The 3 years Interior Architect/Design Course at the Marbella Design Academy is goal orientated from the very 1st day of study.

The interior Design Course at the Marbella Design Academy is different from most similar programmes offered at other educational institutions. At the Marbella Design Academy we value our goal to educate the students to become professional Interior Designers, not only to a top level in all the required subjects, but as well in the professional computer programs used in the industry. The Interior Design Students at the Marbella Design Academy are therefore taught in those programs to a high level during the 1st year of study. When students enter the 2nd and 3rd year, they can therefore practice the use of the programs and solve given projects at a high academic and professional level.

The 1st year of the 3 years course in Interior Design, at the Marbella Design Academy, is therefore not a foundation course, but a part of the 3 year curriculum to become a professional Interior Designer, graduating from the Marbella Design Academy.

The 1st year of study develops students, even without previous experience, to a medium level in the subjects taught:

Please see the 1st year Study Plan.

The 1st year enables the students to experience and develop their own unique vision and how to implement their concepts through a diverse creative process. The students will be taught how to explore independently and examine the fundamental principles of communication, encouraging self-motivation and challenging aims and objectives of initiated work.

The students complete the academic year with a good basic understanding of the fundamentals in interior design, technical drawing skills as well as a medium level in Auto Cad, 3D Max, Photoshop and Illustrator. When the students have completed the 1st year of study they qualify for a Certificate.

Several projects will have been undertaken and presented professionally, this is a good foundation for entering into the State Recognised programme at the 2nd year, where theory,technical skills, as well as the computer skills, are developed further.

The 1st year has been designed to provide students with a basic knowledge and understanding of all aspects of:

The Design Process, Technical Drawing and Computer Skills. The course content encourages the students to acquire a comprehensive means of expressing their ideas. Course work takes the form of Design Projects, which require students to research, organize, sketch, prepare professional drawings and then present their projects in a professional way to a deadline.

Presentations are held in front of teachers and fellow students and discussed.

Please see the study plans.

Grants:

As the Marbella Design Academy Costa del Sol s.l. is a State Recognised design academy (CODE number: 29016884) most students will be able to obtain grants from their home countries to study at our college.

Should a student not qualify for a study grant, the Academy is pleased to announce that it is keeping the yearly tuition fee as low as possible. Furthermore, the Marbella Design Academy has an Academic level that competes with the best design schools in the World.

It can be difficult to choose which course/profession to study; we therefore give all new students the option, within the first month, to change to one of our other courses.

DIPLOMAS

Title: Interior Architect/Designer IIDA

Graduate Students, will qualify for a Diploma Higher Education in Interior Design from Marbella Design Academy Costa del Sol s.l. (3050hours/180CP - completion of the 1st, 2nd and 3rd academic year) University level, Equivalent to a Bachelor degree level.

Graduate Students, who are in position of a high school Diploma or who have passed the entrance exam from the Spanish Ministry of Education, given at the end of the 1st academic year will as well qualify for:

A State Recognized Diploma Higher Education in Interior Design from Marbella Design Academy Costa del Sol s.l.: (2060hours/120CP - completion of the 2nd and 3rd academic year)

University level, stamped by the Ministry of Education, Junta de Andalucia in Spain.

(Title in Spanish: Técnico Superior en Proyectos y Dirección de Obras de Decoración)

The graduate students can become members of the World Wide Interior Design Association IIDA.

APARTMENTS-HOUSES

Students live mainly in rented apartments or houses in Monda, only 2 to 5 min walk away from the Academy or in Marbella, (15km.)

There is plenty of furnished accommodation to chose from and at all price levels. The prices in Marbella are from 200Euros for a room to 500Euros and above for an apartment. It is even cheaper to find accommodation in Monda. The Academy recommends that all new students consider living in Monda where they can rent a 2 bedroom apartment for 300Euros or a 4 to 5 bedroom fully furnished house in the village for only 400 to 600Euros a month.

The Academy can help students find suitable accommodation and can organise house or apartment sharing.

Please see the Accommodation page.

Bus Service

A public Bus Service connects Monda with Marbella, Malaga and other towns in Andalucía. The bus timetable does not coincide with the tuition hours at the Academy. Students who choose to live in Marbella will need to purchase a car so they can drive to the Academy. You can purchase a good, old car for around 500euros.

Quick Facts about South of Spain

Living in Marbella or Monda is relatively inexpensive compared to most European cities.

Marbella is an international jet-set town, home to many of the world's rich and the famous.

Here you can go shopping and find everything you might need.

Monda is a typically authentic white Spanish village in the mountains, only 15min away from busy Marbella. In Monda you will quickly become a familiar figure, as everybody knows each other! Monda is safe, far from boring and has many squares, restaurants and bars. Monda is a traditional village with a hectic village life and your money lasts longer here. You pay, for example, only 1Euro for a drink in a bar/restaurant in Monda.

Southern Spain has the best weather in Europe with more than 330 warm and sunny days a year.

Many cultural sites are within a short distance from the Academy such as Seville, Grenada, Jerez, Cadiz and several other towns.

You can reach the beach in Marbella within 20min, and the beautiful surf beaches of the Atlantic Coastline within 1.5 hours. If you enjoy Snowboarding and Skiing, you can be in the snow of Sierra Nevada within 2 hours.

Jobs

Most students have found work, which they fit around their study hours. All of our students who want to work have found jobs in the Marbella area. Many companies contact the academy with job offers for the 2nd/3rd year and graduate students. The Academy recommends that first year students wait until their skills have been developed to a medium professional level in the second year of study before searching for paid employment within their respective fields.

Spanish for Beginners

3 hours – 2 days per week - during the entire academic year - Spanish classes from 15th September 2010 will be introduced into the curriculum for all the courses and for all years of study. The Spanish classes are given at the end of the day. The students have the option to follow a beginner level or an advanced level. The classes on offer are at no extra cost to the students. The tuition day has been extended to 17.15 hrs for those 2 days per week. Students who already speak Spanish do not need to go to the Spanish classes. When the Spanish course has been completed, the student will qualify for a Diploma in Spanish language.

Design Show and Student Exhibition

Each year the Marbella Design Academy holds a Student Exhibition/Design Show. The previous exhibitions have been a great success. The student’s work is judged by the press and media as well as by industry professionals. The standard of the student’s work is extremely high and they are often head-hunted by local and International companies.