Every space you walk into was designed by someone. The home you live in, the office you work in, the restaurant you had dinner at last weekend, the hotel lobby you stood in and thought looked beautiful all of it was the work of an interior designer who turned an idea into a real, livable space. For students who want to build that kind of career, choosing the right interior design course after 12th is the first and most important decision they will make. AAFT Noida’s School of Interior Design offers two degree programmes built to take students from their first design concept through to a professional career: the B.Des in Interior Design and the M.Des in Interior Design. Both programmes are taught under the guidance of Ms. Sunita Kohli, Industry Dean of the AAFT School of Interior Design and one of the most respected names in Indian interior design. A Padma Shri recipient, Ms. Kohli has spent decades redefining the art of interiors with a body of work known for its timeless elegance, dedication to architectural heritage preservation, and deep cultural relevance. For students looking for an interior design college in India where learning is shaped by real industry experience at the highest level, the faculty alone sets AAFT Noida apart. Why Is Interior Design a Growing Career in India? India’s real estate and construction sector is one of the fastest-growing in the world, and the interior design industry is growing alongside it. New residential projects, commercial complexes, retail spaces, hospitality properties, and healthcare facilities are being built and fitted out at a pace that is creating strong demand for trained interior designers across the country. Indian consumers are also investing more in their homes and workspaces than at any previous point, driven by rising incomes, growing design awareness, and the influence of global design trends reaching Indian audiences through digital platforms. The result is a real and growing shortage of professionally trained interior designers who understand both the creative and technical sides of the work. Most interior design institutes in India teach aesthetics. Very few teach the full range of skills a working interior designer actually needs: space planning, building technology, building services, material science, estimation and costing, CAD and 3D visualisation, sustainable design, Vaastu principles, and the ability to carry a project from concept to completion. That is what both the B.Des and M.Des at AAFT Noida are built to deliver. The highest package reported from AAFT Noida’s interior design programmes is 14 LPA. What Will You Learn in AAFT Noida’s B.Des in Interior Design? The B.Des in Interior Design is a four-year undergraduate programme structured across eight semesters. It is one of the most thorough interior designing courses available in Delhi NCR for students after Class 12, built around studio practice, live projects, site visits, and portfolio development, with 30+ industry speaker interactions and in-house interior design festivals through the degree. First Year: Build Strong Design Fundamentals Semester 1 — Foundations of Interior Design — covers Drawing and Graphic Presentation, Visual Dictionary for Interiors, Drawing and Sketching, Material Exploration, Computer Application, and Presentation Skills. Semester 2 — Functional Interiors and Materials Exploration moves into Introduction to Textile in Interior Design, Building Materials, Environmental Studies, Building Technology and Construction I, Furniture Design I, and the first full Design Project. Students begin working in studio from semester one, which means they are making design decisions and building spatial awareness from the beginning of the degree and they are handling real materials, not just drawing them. Second Year: Technical Depth and the History Behind the Craft Semester 3 — History and Evolution of Interior Design covers History of Indian Architecture, Climatology, Building Technology and Construction II, Furniture Design II, an introduction to AutoCAD, and Design Project II, alongside the CARE Online Program for career readiness. Semester 4 — Understanding Different Interior Design Styles covers History of Architecture and Interior, Building Services, Estimation and Costing, Display Design, CAD in SketchUp, and Design Project III, with EDGE Professional Practice running alongside. A Summer Internship of six to eight weeks follows the Semester 4 examinations. Climatology and Building Services are worth pausing on. Very few undergraduate interior design programmes teach a student how a building actually behaves how it heats, cools, drains and breathes. Estimation and Costing in the same year means students learn what their ideas cost before they learn to sell them. Third Year: Sustainability, Lighting, and Live Execution Semester 5 — Sustainable Practices in Interior Design covers Vaastu, Green Building and Sustainable Design, Market Management, Digital Portfolio, CAD in 3ds Max, and Design Project IV. Semester 6 — Live Projects and Furniture Design Execution covers Advance Lighting, Interior Photography, CAD in Revit, and Exhibition and Set Design. Interior Photography is an unusual inclusion and a practical one. A designer who cannot photograph their own finished work cannot build a portfolio or a following, and most programmes leave students to figure that out on their own. Specialisation options run within the programme across interior design, styling, lighting design, Vaastu and decoration, letting students direct their training toward the area of interior design they want to build a career in. Fourth Year: Beyond the Room, and the Graduation Project The fourth year is where the B.Des separates itself from a three-year degree, and it does so by widening the frame. Semester 7 — Urban Planning and Landscape Planning covers Urban Planning, Landscape Planning, and CAD in Lumion with AR/VR. Students stop designing rooms and start designing context: how a space sits in its surroundings, how interior and exterior meet, and how to present that immersively rather than on a flat board. Semester 8 — Graduation Project is the Graduating Design Project, covering furniture research, joinery, live-scale production and presentation skills, together with a Dissertation covering research methodology, project documentation, and the analysis of interior and furniture designs. That last semester matters more than it sounds. A student does not leave with drawings of furniture. They leave having researched it, detailed the joinery, built it at live scale, and defended it in writing. For students comparing interior design courses in Delhi NCR on the basis of what a graduate can actually do on day one, that is the answer. Five CAD Tools, One Per Semester The digital training in the B.Des is structured rather than bundled. Students learn one professional tool at a time, each introduced when the work demands it: Alongside software, students train in hand sketching, model making, material boards, and 3D printing, so they develop both digital and traditional design skills. Adobe Creative Suite runs through the programme for presentation and portfolio work. By graduation, a student has drafted in AutoCAD, modelled in SketchUp, rendered in 3ds Max, built information models in Revit, and walked a client through a space in AR/VR — which is the actual toolchain of a working design studio. Why Choose an M.Des in Interior Design at AAFT Noida? The M.Des in Interior Design is a two-year postgraduate programme, structured across four semesters, for graduates who want to move into senior design roles, lead their own projects, or run their own practice. Year One: Theory, Documentation, and the First Electives Semester 1 covers Theory of Design, Design Communication, Furniture Design I, Digital Tool I in AutoCAD, and Design Studio I, where students apply space planning, materials and user analysis to develop cohesive proposals for small spaces. Semester 2 covers Services and Estimation service integration, quantity surveying, budgeting and cost-effective execution against regulatory standards plus Working Drawing, Furniture Design II, Digital Tools II in SketchUp and Lumion, and Design Studio II, which develops commercial design solutions integrating research, sustainability and technical detailing. The first elective block opens here, and it is where the M.Des starts to look forward rather than sideways. Students choose from Landscape, Smart Interiors (IoT Based), Sustainable Design, AI Based Interior Design covering AI-driven generative tools and predictive analytics for efficiency, personalisation and design exploration and Photography & UI/UX. EDGE Professional Practice runs alongside. Year Two: Research, BIM, and the Dissertation Semester 3 covers Research Methodology, equipping students with qualitative and quantitative tools for evidence-based design; Design Practice and Management, covering project management, budgeting, regulatory compliance and leadership; Furniture Design III, an independent research-driven furniture project; Digital Tools III in Revit BIM and AR/VR; and Design Studio III, developing hospitality and institutional projects. The second elective block offers Lighting & Fixture Design, Acoustics, Adaptive Reuse transforming existing structures into sustainable, culturally responsive interiors Design for Circular Economy, and Entrepreneurship & Development. The CARE Career Advancement Program runs alongside. Semester 4 is Training and Internship, the Graduation Project, and a Dissertation. Three features distinguish the M.Des specifically: advanced fabrication labs with 3D prototyping access, entrepreneurship integrated directly into the design curriculum, and structured training in ethical budgeting and cost management. That last one is rare. Most postgraduate interior design courses do not teach a designer how to price work honestly, and every working designer needs it. Adaptive Reuse deserves a note of its own. It is the discipline Ms. Kohli built her reputation on taking existing, often historic structures and making them work again and it sits in the syllabus as an elective students can actually choose. Career Opportunities After Interior Design Courses Guided by a Padma Shri Recipient The single most distinctive aspect of the interior design programmes at AAFT Noida is who is guiding the school’s direction. Ms. Sunita Kohli is a globally acclaimed interior designer and recipient of the Padma Shri. Her career is built on heritage restoration, contemporary residential and institutional design, and the preservation of India’s architectural identity, and her work is known for its timeless elegance and cultural relevance. As Industry Dean, she brings that experience directly into the learning environment through masterclasses, 1:1 mentoring sessions, and workshop-based learning across both programmes. For students on either degree, that translates into 50+ hours of in-person learning, 10 masterclasses, portfolio review from Ms. Kohli and her team, and access to internship and placement pathways. Who Teaches the Programmes The Dean of the School of Interior Design is Prof. Jayesh Wadia, a leader in design education with over 25 years across interiors, graphics, multimedia and CAD. He holds a Master’s in Interior Design, is pursuing a PhD, led INIFD Surat’s design department, and founded the Art Design Surat studio. An award-winning educator, he builds the programmes around innovation, experimentation and practical application, helping students develop their own design voice. Practical Learning at Every Stage Both the B.Des and M.Des are built around the belief that interior design is a skill you learn by doing. Students spend the majority of their time in design studios, on site visits, in model-making work, and on live project briefs that reflect real professional conditions. The school’s infrastructure includes sketching labs, drafting studios, and a carpentry workshop, alongside 3D printing and, for M.Des students, advanced fabrication labs with 3D prototyping access. Industry visits, virtual tours and live projects are built into the curriculum, giving students regular direct contact with finished interior design work across residential, commercial, retail and hospitality settings. Two structured modules run alongside the studio work. EDGE Professional Practice introduces real-world industry practices, teamwork, deadlines and project execution, bridging academic learning and professional workflows. The CARE Career Advancement Program builds professional skills, self-awareness and job-readiness through assessments, reflections, group discussions and case studies. Both sit inside the curriculum rather than beside it. In Their Own Words Akshay Marwah, CEO, AAFT Noida, said: “Interior design is one of the most exciting career fields in India right now. The country is building and renovating at a scale that is creating real demand for trained designers across residential, commercial, retail, and hospitality spaces. At AAFT Noida, we have built an interior design programme that is grounded in that reality. Students learn from one of India’s most accomplished designers, work in proper studios with professional tools, and graduate with a portfolio that reflects real design work. That is what gets them hired.” Placements and Industry Connect Recent placements from the interior design programmes include Vikas Sharma at Shop Concept Retail, Rachit Kumar and Anshay Dwivedi at Manjeet Bullar, Mantasha Saifi at Modern Lane, Geetanjali at Montage Design, Disha Prajapati and Arushi at Interior Lanes, and Anas Khan at Varija Bajaj Home. With 2,800+ hiring partners and a dedicated Career Resource Cell, AAFT Noida has a consistent track record of placing interior design graduates in roles that match their training. The institution’s 37,000+ alumni network includes professionals working across design studios, architecture firms, real estate developers, retail brands, hospitality companies, and independent design practices in India and internationally. Student portfolios are published openly work by Riya Gulyani, Ayush Verma, Tanya Varsha, Srishti Banka, Muskan Gupta and Abhishek Jha can be downloaded directly from the course pages, so applicants can see the standard before they apply. For students comparing interior design course fees and placement outcomes across institutions in Delhi NCR, AAFT Noida’s combination of Padma Shri faculty mentorship, a studio-led curriculum, a five-tool CAD progression, 3D prototyping infrastructure, and a strong hiring partner network makes it one of the most career-focused interior designing institutes available. Admissions Open for 2026 Students who have completed 10+2 from a recognised board or institution can apply for the B.Des in Interior Design, with a minimum of 50% marks (45% for reserved categories). Graduates can apply for the M.Des in Interior Design. Admission to both programmes is through the AAFT Global Entrance Test (GET), followed by a personal interaction. Students can apply at admissions.aaft.com or visit the AAFT campus in Noida Film City for a studio tour and a free career counselling session. About AAFT Noida Established in 1993, AAFT Noida carries a 33-year legacy in creative education and is ranked among the Top 10 creative institutions globally. Its network of 37,000+ alumni spans films, OTT platforms, television, journalism, advertising, fashion, animation, interior design, and digital media across India and the world. The institution operates from Marwah Studios, Noida Film City, one of India’s most active production facilities. With 90+ career-driven courses, 2,800+ hiring partners, and 20+ global academic affiliations, AAFT Noida follows a curriculum that balances creative training with real-world application and remains committed to preparing globally competitive talent for India’s growing creative economy.