Bachelor of Arts in Interior Architecture

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Bachelor Interior Architecture

It develops the core competences of the discipline and is oriented towards the strategic sectors of today's professional landscape. Organised on the model of a Creative Factory, the curriculum allows each student to enhance his or her interests and talents by building a customised study path.

SUPSI Course Overview

Overview

  • Degree awarded

    Bachelor of Arts SUPSI in Architettura d'interni

  • Credits

    180 ECTS

  • Study modes

    Full Time (TP), from 3 years
    Part-time (PT), from 4 years

  • Applications *

    (TP) November 17th, 2025 - April 30th, 2026
    (PT) November 17th, 2025 - April 30th, 2026

  • Start date

    September 2026

  • Language

    Italian

  • Semester fee

    From CHF 800.-

  • Location

    Mendrisio, Campus SUPSI

*For further details see the "Admission and registration" section

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With the project, the SUPSI interior architect gives shape to symbolic, functional and technical requirements
and aesthetics that contribute to the quality of the interior environment. This professional figure knows how to combine the perceptual factors of space with specific skills in the fields of design, interior construction and communication.
It qualifies the relationship between man and the environment.

Skills
  • Conceive and create projects knowing how to interpret the expectations and needs of clients
    and users in the different areas of the profession.
  • Knowing the main factors of qualitative perception of space: light, materials, sound,
    shapes, colour and micro-environmental conditions.
  • Apply technical knowledge and skills in design to ensure comfortable interior environments and construction solutions consistent with the design objectives.
  • Use historical, humanistic, artistic, theoretical and methodological knowledge of interior architecture in design practice.
  • Knowing how to evaluate which forms of representation to use for the design of interior design atmospheres and communication: texts, drawings, models, photographs, renderings, mood boards and video.
  • Operate autonomously and in multidisciplinary teams by enhancing and effectively managing
    interaction and communication.
  • Act professionally in a critical and ethically responsible manner.

SUPSI graduates in Interior Architecture gain immediate access to the world of work in Switzerland and abroad. The training is designed to ensure effective placement in offices and design companies and provides the basis for a career as a freelancer.
 
Professional perspectives
The SUPSI interior architect works in studios specialising in interior design, museum and exhibition design, lighting design and furniture design. They often work with architectural offices or in companies and design studios working in the commercial area.

The title and the profession are recognised by federal and cantonal institutions and by the main professional associations such as: State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI), the Foundation of the Swiss Registers of professionals in engineering, architecture and the environment (REG), the Association of Swiss Interior Architects (VSI-ASAI), the Swiss Society of Engineers and Architects (SIA), the Ticino Association of Engineers and Architects (OTIA).
Study Perspectives
The SUPSI Bachelor's degree allows students to continue their studies with Master's programmes in related fields, offered by universities both in Switzerland and abroad. It is also possible to gain access to continuing education programmes: Certificate of Advanced Studies, Diploma of Advanced Studies, Master of Advanced Studies.

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The curriculum translates the objectives set by the competence profile into five operational areas.

  • Design

    Represents the competence par excellence of the interior architect and addresses the various areas
    of the discipline, guaranteeing each student the opportunity to deal with different areas and with different design methods.

  • Matter and Perception

    Deals with materials, colour, light, sound, shapes, comfort, as well as the tools and techniques needed to integrate these factors into interior design. 

  • Manual Intelligence and Construction Techniques

    Develops skills related to manual dexterity and production processes.

  • The Built Environment and Spatial Form

    Includes cultural anthropology, the history of living, semiotics, communication, the theory of beauty and equips students with critical sensitivity, culture and the ability to ground their own design choices on relevant theoretical models. 

  • Image construction

    Develops the knowledge necessary to represent the project in its various shapes.

Teaching places the student at the centre of the curriculum, and is based on a competence-based approach.  The teaching programme is organised in modules that differ in size, duration and learning mode:
 

  • Project modules

    Take place throughout the semester on two days of the week.

  • Experimentation modules

    Take place throughout the semester on one day a week.

  • Monographic modules

    take place throughout the semester on 1 day per week.

  • Seminars

    3 full-time, one-week modules, usually interspersed every 5 weeks, 3 times
    during the semester.

The programme is divided into three successive stages of progress:
  • The first academic year

    Is of a more preparatory nature, with compulsory modules aimed at building the skills base indispensable for learning and practising the profession.

  • The upper two-year course

    Involves the ongoing participation of students in the 2nd and 3rd academic year, in largely optional teaching modules, thanks to which each student can orient their education according to their own aspirations.

  • Bachelor's thesis

    The project module, carried out relatively independently, with which the bachelor's degree is concluded.

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Course FB Study Program

Course FB Modules List

The contents of the published study plans reflect the structure of the modules and/or courses currently planned and may be subject to change over time, based on the evolution of the educational offering.

SUPSI Course Responsibles

Pietro Vitali

Docente-ricercatore Senior - Responsabile Corso di Laurea Architettura d'interni - Department of Environment Constructions and Design

Course FB Teachers

Full-time mode implies a constant commitment throughout the week and throughout the academic year.

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The part-time mode allows those who need it to reconcile study with work activities (part time) or private or family commitments. The time devoted to study can be modulated during the course of training and customised according to one's needs, with a minimum commitment of 50% each year.

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To submit your application, please follow the online procedure available on the Student Portal.

Instructions for completing the enrolment process will be provided via the Student Portal, based on the qualification obtained or currently being pursued. Any additional documentation will be requested directly by the relevant Bachelor's programme assessment committee.

Please note that your application must be completed by the official deadline (April 30th) 
An administrative fee of CHF 200.- is required at the time of application. For applications submitted after the deadline, the fee is CHF 300.-.
The administrative fee is non-refundable and cannot be deducted from the semester fee.

Depending on the number of applications received, the Bachelor's programme may extend the enrolment period beyond the established deadlines, or close it earlier if the maximum number of places available has been reached.

NON-EU APPLICANTS
Applicants from non-EU/EFTA countries who require an entry visa must submit their application for admission by April 15, regardless of the deadlines set by individual Bachelor's degree programs.

Please note that visa applications to the competent authorities, accompanied by documentation previously verified by the International Office, must be submitted to the Embassy by June 30.

For further information, please refer to the SUPSI International Office, in the section dedicated to Visas, permits, health and accident insurance.

For more information, candidates are invited to contact the relevant Academic Secretariat, as appropriate for the course of study they are interested in.

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For all applicants to the Bachelor's degree program, there is a procedure designed to detect their aptitude predisposition. It is based on the evaluation of a dossier and a motivation letter. To complement this assessment, the Degree Course may require further verification of the candidate's suitability through an interview and/or aptitude test.

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We stress the importance of finalising enrolment by the deadlines, which will be communicated both through the Student Portal and by e-mail with the confirmation of admission.

Beyond these deadlines, enrolments may only be accepted if there are places available.
Each degree course has a maximum number of students admitted, determined on the basis of the capacity of the facilities and teaching resources available, in order to guarantee the highest quality of teaching.

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Direct Admission
The following qualifications give direct access to the aptitude assessment procedure, which aims to verify the candidate's suitability for the degree programme:
  • Specialised Baccalaureate in the field of visual arts
  • Specialised Baccalaureate in the field of interior design or furnishing
  • Artistic Vocational Baccalaureate (MPA) 
  • Technical vocational baccalaureate (MPT) in a profession related to the degree programme (e.g. architectural draughtsman, carpenter)
  • Federal Certificate of Competence (AFC) with vocational baccalaureate in a profession related to interior architecture
  • Lugano Cantonal Art School
  • High school Baccalaureate in the field of visual arts
  • Italian high school Diploma in the field of arts
  • Other foreign high school diplomas with a specialisation related to the degree programme 

Admission with one year of professional practice
Baccalaureate students with qualifications unrelated to the discipline may be admitted to the aptitude assessment procedure as follows:
  • After one year of professional practice recognised by SUPSI, in a profession related to the chosen field of study (architecture, design, graphics, etc.)
  • After a preparatory year at a Swiss Art school (e.g. preparatory course at School Centre for the Artistic Industries -CSIA in Lugano).
  • After one year of study at a university faculty in a related field (e.g. architecture, art history, design, etc.)
The Department of Environment Constructions and Design (DACD) organises an ‘Assisted Practice Year’ (APA).
Admission to the degree course is subject to the assessment of the skills acquired during the practice and the successful completion of the same.
More information on the APA programme can be found on the dedicated page: Assisted Practice Year.

Other profiles - Admission “upon dossier”
Candidates over the age of 25 who do not have the above qualifications, but who have at least three years of secondary education and at least one year of professional experience deemed significant and relevant by the Department Direction, may be admitted on the basis of their dossier.
Candidates must submit a curriculum vitae detailing their educational and professional background, certifying the skills acquired in the specific field of the degree course, and a portfolio of their own work.
 

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Semester fee
The fee is CHF 1'600 per semester, respectively CHF 800 for students benefiting from the application of the Intercantonal Agreement on Universities of Applied Sciences and Arts (Swiss nationality or tax domicile in Switzerland or Liechtenstein). Specific agreements apply for students resident in Campione d'Italia.
Application fee
When submitting an application for admission, a fee of CHF 200 must be paid online. If an application is submitted after the deadline, the fee required is CHF 300.  This fee is non-refundable and cannot be deducted from the semester fee.
Contribution to teaching costs and other expenses
A flat fee is required as a contribution to the teaching costs and administrative expenses of the degree program, which amounts to CHF 200 per semester.
Expenses for the purchase of consumable materials, study trips and off-site visits, some special activities of the Degree Course, and Fab Lab costs are the student's responsibility.
Scholarships
Various public and private institutions offer support to students in need. More information.

Frequently asked questions

FAQs List

SUPSI qualifications are valid both in Switzerland and worldwide. In regulated professions, SUPSI qualifications also qualify for the profession in Switzerland, while in other countries it is necessary to check with the relevant body for recognition.

Open days/evenings are held between January and March each year, during which, for example, the content of the course, professional outlets and the admission procedure are presented. It is also possible to visit the campus and meet directly with students and lecturers.

You can take a semester an maximum one year at another university in Switzerland or abroad through related agreements. Find more information and reference contacts on the dedicated page.

They are a contribution to the costs of teaching (school materials, charges for visits, general administrative and secretarial costs, teaching and IT support, etc.).

Following the Bologna Reform, study courses have been structured into modules and each module is allocated a number of study credits according to the European Credit Transfer System (ECTS). One ECTS credit is equivalent to a workload of 25 to 30 hours. 60 credits represent the annual workload in the case of full-time education. A Bachelor's degree requires 180 ECTS and a Master's degree 90 to 120 ECTS.

Visualizzatore contatto

  • DACD Basic Training Secretariat

    University of Applied Sciences and Arts of Southern Switzerland

  • Campus SUPSI Mendrisio
    Via Flora Ruchat-Roncati 15
    CH-6850 Mendrisio

  •  

  • T +41 (0)58 666 69 53

    dacd.fb@supsi.ch

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