of Interior Architecture at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington. Reimagine the places we live, work, play, eat, shop, exercise, and learn.
Through your studies you will make a difference to people's wellbeing and create a better future through the innovative design of interior spaces.
20 hours
The average amount of time we spend inside buildings each day.
– The New Zealand Medical Journal (Online)
You'll examine how design can affect the way people experience, interact with, and move through an interior. Performance, identity, mood, and the physical comfort of a structure will influence your creative solutions to improve and transform the built environment.
Your studies will take you on a journey of social and cultural, ecological and technological, historical and contemporary contexts. At every turn, you will be provided with opportunities to expand your knowledge of design, considering the relationships between materials, people and space.
Learn through a combination of taught courses and a self-directed, design-led research thesis or portfolio.
Get the postgraduate Architecture and Design Innovation handbook
Find out more about your study options. Fill in a form to download our Wellington Faculty of Architecture and Design Innovation handbook.
Download the handbookInternational recognition
The University’s Master of Interior Architecture programme is internationally recognised through affiliation to the International Federation of Interior Architects/Designers (IFI) and the Interior Design/Interior Architecture Educators Association (IDEA).
Community
Through postgraduate study you will build valuable relationships and networks with peers, university staff, and future colleagues. Make the most of opportunities to attend events, seminars, workshops, and social functions.
Postgraduate students in the Wellington School of Architecture play a vital role in developing high-quality research outputs. Research findings are often presented at national and international conferences, and published in peer-reviewed journals. Many of our postgraduate alumni have become industry leaders in their chosen field.
You'll also benefit from the expertise of working professionals through the Faculty's connections with local industry.
The Postgraduate Students' Association can also give you information on study at the University, and provides a voice for you on campus.
Careers
As an Interior Architecture graduate, you might work as a specialist within an interior design or architecture firm, or in the interior division of a large, multidisciplinary design company.
You might also work as an exhibition designer, stage or screen set designer, or retail designer. Other jobs may include lighting designer, furniture designer, or environmental designer. You might also make a career in teaching or research.
21%
How much patient treatment times can be reduced by a well-designed hospital.
– Royal Institute of British Architects
Scholarships
The Wellington School of Architecture has a number of prizes and scholarships available each year.
You can look for scholarships based on your level of study, subject area and background.
Advance your expertise with PhD study
If you do well in your Master's research, you'll be able to apply to do a PhD. This is the highest academic qualification offered by the University and involves original and sustained research under supervision.
PhD students are supported by the Faculty of Graduate Research (FGR), which also handles all applications.
Before applying, you should talk to the Chair of the School of Architecture Research Committee about available supervision for PhD study in Interior Architecture.
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Study details