MA in Service Design

Service Design applies design practice, methods and thinking to the service sector, from retail, technology and banking to transportation, health and education. Services represent around 80% of the economy and offer a new opportunity for designers seeking to make a difference. Students on the part-time MA will examine the complex systemic issues facing business and governments and create new services to transform customer and citizen experiences.

Building on concepts and methods from design and innovation management, Service Design is increasingly recognised as a vital skillset to help address the challenges of the new experience economy, and the programme seeks to meet the new demands of industry and wider society.Students will undertake a series of projects, activities and workshops that will equip them to develop and deliver new consumer and public services, and envision radically new services and user experiences.

The MA in Service Design operates across a range of sectors and methodological approaches and contexts.It combines core taught elements in service design research and critical studies, with advanced studio practice.The aim of the MA is to create a design culture that thrives on new ideas, new ways of doing things and new areas of exploration.

We encourage our students to experiment and take risks in order to carve new understandings of design and make technical innovations within, and across Service Design.

In challenging the purpose, methods and ambitions of contemporary service design practice and research, students will identify opportunities and develop their own creative careers.

The part-time MA provides the opportunity for students to engage in an inter-disciplinary educational experience, working alongside postgraduate students from across the School of Design.We encourage our students to explore contemporary themes that connect all the design disciplines.Building on the knowledge and skills developed at undergraduate level and professional practice, students encounter new contexts in which to develop their skillsets and deepen their knowledge of design through a range of interdisciplinary projects, before undertaking a major project within their chosen design discipline.

The part-time programme is delivered at a rate of 15 credits per trimester, enabling learners to maintain their own creative practice or employment. This equates to a commitment of 20 hours per week over a 2-year period.

Programme Specification and Module Descriptor

Click here for the programme specification.

Click on the module name below to open the individual module descriptor.

Module Descriptors
Year 1 - Trimester 1

PGCFAD1005 - Design Principles - Service Design

5 credits

PGDES1002 - Service Design Fundamentals

10 credits
Year 1 - Trimester 2

PGCFAD1007 - Design Practices 1 - Service Design

5 credits

PGDES1029 - Service Design Studio

10 credits
Year 1 - Trimester 3

PGCFAD1009 - Creative Elective - Service Design

5 credits

PGCFAD1010 - Major Project Proposal - Service Design

10 credits
Year 2 - Trimester 1

PGCFAD1006 - Design Collaborations 1 - Service Design

5 credits

PGCFAD1011 - Strategic Design for Change - Service Design

10 credits

Year 2 - Trimester 2

PGCFAD1008 - Design Capstone 1 - Service Design

5 credits

PGCFAD1012 - Collaborative Design Studio - Service Design

10 credits
Year 2 - Trimester 3

PGCFAD1013 - Design Studio - Major Project - Service Design

15 credits