Degree Programme in Service Design
Objectives
Degree Programme in Service Design is aimed at future service developers. You work as an expert in service design in multidisciplinary professional teams and international networks.
After graduation, you will be able to direct service design processes and utilize the methods and tools of service design. You learn the whole service design process; from user and customer research to ideation, conceptualization and productization.
The field suits people who are open-minded and used to cooperating with different people.
As a service designer, you can work in companies providing services, in different associations, in the public sector, or as an entrepreneur.
Degree programme description
Service designers specialize in user-centered design and service design processes.
A service designer masters research methods, human-centered design, ideation, conceptualization and productization.
Your professional competence is based on the different user-based methods and tools. Multidisciplinary knowledge of cultures and behavioral sciences provides the basis for a comprehensive understanding of service cultures.
In the art studies, you learn to see and develop functional visual solutions to support multidisciplinary cooperation. During visualization studies, you learn to sketch manually and use digital visualization methods.
You also learn a wide range of tools to help you identify and address user needs and desires in your design, model your designs, and justify your choices.
To be successful in the world of work, you need to be familiar with the characteristics of the creative economy. That's why your studies also equip you to work as a design entrepreneur.
The studies emphasize an analytical approach and critical application of information to support the service design process.
You can supplement your studies according to your personal objectives by choosing courses from other Xamk degree programmes or extending your skills profile with other special competences.
The degree programme is composed of 240 ECTS credits and includes the following study modules:
Core competence 135 ECTS credits
• Common studies 30 ECTS credits
• Designer 15 ECTS credits
• Application of art 15 ECTS credits
• Visualisation 15 ECTS credits
• Creative economy 15 ECTS credits
• Practical training 30 ECTS credits
• Bachelor’s thesis 15 ECTS credits
Complementary competence 105 ECTS credits
• Designing services 15 ECTS credits
• Service conceptualization 15 ECTS credit
• Design in society 15 ECTS credits
• Digital environments 15 ECTS credits
• RDI – research, development and innovation 15 ECTS credits
• Professional optional studies 15 ECTS credits
• Other optional studies 15 ECTS credits
Complementary competence at Xamk
Complementary competence comprises students’ optional studies. Complementary competence deepens or expands the core competence of the degree programme and allows you to specialise in a particular area. For professional optional studies, you can choose from individual courses or study modules in accordance with your personal study plan. The complementary competence selection includes Xamk-level multidisciplinary online studies, field-specific studies, and degree programme specific studies.
Other optional studies included in complementary competence are higher education courses that students can freely choose. You can choose up to 15 ECTS credits of other optional studies. You may also complete complementary competence study modules or courses from the selection of other higher education institutions, where applicable. The scope of complementary competence is, depending on the scope of core competence studies, 45–120 ECTS credits in degrees comprising 210 credits and 60–120 ECTS credits in degrees comprising 240 credits.
Implementation of studies
The degree programme is implemented as blended studies (part-time), comprising contact lessons, online studies, and independent work.
The students attend contact teaching classes on Xamk’s Kouvola campus every other week at the most. The rest of the studies are independent work in your own time. The teaching day may also be organized at the premises of a business partner if it is a joint business project.
Kouvola has good train connections, and the campus is located within a 20-minute walk from the train station. Reaching the campus takes approximately an hour and a half by train from Helsinki.
Your previous studies and competence that meet the objectives of the degree programme can be recognized when you start planning your studies.
Flexible study opportunities
At the beginning of the studies, you prepare your personal study plan (PSP) which helps you make choices related to the studies, practical training, bachelor’s thesis and international activities. We make every effort to ensure that you can plan your studies in the best way possible, according to your own life situation.
The studies are implemented using various methods:
· lectures
· independent assignments
· teamwork
· online studies
· projects with companies and other organisations
· projects carried out at South-Eastern Finland University of Applied Sciences
· examinations
· practical training.
Career opportunities
As a service designer, you will work with customers and stakeholders in service-providing companies, communities, or the public sector. You may also work as an entrepreneur providing service design services to other companies and communities. You can develop your skills to meet the needs of the professional field and wider society.
Job titles:
• Service designer
• Concept designer
• Service producer
• Visual designer
• User interface designer
• Project manager
• Entrepreneur in service design
RDI and cooperation with world of work
In service design studies, there is cooperation with different fields of education at Xamk and partner institutions and companies in Finland and abroad. There are also regional partner agreements with companies and specialists making use of design.
The studies are carried out in cooperation with companies. During the studies, you participate in various projects, including assignments related to the study module theme, in cooperation with your student colleagues and actors in the field.
You can complete your practical training and/or Bachelor’s thesis in different R&D projects or as part of cooperation with companies/organizations.
Your task may be conducting preliminary studies and carrying out assignments as part of an expert group. In the final stages of studies, the curriculum includes a study module related to RDI activities, focusing on relevant subject matters and themes.
Learning environments
Xamk workshop facilities, Future Experience Lab (FUEL) and other learning environments offer a functional learning environment. In the workshop, you can create the needed models, mock-ups, small-scale models and prototypes.
The workshops can be customized for the different service design projects. The workshop may be digital or concrete, and all Xamk campuses are available.