The programme seeks to empower students from fields such as design, business, sociology, systems thinking, education, banking, technology and the public sector to shape the services of the future through design thinking and doing. The global service economy is growing rapidly and accounts for more than 70% employment in all OECD countries, presenting exciting possibilities for design. Through a series of live projects, students will engage with complex economic, technological, political and social issues, creating new service solutions that revolutionise everyday experiences.

Service Design is increasingly recognised as a vital skillset to help address the challenges of the new experience economy, and the course seeks to meet the new demands of industry and wider society. Projects, activities and workshops will expand on methods and principles from human-centred design and design thinking, applying these to the development and delivery of new consumer and public services, transforming user experiences.

The programme encourages participants to integrate research, creative practice and contemporary methods, theory and contexts.

The modules seek to prepare students with the practical and theoretical means to develop contemporary service design practice and theory within a specialist award, while benefitting from a broader interdisciplinary creative discourse and community of practice.

Successive modules allow participants to develop their specialist practice, their professional, technical and organisational skills and their knowledge and application of critical contexts to:

• EXPAND creative thinking to support a change of perspective across and beyond the sector.
• CONNECT with social and cultural change to create impact.
• BUILD sustainable communities of interest that grow without discipline.
• INCUBATE agile creative practitioners, businesses and organisations that can change the social, cultural and economic worlds.
• POSITION change from a communication and content led place.
• ALIGN learning and teaching to a change-led view of the world, society, economies and sectors in and beyond Ireland.
• ENGAGE with emerging technology, tools and practices to create continual change in the creative sector.

The programme aims to:

• provide participants with appropriate skills and knowledge that can be applied to their professional development as a creative practitioner;
• develop participant’s knowledge and skills to prepare them for further life-long learning;
• assist participants in developing their own practice in relation to contemporary creative practice and discourse.

The Professional Diploma provides the opportunity for students to engage in an inter-disciplinary educational experience, working alongside postgraduate students from across the School of Design, including the MSc Medical Device Design and MA Interaction Design during the Mater Design Week. We encourage our students to explore contemporary themes that connect all the design disciplines. Building on the knowledge and skills developed at undergraduate level and professional practice, students encounter new contexts in which to develop their skillsets and deepen their knowledge of design through a range of interdisciplinary projects, before undertaking a major project within their chosen design discipline.

Companies our alumni came from include: 

Pfizer, Hubspot, Accenture, HSE, Tenth Man, RCSI, Abbey Theatre, Rattleberry

Their Backgrounds:

Business & Technology Integration Specialist, Design Research, Nursing (Infection Control, Preventative Cardiology, Trauma), Graphic Design, UX Design, Art Director, Occupational Therapy, Physiotherapy, Professional Services Management, CEO & Founder, Talent Solutions, Healthcare Innovation, Psychiatry Registrar, Theatre Production Manager.

Project Topics they explored include:

– Improving a SaaS Professional Services CX; reducing customer friction and improving employee experience.

– Accessibility & Inclusion for Vulnerable Healthcare Users

– Educating designers on digital waste

– Creating peer support networks for remote tech workers

– Virtual co-working environment for consultancy teams

– Redesigning referral pathways to Therapeutic Group programmes

– Early healthcare interventions for International Protection Applicants

– Empowering young people with neurodisability (aged 12 to 18) to manage their health and navigate transitions to adult healthcare

– Beer & Biologics: Designing a Training Experience

– A low-code portal that People Operations Teams can use to improve the onboarding process for new employees.

– Inclusive and time efficient scheduling in a rehabilitation setting.

– Enhances staff experience and service efficiency at a Sexual Assault Trauma Unit (SATU) by redesigning access protocols

– Improving the current psychiatry induction for GP trainees rotating through psychiatry, boosting trainee confidence and preventing burnout.

– A safe digital platform to plan and manage a person’s end of life affairs, and a safe space to leave memories and wishes.

We encourage our students to experiment and take risks in order to carve new understandings of design and make technical innovations within, and across Service Design. Graduates have gone on to secure positions in the fields of Service Design, UX, Experience Design, CX and Strategic Design.

In challenging the purpose, methods and ambitions of contemporary service design practice and research, students will identify opportunities and develop their own creative careers.

Sept 15th 2025 – 16th May 2026
Wednesday mornings 10.00am – 1pm + 1 week sprint in Mater Hospital early in November (3rd-7th Nov | 9.30am – 4.30pm, Mon – Fri)

The Professional Diploma in Service Design will be delivered across 2 trimesters (Sept to May), at a rate of 10 credits per trimester.

In Trimester 1 it will require a commitment of 6 x 3 hours sessions plus a one week-long in-person design sprint (Monday – Friday, early November, dates TBC ).

In Trimester 2 the commitment will be 12 x 3 hour sessions.

The programme will be delivered in a blended format – this is to afford the student cohort the convenience of online learning, and the opportunity to also connect and collaborate together in-person.

TIMETABLE

Educational Standard

All applicants are expected to present an approved Bachelor degree at minimum level of 2nd class honours (2.2)

Candidates may be required to pass a qualifying examination set by the relevant department before being accepted to a Masters degree programme. Attendance at selected undergraduate lecture courses at NCAD, together with related written work may be prescribed.

You may apply for the programme if you are currently completing your Undergraduate Degree. NCAD will review the rest of your application If necessary, we can make you a Conditional Offer. When your degree is completed and you send us final transcripts we will upgrade this to a Full Offer.

Applicants who have not been educated through English must show proof of achieving IELTS 6.5 (with a minimum of 6 in the writing section on the Academic Version) or an equivalent score in another accepted test.

Essential Supporting Documentation

• A statement framing your reasons for applying to the programme, i.e. how attending the above selected course will benefit you and your practice  (500 words)
• A recent CV
• Certified transcripts of previous programmes followed
• Certified copies of degree/ certificates and/or other appropriate third level qualifications bearing the official stamp of the institution.

Find out more HERE

Capstone Project

The Assessment is Continuous (no exams) but the students will be working on a self-generated brief.

They will explore an area of personal or professional interest, applying the skills they acquire throughout the year. Aligning with one of three project frames (Redesign a Current Service, Open Service Solution, and Speculative Service), they move from research and sense-making, to realising service solutions that can be evaluated and iterated with stakeholders.

In 2023/24 the students have explored service delivery across healthcare, digital sustainability, education, public services, recruitment, remote working, life events and community-building. 

All new and continuing students will receive information by email on how to register and pay fees. For information on Fee Payment and Grant Eligibility go to NCAD Fees & Grants.

NCAD Students Handbook

The Handbook is available for download here

Continuing students and new postgraduate students who accepted the offer will start receiving ‘Invitation to Register’ emails from the week beginning 19th August.

More on the NCAD website.

A great year, inspiring people & fantastic course. It has changed how I think, question and strive to develop solutions. I would highly recommend it

– Clinical Specialist Physiotherapist