Year 1
The first year of study will support you to develop a wide range of design techniques and principles, to ensure you have a solid base in understanding design as a creative and responsible discipline.
Units range from learning how to learn to exploring what the Design School has to offer in helping you to gain core concepts in service design such as materialising, co-designing and collaborating – all of which provides you with a solid grounding in approaches to service design and its real-world applications.
Introduction to Service Design (20 credits)
This unit will introduce you to study at higher education level and foundational ideas from your chosen course.
Design School Explorations (40 credits)
This School-level unit will introduce you to the full range of topics available for study in the Design School, and will further contextualise work undertaken in the Introduction To unit.
Principles (40 credits)
You’ll explore core concepts and ideas from your chosen course, situating them within relevant cultural, historical and theoretical contexts.
Responsible Design (20 credits)
In this School-level unit, you’ll address key questions around ethics, and social and climate justice.
Year 2
The second year of your course offers an element of optionality, which will encourage you to engage in wide-ranging experimentation.
Building on the knowledge and skillsets gained in your first year of study, you’ll have an opportunity to widen the scope of your course subject by choosing to explore diverse design practice methodologies or subject areas. You might also choose to deepen your understanding of service design through units which focus on social innovation, co-design, co-creation and service futures, and designing/co-designing with and for both human and non-human ecosystems.
Options units (40 and 20 credits x2)
You will undertake one 40 and one 20 credit unit per block from a range of options available at School-level.
Options may be developed by course teams, individual tutors, combination teams, or other groupings such as research hubs, centres, or even external parties.
Year 3
In the third year of your studies, you’ll develop your specialism by focusing on service design through collaborative practices and self-initiated projects. Using a range of service design methodologies and processes for prototyping and making, you’ll focus on design for social innovation, designing with and for local and global communities, and the ‘more than human ecosystem’.
You’ll be encouraged to develop your own voice as a service designer to co-create and co-design with communities, making a positive impact while reflecting on responsible service design actions and interventions.
In this final year of the course, you’ll have an opportunity to self-direct a project that ultimately showcases your voice as an emerging service designer.
Process Portfolio (40 and 20 credits)
In this unit, you’ll take one 40- and one 20-credit unit from a single course available in the School. Here, the focus is on Process, and you’ll be required to demonstrate contextual understanding and the ability to manage skills and resources to produce a substantial creative project.
Realisation Portfolio (60 credits)
You’ll take one 60-credit unit from a single course available in the Design School. Here the emphasis is on Realisation, with focus on the production of a self-directed creative work to a professional standard.
Optional Diploma between Years 2 and 3
Between Years 2 and 3 of your course, you’ll also have the opportunity to undertake one of the following qualifications:
Diploma in Professional Studies (DPS) (Optional)
An optional, year-long learning opportunity which enables you to develop your professional skills by undertaking time out for industry experience. Supported throughout the year by academics, you’ll build on the knowledge gained on your course in a range of national or international locations, and graduate with an additional qualification of Diploma in Professional Studies.
Diploma in Creative Computing (Optional)
Between Years 2 and 3, you can undertake the year-long Diploma in Creative Computing. This will develop your skills in creative computing alongside your degree. After successfully completing the diploma and your undergraduate degree, you’ll graduate with an enhanced degree: BA (Hons) Service Design (with Creative Computing).
