The SDN Academy is an educational initiative introduced by the Service Design Network (SDN) in 2019. Offering a series of education courses for both seasoned practitioners and those new to service design, our Academy is committed to advancing practitioner knowledge by sharing insights on the latest tools, methods and techniques shaping the future of our industry. Since its founding, the SDN Academy has run both public and in-house training for more than 1.100+ students, across more than 24 different course offerings. Course participants come from a range of backgrounds and experience levels.

The SDN is a non-profit organization founded in 2004 and is the only community of its type world-wide. In addition to the SDN Academy, the SDN runs a series of annual Global Conferences, publishes the journal 'Touchpoint', recognizes best-in-class work through its Award program, supports a large network of local Chapters, and supports up-and-coming service designers through its Young Talent Board and associated activities. You can learn more about the SDN at www.service-design-network.org.

We do not have specified prerequisites attached to our courses. Nevertheless, our course descriptions provide a clear understanding of the content to be delivered. We, therefore, encourage interested participants to read them carefully and self-identify if the course is the right level based on their background and needs.

There is individual and group work throughout the course.

We accept the following means of payment: Credit/debit cards, PayPal, SEPA Direct Debit or payment via invoice. The availability of means of payment may be affected by your location. If you would prefer to pay via invoice, please contact us at academy@service-design-network.org. Payment must be settled at least one week prior to the course start date.

Yes, all participants who successfully complete the course (based on lecture progress, as well as completion of other supplemental learning material) will receive a course completion certificate.

Yes, we offer time-limited discounts to everyone, and fixed discounts to some people, such as paid SDN members, mailing list subscribers, past SDN Academy course participants, and those who have previously acquired Practitioner Accreditation.

Please note that some discounts are non-transferable and cannot be shared. For example, if you hold Practitioner Accreditation from the SDN and received a personal invitation to take this course, your discount cannot be used by anyone else. In cases where discount codes are not transferable, we will check eligibility post-purchase.

In addition, across all its initiatives, the SDN offers income-based discounts based on the country of the purchaser. This helps support the organization's mission of raising the awareness and application of service design world-wide. A limited number of discounted seats are available per course edition. Refer to the World Bank list for the classification of countries. The eligible discount is as follows:

To enquire if you are eligible for an income-based discount, contact us at academy@service-design-network.org. You will be asked to demonstrate proof of your country of residence.

You may cancel a course up to 30 days prior to the start date, in order to get a full refund. Please visit our Terms and Conditions page to learn more.