Service Design MA



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Course overview

One of the first of its kind in Scotland, this MA Service Design course aims to develop your skills in research design in order to set you up for an interesting and in-demand career as a Service Designer in one of the largest and fastest growing design sectors in the UK.

Service design is an increasingly vital profession that incorporates a set of unique skills. Service designers improve the experience of interacting with organisations across a variety of sectors. Service design incorporates and goes beyond user experience and interaction design to consider a holistic approach to designing with and for people. On this course, you will learn how to use stakeholder-centric research techniques as the foundation for designing services in the public and private sector.

You will work in a collaborative, iterative and imaginative studio, with teaching from leading industry experts and practitioners, to create proposals that respond to social, commercial and environmental challenges.

This course is suitable to all design disciplines and many computing degrees. Our interdisciplinary team will work with you in a creative environment to explore your practice as a service designer.

Admissions update (9 July 2026): Recruitment to this course for September 2026 entry has now closed. Applications for September 2027 entry will open in October 2026.

Hands drawing a diagram on paper

Mode of Study:

Full-time

Duration:

1 years

Course details

You will learn methods for evaluating understanding, evaluating and communicating user needs in complex services. You will have the skills to propose and prototype solutions for user needs. You will be introduced to the research methods and theoretical principles behind service design and how to apply them in real world scenarios.

This programme's approach to learning, teaching and assessment draws on a wide range of strategies which will empower you with the skills to become an independent and flexible life-long learner.

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    How you’ll be taught

    The course offers a face-to-face learning strategy supplemented by a digital learning environment (Moodle) in which students receive information about the modules, reading lists, activities, assessments, etc. Students can also be invited to join online synchronous and asynchronous sessions to complement on-site activities. Face-to-face sessions will have a broad range of approaches. 

    Teaching activities might include: Lectures, tutorials, seminars, open discussion sessions, studio based workshops, studio visits, independent and group work, and guest lectures.

     
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    Assessments

    Assignments in the taught section of this programme ask students to apply their knowledge to scenarios from industry.  Assessments are practical deliveries of presentations to solutions.

    In the Major Project, students are expected to work under their own initiative guided by a supervisor to conduct a research project of their choosing.
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    Facilities

    MA Service Design and its sibling course MSc Design Research are taught in dedicated studios based in Merchiston Campus. Teaching and learning are specifically designed to take advantage of the studio facilities and atmosphere.

    The studios are a collaborative space where peer feedback and involvement are encouraged. These are situated in close proximity to dedicated computer suites exclusive to students in the School of Arts & Creative Industries.

Disclaimer

Study modules mentioned above are indicative only. Some changes may occur between now and the time that you study.

Full information is available in our disclaimer.

Entry requirements

What are the entry requirements for Service Design?

The entry requirement for this course is a Bachelor (Honours) Degree at 2:2 or above. We look for applicants to have a background in any discipline in order to be eligible for the programme.

We may also consider lesser qualifications if you have sufficient professional work experience within the industry.

Can I get admission into Service Design based on my working experience in this sector?

This course has academic entry requirements which are assessed alongside relevant work experience. Full details of any relevant work experience, including references should be submitted with your application and may be considered for entry where the minimum academic entry requirements are below those required.

Usually, unrelated work experience is not considered sufficient for entry without meeting the minimum academic entry requirements. Please contact us with your specific circumstances by submitting an enquiry form above and we will be happy to discuss your options.

Can I make an appointment with an advisor to discuss further about the admission process?

If you want to get more information on the admission process, please get in touch with the postgraduate admissions team by submitting an enquiry form above.

If your first language isn't English, you'll normally need to undertake an approved English language test and our minimum English language requirements will apply.

This may not apply if you have completed all your school qualifications in English, or your undergraduate degree was taught and examined in English (within two years of starting your postgraduate course). Check our country pages to find out if this applies to you.

We welcome applications from students studying a wide range of international qualifications.
Entry requirements by country

Please note that international students are unable to enrol onto the following courses:
  • BM Midwifery/MM Midwifery
  • MSc Nursing courses
  • All Graduate Apprenticeship courses

See who can apply for more information on Graduate Apprenticeship courses.

We’re committed to admitting students who have the potential to succeed and benefit from our programmes of study. 

Our admissions policies will help you understand our admissions procedures, and how we use the information you provide us in your application to inform the decisions we make.

Undergraduate admissions policies
Postgraduate admissions policies

Fees & funding

The course fees you'll pay and the funding available to you will depend on a number of factors including your nationality, location, personal circumstances and the course you are studying. We also have a number of bursaries and scholarships available to our students.

Tuition fees
Students from 2026/27 2027/28
Scotland, England, Wales, Northern Ireland, and Republic of Ireland £8,030 tba
Overseas and EU £20,540 tba

Tuition fees are subject to an annual review and may increase from one year to the next. For more information on this and other tuition fee matters, please see our Fees and Funding links above.

The University offers a 20% discount on Postgraduate Taught Masters programmes to its alumni. The discount applies to all full-time, part-time and online degrees. The discount can only be applied to year one of a full-time Postgraduate degree, any additional years are exempt from the discount. For part time Postgraduate degrees the discount will apply to years one, two and three only and any additional years will be exempt from the discount. Please read our full T&C here.

Please note that the tuition fees liable to be paid by EU nationals commencing their studies from 1 August 2021 will be the Overseas fee rate. The University offers a range of attractive Tuition Fee bursaries to students resident in specific countries. More information on these can be found here.


Careers & employability

What can you do with an MA Service Design degree?

Once you have obtained your degree in MA Service Design from Edinburgh Napier University, you will have opened up opportunities to build a future career in the Design industry within the growing and in-demand field of Service Design.

Within this field, some specific roles you could find yourself working in include:

  • Service Designer
  • Design Researcher
  • Service Design Researcher
  • Digital Product Designer/Consultant
  • User Experience Designer/Consultant

What are the current prospects in the Service Design industry?

Service Design represents one of the largest design sectors, with the Scottish Government, health services and the financial services industry all being significant employers.

The average salary for UK service designers is £87,875 (Reed Recruitment, 2023). Junior designers typically earn between £28,000 - £35,000.

 
 
Merchiston campus