What you'll learn
An 8-week, 8-module, online accreditation course relevant for established service designers looking to widen their horizons, advance their careers and increase their impact
SDN professional accreditation
Gain industry-recognized accreditation
Participants who successfully complete the course are eligible to receive a 2-year SDN Professional Accreditation, a value of €1,800.
Professional Accreditation is part of the SDN's Accreditation program, which recognizes the achievements of service designers and is the only accreditation program of its type.
Practitioner accreditation is our entry level of accreditation, and suits those starting their service design career. Interested in securing this accreditation? Visit our Courses page to find the next time our 'Service Design Practitioner Curriculum' is held.
of learning, plus a kick-off session and graduation ceremony
of lectures from experts in the world of service design
of self-study, comprised of curated supplemental materials
of work on assignments, for which you'll receive personal feedback
Meet the trainers
Course dates
Third edition (September 2025)
Course begins: Thurday 25 September (Kick-off session and guest lecture)
Module 1: 29 Sep - 3 Oct
Module 2: 6 - 10 Oct
Module 3: 20 - 24 Oct
Module 4: 27 - 31 Oct
Module 5: 3 - 7 Nov
Module 6: 10 - 14 Nov
Module 7: 17 - 21 Nov
Module 8: 24 - 28 Nov
Closing and graduation ceremony: Monday, December 1
No classes during the week of 13-17 October (SDN Global Conference week)
For those celebrating US Thanksgiving on 27 Nov, alternative arrangements will be made for that Thursday's session.
Online sessions take place on Monday (18:00-19:30 CET/CEST) and Thursday (18:00-19:00 CET/CEST), subject to adjustments. See the FAQ below for exact times and dates.
Next edition (early 2026)
Course begins: Friday 6 March 2026
Closing and graduation ceremony: Tuesday 12 May, 2026
(dates are provisional)
Click here to join our mailing list and be notified when the fourth edition of the course opens for registration
Why join this course?
A series of Masterclasses designed around you
01
A modular approach
Each module provides an in-depth introduction to a theme that should be a core component of a professional service designer's skill-set. Interactive, live online lectures are supplemented by self-study material (e.g. articles, case studies and presentations). You'll also apply your learning hands-on with an assignment, and receive trainer feedback.
02
Taught by experts
The Masterclasses series brings together experienced subject matter experts, with a consistent lead trainer who is present throughout the course. Most have achieved Master Accreditation from the SDN and bring a wealth of training and career experience. Short lectures by guest experts further enhance the course content.
03
Value for money
The course format exposes you to lectures, self-study and assignment work, yet can still fit in alongside your day-to-day work. Professional Accreditation (a value of €1,800) and a two-year SDN membership (a value of €360) are included in the course fee. All of this from the SDN, a non-profit established in 2004 which supports the global service design community.
04
Individual learning, supported by a community
Course participants follow live online lectures, and then engage with supporting content and assignments at their pace within each module. Additionally, a Slack workspace supports communications between trainers and participants, and amongst participants themselves.
Course fees and registration
Includes:
SDN Professional Accreditation (A value of up to €1,800!)
Two-year Professional SDN membership (A value of up to €360!)
A free virtual ticket to the SDN Global Conference 2025 with Early Bird tickets (A value of €350!)
Participation in all lectures and collaboration sessions
Option to pay in 3 monthly installments, or pay by invoice
Interaction with course participants, trainers and guest experts
All course content, supplemental learning material and assignments
Course completion certificate
SDN Members
€2,990 Early Bird (until 1 August)
€3,340 Normal price
Non-SDN Members
€3,190 Early Bird (until 1 August)
€3,490 Normal price
Limited
seats
available!
Country income-indexed pricing applies to this and all SDN Academy courses. Eligible participants (based on their country of residence) qualify for discounts. A limited number of seats are available per cohort. To determine if you qualify to apply, read our FAQ at the bottom of this page.
World-class learning resources
Each module contains engaging, in-depth content from the trainer's experience and subject matter expertise, backed up with the resources of the Service Design Network:
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Articles from Touchpoint
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Presentations from the SDN Global Conference
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Selected case studies from the Case Study Library
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Content created by the SDN community
Still deciding if this course is right for you?
Who this course is for
The Masterclasses Series is created to advance the skills and careers of established service designers. Course participants are expected to have existing experience practicing service design (whether in an agency, freelancer or in-house setting) for at least 2 years.
We have also welcomed senior designers and design leaders without a service design background to this course. Contact us to discuss your interest.
What past course participants have said
I took this course with the goal of getting more formal training in service design beyond books or trying out methods. This course definitely delivered. The hands on experience, outside the box perspectives and community feel of the course were exactly what I was looking for. This course really challenged me to think in new ways and expanded my skills as a service designer. I highly recommend you take on this course!
What I loved most was how each instructor brought their unique perspective, which made every module feel fresh and relevant. Whether it was Prototyping, Systems Thinking, Sustainability, or Pitching, I gained so much that I’m excited to apply.
Hanan AlAnazi, Service and Experience Designer, Saudi Post/SPL, Saudi Arabia
Denise L., Higher Education, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
I enjoyed the way the material was organized- each module was standalone yet the material seemed to build on prior weeks (or it all just fell into place perfectly!). Each instructor was thoughtful, organized and brought so much to each module - specifically their years of wisdom and experience - worth so much more than the price of the course!
I had not expected to find so much of the material so immediately applicable, but I found that I was able to apply learnings from each week easily to my day-to-day.
I highly recommend the masterclass to both burgeoning service designers, and to seasoned practitioners, for its stellar instructors and well-crafted topics.
Bethany Polentz, VP and Service Designer, Wells Fargo, California, USA
Need help making the case to register?
We know that investing in professional education worthwhile, but we understand you might need help to build the case for your boss. We're here to help, with a letter you can adapt and use.
Get notified about future editions
of this course
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Module structure
Each of the eight, week-long course modules follows the same structure
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Live lecture
(Monday at 18:00 CET)
Each module begins on a Monday, with a 90-minute Zoom call delivered by one of the Masterclass trainers. This lecture delivers the basis 'theory' content for the module, and includes opportunities for participant-trainer interaction. The module's assignment is also announced on this day, and participants gain access to the module's supplemental reading and quiz.
Self-study and assignment
Throughout the module, participants have access to a range of curated supplemental content, such as case studies, Touchpoint articles and presentation videos. These can be followed at your own pace. Short, engaging quizzes reinforce what you've learned and keep you on track.
Collaboration call
(Thursday at 18:00 CET)
On Thursdays, a one-hour Zoom call allows collaboration between course participants, both on the module's assignment, and discussion of the module topic in general.
Assignment due
(Sunday at 23:59 CET)
Participants upload and share their assignment, and are encouraged to review the work of others.
Course timezone
The times above are CET/CEST (e.g. Berlin/Paris/Amsterdam). 18:00 CET/CEST is typically: 21:30 in New Delhi, 19:00 Helsinki/Istanbul/Tel Aviv/Nairobi, 18:00 Johannesburg, 13:00 São Paulo, 12:00 New York City, 11:00 Chicago/Dallas, 10:00 Mexico City, 9:00 San Francisco/Seattle. Differences in daylight savings may lead to time adjustments in your location.
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