SDN practitioner accreditation

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.

The Service Design Foundations course is created for those with less than 2 years of experience in service design. If you have questions about how appropriate this course may be for you, please reach out to us at academy@service-design-network.org and we would be happy to answer your questions. If you have more than 2 years service design experience, you are welcome to consider our Masterclasses Series, which is a more advanced course which is typically offered twice per year. You may find more information about it here: SDN Academy courses.

The Foundations course teaches the skills and experiences required for the Practitioner Accreditation. At the end of the course, registrants are requested to take the Practitioner Accreditation test in order to be awarded with Accreditation. The test can be taken several times.During the class, students will work in groups on a service design project, which will be presented in the final module and must be uploaded to the course site to gain certification.Typically, Practitioner Accreditation costs up to €460, depending on SDN member status and country of residence. That fee is waived for course participants. However, Accreditation is contingent on successful course completion (session attendance, individual and team assignments) as well as uploading a Self Assessment document, following course completion. Participants who successfully complete the course may choose not to pursue Accreditation, and will nonetheless receive a course completion certificate. You may learn more about Accreditation here.

Yes, all participants who successfully complete the course (based on lecture attendance, as well as completion of individual and team assignments) will receive a course completion certificate. In addition, you will be eligible to receive Practitioner Accreditation following a self assessment procedure at the end of the course, if you wish. You may learn more about SDN Accreditation here.

Yes, we offer time-limited discounts to everyone, and fixed discounts to some people, such as paid SDN members, mailing list subscribers, and past SDN Academy course participants. Discount typeHow to apply discountPaid SDN memberSelect an 'SDN member' price option during registration and ensure you complete your purchase with the same email address associated with your paid SDN membership. Not yet a member? Discover the benefits here.Time-limited discountsEarly Bird and other time limited discounts are available to everyone while they are activeDiscount code (e.g. past SDN Academy course participant)During registration, on the 'Confirm & Pay' page, click 'Have a coupon?' and enter your discount code.Please note that some discounts are non-transferable and cannot be shared. In cases where discount codes are not transferable, we will check eligibility post-purchase.Discounts can only be applied to the normal (full) course price, paid in a single payment or monthly installments. Discounts can never be applied to already-discounted prices (such as Early Bird pricing or SDN member pricing). If you receive an error code when attempting to apply a discount, please note this restriction.In addition, across all its initiatives, the SDN offers income-based discounts based on the country of residence 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 current World Bank list (worldbank,org) for the classification of countries. The eligible discount is as follows:Income classificationDiscount off full course priceHigh income0%Upper middle income25%Lower middle income50%Lower income75%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 current country of residence. Country of citizenship is not relevant for this discount.

There is individual and group work throughout the course. You will be assigned as a member of a small team with which you will work for the entirety of the course. You will be responsible for collaborating with your team members to complete team assignments, and this will require 1-2 additional hours per week. This team collaboration is on top of the course sessions and individual assignments (such as supplemental reading).

Miro, Zoom, and Slack are our main platforms during the course. No licenses or software purchases are required to participate in this course.

We accept the following means of payment: all credit/debit cards, PayPal, SEPA Direct Debit or Invoice. Our payment processor may also offer other local forms of payment during your registration. If you wish to pay by invoice, please contact us at academy@service-design-network.org.

You may cancel your registration up to 30 days prior to the start of the course, and receive a full refund (minus any applicable credit card processing fees). Cancellations received within 30 days of the course start date will not be honored.If within 30 days of the course start date you cannot attend, you may transfer your registration to a friend or colleague at no additional cost. You must notify us at least 48 hours prior to the first session, and provide information on your replacement candidate (name and email address). Contact us at academy@service-design-network.org.

You have one months to initiate the accreditation process after the course completion date. Once initiated, you have three months to complete the process.

The SDN Academy and/or Accreditation team will review the documentation you provide to review and ensure your qualification, experience and project work, as part of the accreditation process.

In case your documentation does not meet the established criteria, you will receive an email message with feedback about your submission and recommendations.