National Design Academy, Diploma in Professional Interior Design

I was apprehensive after reading a couple of reviews on here but after speaking to a friend of a friend who had done the diploma I took the plunge.

I can honestly say it was the best decision I've ever made. Yes, a lot of the things you learn can be found online, but the point of doing this is to have an expert guide you and GET QUALIFIED!

Just over 7 months later I have set up my own business and TODAY I got my first paying client!!!

Huge thanks to the NDA team who were very supportive. Next month I'll start my degree. Excited to see where I'll be in 3 years!

Just finished my Diploma (i chose the online flexible version) and overall it was a great experience. The course was easy to access and follow, and my tutor was very supportive, (i often doubt myself and imust have asked him a million questions!) So if you’re reading this, thank you!

One thing i would say is it's a good idea to move straight onto the next unit when you've uploaded the your assignments, at the beginning i waited for my feedback and lost a few days meaning I ended up rushing a bit.

I think it has given me the great overview to the subject, and i can't wait to get into some real life projects. If you’re interested in interior design, this is the way to go.

As a professional in the field of interior design, I had high expectations for the course content and delivery, but unfortunately, my experience fell far short of industry standards.

First and foremost, the course material lacked depth and relevance to the current trends and practices in interior design. The content appeared outdated and failed to provide the necessary knowledge and skills required to excel in the field. Additionally, the instructional quality was subpar, with poorly structured lessons. There is a module on hand drawing, which is very outdated and wasted a lot of our time. Client will expect computer generated images so learning about CAD or SketchUp which have been something practical and beneficial.

Furthermore, the lack of practical assignments and real-world projects hindered my ability to apply the theoretical concepts learned in the course. As a professional seeking to enhance my skills and stay current in the industry, I found the course to be a disservice to my career development.

Overall, my experience with NDA was disappointing and did not meet the standard expected of a professional interior design course. I would not recommend this course to fellow professionals or aspiring designers looking to advance their careers in the field.

When I chose the expensive in-studio course option of the diploma in interior design at the National Design Academy, I had not envisaged that I would spent half of my in-studio time doing independent studies. The course is stretched over 2 weeks but could easily have been done in one week.

The structure of each week is: lessons in the morning and independent work on the assignments in the afternoon. In the second week, you will have even more independent studies with the Thursday being fully dedicated to independent studies. Expect lots of time spent looking at your laptop!

The positive:

-Teachers. They are very friendly and interesting to listen to, especially when they go off script answering questions and talking about their own experiences. Teachers are the only reason I gave this review 3 stars instead of one.

-doing some of the assignments gives you the practice you might lack.

Content:

I found the material covered to be rather basic: nothing that I hasn't already heard from a competent Youtubers or tiktokers.

It also fails to address the needs of nowadays society. The module on hand drawn technical drawings was very interesting but I would question this approach in our technology filled era. Client will expect computer generated images so learning about CAD or SketchUp instead (even at a very basic level) might have been a better use of time. .

Some essential aspect such as how to develop an idea were not addressed at all, not even in passing.

What also lacked was the module that was removed during the streamlining of the course: furniture design.

There was no introduction either to sketching or rendering (not even hand-drawn rendering given that we had done hand-drawn plans.)

We tried to address those lacks by asking for an introduction to CAD rather than a day of independent study. We were told to enrol on the virtually delivered course (which is nearly 1000 pounds!). That virtual course cover 3 online design tools (CAD, SketchUp and Photoshop which of course you need to purchase prior to the course) and is a total of 12hrs spread over 6 weeks so there was more than enough time to fit an introduction to CAD into the in-studio course.

The emphasis of the in-studio course is obviously on making money and on having the students complete the assignments (because it looks good for the business reputation to have students pass) with a minimum of input. It doesn't focus on imparting needed knowledge or providing value for money.

In conclusion: This is the course for you if all you want is to pay a lot of money for a piece of paper to say you completed the course (which, by the way, has no value at the level of finding employment in that sector). Teachers will do their best to drag you through the stages during the in-studio-course and you'll get plenty of time to work on the assignment during the course (although you will still need to dedicate some time to finish after the course).

If like me, you are interested in entering the profession, building up a business or getting as much info on all aspects of interior design as possible, look elsewhere. The diploma will only give you the very bare minimum needed to get the piece of paper which won't get you very far. NDA will then try to sell you their overpriced online degree course.

The NDA is inspired and prepared me to enter into a BA program in Retail Design. Their tutors are hard working and dedicated to their students' success. This institute and awesome group of people made something and someone out of a guy who never got an A in anything in his life. I can't say thank you enough.

Dated website and course materials. Boring and uninspiring

very good company..

The National Design Academy is the only institution to offer truly flexible, online, fully accredited interior design courses. From Diploma to Master's Degree level,

I have done the NDA Interior Design Diploma. I think there needs to be some reform in the way that students that are unable to meet deadlines due extenuating circumstances or due to a changes in circumstances are dealt with. As it stands, a student would recieve a collection of automatic emails which seem to lead to loss of funding or call for the student to urgantly contact the office which can be quite stressful. Furthermore, some tutors are impersonal as there does not seem to be any thing to facilitate any kind of relationship between student and tutor. Events for students to connect and get inspired would be a great way for students to make connections and see their tutors informally as the student online community doesnt seem to be very active.

However, inspite of these criticisms, the course content is good and provides a good understanding of interior design which can prepare you for the BA in Interior Design. The course inspired me creativity-wize and opportunities for work placements are also exciting. The staff were loverly (with the exception of one) and support and helpful study tools are available. This type of study is best suited to those that are comfortable with working independently.

After reading the above, i feel the need to say something. If you sign a contract, like you do with the NDA, you have to stick to it. You can't just say this course is not for me and i want my money back.Of course they will chase the money that should have been paid, i know i would.

I did the interior diploma and most of the units are creative and cool but some units are made for the practical side of the business and i can understand that is a boring subject but you need to know how an interior business works and how to run your business. The feedback takes up to 2 weeks(is room for improvement) but believe me, you need that time to recharge your batteries. In these 2 weeks, you will have access to your next module.Since i finished the diploma in 2013, they introduced new resources that will help you with your course and they improved the content. The tutors answer the emails as fast as they can and the NDA need to improve on this but you can always call them.

They increased the time you have to complete an unit to 21 days i think. When i did it, it was only 18.You can always ask for extensions, so you are in no rush.

I did the diploma with the degree in mind so it was a something that i can progress in to bigger things. I am now in my second year of Retail Design and the amount of work is no joke.I work full time and organising your study sessions is a must!

Is up to you to learn as much as you can from these units or to just sit on your back side and moan about it.

When i have a problem, all i have to is to call them and NDA will try their best to deal with it.

The feedback is ok and fair and they provide advise on how to improve yourself.One thing that i would mentionis that they dont always give feedback on creativity.

The conclusion is: The NDA is a decent place to study, is not perfect, but nothing is.

They evolve all the time and i recently read a report conducted by Staffordshire University and the checks that NDA is going through are quite strict.

I signed up for the Soft Furnishing course with the "Draw" of a £600 reduction. DO NOT DO IT! After having personal problems and unable to stick to the VERY rigid timeframe I was offered NO "Student Support" NO allowance for deferal just constant emails and letters threatening lose of subsidy IGNORED my email asking for someone to contact me to try and move forward so I can continue with this course. NOT INTERESTED IN HELPING THE STUDENTS JUST WANT YOUR MONEY The course itself is dated and quality is POOR Not even worth the £300 they DARED to charge me

I am seeking legall advice to get a refund for this course, THERE IS NO WAY THEY ARE HAVING ANY MORE OF MY MONEY.

Had I have read these reviews BEFORE enrolling I would NEVER have signed up!

UTTER DISGRACE and cant believe Staffs Uni ACTUALLY Accredit this Fraudulent "Academy"