Course guide - Malaysia
A convincing interior needs more than an attractive image. Follow the user, drawing, material and construction decisions in Raffles University’s diploma, then check the exact award, portfolio assessment and internship before choosing a Malaysia study route.
This guide is for the Diploma in Interior Design at Raffles University in Johor, MQA/FA4738. It is not the separate Raffles College of Higher Education course in Kuala Lumpur. Verify the institution, campus and award reference together before comparing offers.
MQR records full-time study over seven 14-week long semesters and accreditation starting 3 February 2017. The university and MQR agree on two years four months. MQR lists a credit range of 90–98 while the current university page states 90 credit hours; ask for the approved credit structure for your intake rather than silently replacing either source.
Interior Design Studio 1 names Anthropocentric & Ergonomics. Foundation Sketching and Drawing for Designers, Interior Design Principles and Theory and presentation techniques help frame a design problem.
Ask to see how body dimensions, movement, activities and user needs inform a plan, not only a mood board.
Interior Design Studio 2 is Residential. Interior Colour Application and 2D Computer Aided Drawing are listed in the same published year.
Compare an annotated plan, circulation study, colour choices and iterations. Ask what is drawn individually and what is completed in a group.
Interior Design Studio 3 is Commercial. Building Construction and Services, Introduction to Furniture Design and 3D Computer Aided Drawing add technical and spatial decisions.
Ask how construction, services and furniture decisions are checked against the brief. A photorealistic image does not establish technical correctness.
Major Studio Project appears alongside Working Drawing in Interior Design, Interior Materials and Finishes and Introduction to Professional Practice.
Request the final presentation and supporting drawings, specification decisions, research and tutor feedback. Check how a student explains a change after critique.
The current list includes Gen-AI for Design Exploration, Computer Graphic Skills, 2D Computer Aided Drawing and 3D Computer Aided Drawing. It does not name a software package or guarantee a particular commercial certification. Ask which tools are used, whether licences are provided and the expected computer specification before buying equipment.
For the Gen-AI module, ask how students document their own decisions, check proportions and construction plausibility, handle source ownership and disclose generated material. The module title establishes inclusion in the curriculum, not a published assessment policy.
Interior Materials and Finishes can be compared through samples, suitability, maintenance and specification exercises. Ask whether workshop, sample, model-making and site-visit costs are included.
Architectural Drafting and Working Drawing in Interior Design are named modules. Ask about drawing conventions, review of dimensions and the relationship between the visual proposal and the technical set.
The official “Recall” page credits Lee Zhen Ting, supervised by Ms Sharon Lee Soo Hoon, and reports a Bronze Award in the Residential Category of the Daikin Youth Design Competition 2024. It describes a modern Japanese living concept adapted to Malaysian requirements, with natural elements and a connection between interior and exterior.
The portfolio page labels the designer’s course “Diploma in Interior Design (Honours)”. The programme page and MQR name the award Diploma in Interior Design without Honours. This guide preserves that discrepancy rather than turning the portfolio caption into a different formal award.
Read the official Recall project and attributionThe diploma page also links “Renewal of Life”. Its own project page credits Alex Chin Kegan, Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours), Major Studio Project, for a proposed cancer care and rehabilitation centre in Johor. It is bachelor’s work, not evidence that every diploma student completes that project or uses the same brief.
Read the official Renewal of Life project and award levelUse the examples to ask better questions about process, feedback and individual work. A published award or portfolio is a specific credited outcome, not an employment promise or a claim about every student.
The academic routes are SPM with credits in three subjects, O-Level with credits in three subjects, or UEC with three B grades. Other equivalent qualifications recognised by the Malaysian Government are considered case by case. Applicants must also pass the RU Portfolio Assessment and Interview.
For an Indian applicant, the published O-Level/SPM wording is not a universal Class 10 or Class 12 percentage conversion. Submit your board, qualification, subject marks and intended intake for an individual equivalence decision. A general “equivalent qualification” route is not automatic admission.
The course page separates Malaysian and international conditions. For international students it lists IELTS 4.0; TOEFL Essentials (Online) 5; TOEFL iBT 30–31; PTE 36; MUET Band 3; and Cambridge English/Linguaskill 140. The TOEFL iBT range is reproduced as published, not reduced to a guessed single threshold.
Students below the English requirement are required to take RU’s English Preparation Programme and achieve the requirement of an equivalent English qualification. That is not a waiver or proof of direct entry. Confirm accepted test version, validity and component conditions, preparation duration, fee and the language condition on your offer.
The local-student “No Minimum English Requirement” statement and local learning-assistance note do not replace the international table. An English-medium school letter is not listed here as an automatic exemption.
The module table places a 14-week Internship under “Year 3”. The total course length remains the published two years four months, not three years. Ask for the actual cohort calendar and how the internship fits into the seven-semester structure.
Confirm whether RU finds a host, students apply, or both. Ask about suitable employers, location and the fallback if a placement is unavailable.
Ask about supervision, attendance, logs, reports and review of work. Confirm confidentiality rules for including placement work in your portfolio.
Clarify transport, accommodation, insurance, equipment and any allowance. The module title does not establish a paid placement or a later job.
Confirm approved course-placement arrangements and Student Pass requirements. A curriculum internship is not blanket permission for unrelated work.
RU’s current university overview places it in Medini, Iskandar, Johor. The MQR record retains a Menara Kota Raya, Jalan Trus address. The qualification record verifies the award, but its institutional address should not be used alone as today’s teaching destination. Confirm the current campus and teaching venue on your offer.
A Level 4 diploma is not the separate Bachelor of Interior Design (Honours). The programme diagram mentions credit transfer, but that does not establish your exemption amount, remaining degree duration or admission. Ask for the named destination and a written individual credit decision before budgeting for progression.
MQA accreditation of this diploma should not be presented as automatic professional registration or a licence to practise. The published career labels are examples, not proof that the qualification alone grants a regulated title, independent signing authority or a guaranteed job.
The official course page asks applicants to contact RU for current tuition. No verified intake-specific payable fee was established, so this guide does not invent tuition or an INR equivalent. Ask for a dated full-course quote for FA4738 and the approved credit structure.
Request tuition, compulsory enrolment and resource charges, international admission and immigration items, applicable tax, deposits, insurance, refund/deferral rules and any annual renewal costs. Separately check a suitable computer, software, printing, presentation boards, model-making, material samples, workshop consumables, site travel and internship living costs.
January, May and September are published intake labels, not confirmed start dates or available seats. Confirm the exact calendar, academic equivalence, portfolio assessment, English evidence and international document deadline before paying or arranging travel.
No. This page covers Raffles University in Johor and FA4738. Raffles College of Higher Education in Kuala Lumpur is a separate institution and course.
RU’s current course page states 90 credit hours; MQR lists 90–98. Ask for the approved structure attached to your intake and offer.
The internship appears under Year 3, but the published overall duration is two years four months. Confirm the actual semester calendar rather than assuming three full years.
Yes. The current page requires passing RU’s Portfolio Assessment and Interview alongside academic entry. Obtain the current brief and criteria directly.
No. The page separates the international test table from the local no-minimum statement. IELTS 4.0 is one listed international option; confirm conditions and accepted evidence.
No. The diagram mentions availability, not a personal exemption amount or automatic admission. Obtain the receiving degree and written credit mapping first.
“The entire admission process was handled in a clear and organized manner, which made everything feel much less overwhelming.”
Fathima Meharin
MBA in Business Analytics · APU Malaysia
“They supported me from the beginning and made sure I understood each step clearly. … Their support made the whole admission process smooth and much less stressful.”
Hamda Noushad
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia
Student experiences as published on Emir Overseas' website, each displayed with five stars. Quotes reproduced exactly as published; the ellipsis is retained. These are not testimonials about the institution on this page.
Checked 10 November 2026. Programme pages, fee schedules and general application instructions can differ. The scope of each source is stated below; written intake-specific confirmation takes priority over an estimate.
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