Study Guide

Descriptions

Study objectives:
The Master's Degree Programme in Service Design is part of Turku University of Applied Sciences (TUAS) Master School. TUAS Master School brings together all Master's degree programmes at TUAS in the fields of Business, Culture, Healthcare and Social Services, and Technology. It gives the students an excellent opportunity to create new multidisciplinary networks with other experts both in Finland and globally.

The School of Leadership Excellence provides the students a possibility to study and acquire skills and competences needed as a business leader and manager whereas the School of Professional Excellence focuses on developing the skills and competences needed as a specialist in the selected discipline. In the leadership (MBA) studies the student develops his/her managerial profile as a motivating and effective leader who achieves results and change by managing people ethically and who renews and develops the organisation based on appropriate methods and research data.

The Master's Degree Programme in Service Design (90 ECTS) is a practically oriented programme meant for holders of a Bachelor's degree who want to expand their knowledge about service design.

The aim of the studies is to develop and deepen the student's service design skills and competences. The student will gain practical and holistic understanding of service design in order to be able to successfully apply service design in practice.

By the help of service design studies the student will be able to get different employment possibilities, increase his/her knowledge and skills in business and in international work.

In the Master's Degree Programme in Service Design all the study assignments as well as the Master's thesis can be directly connected to the student's work. Therefore, the employer organisation will also benefit from the studies and will have a good opportunity to develop the practices and methods in the organisation. Service design approach means always teamwork, therefore collective working methods are emphasised in different working life oriented projects.

More about the language of instruction:
The studies are in English.

Study contents:
The Master's Degree Programme in Service Design conforms to the constantly growing competence requirements and needs in design, businesses and working life. The profile of the programme is a combination of design thinking, business and society and the focus is on the area of service design.

To learn to design, develop and implement the tasks by sharing information and communication in collaboration with the customers and stakeholders is one of the main objectives of this programme. Different professional and cultural backgrounds of the students create a dynamic and interactive learning environment.

The Master's degree composes of core competences, complementary competences and the Master's thesis. Part of the mandatory core competence studies are common for all MBA programmes and part are specific for the Service Design programme. The thesis work is in most cases done as a working life development project. At the beginning of the studies the student creates an individual study plan for herself/himself with the tutor teacher.

The planned duration of the studies is two (2) years and the studies are planned to be completed alongside work. There are, on average, two contact days per month, otherwise students are mainly working online. In addition to the individual assignments, group work based learning plays an important role in the studies.

Structure of studies:
The structure of the studies 90 ECTS:

Compulsory core competence studies 40 ECTS

Elective complementary competence studies 20 ECTS

Master's thesis 30 ECTS

The studies common to each leadership programme include studies in research methods and in future operating environments. The rest of the compulsory studies deepen the insight specific to each leadership programme. Students may further deepen or expand their competences by choosing elective courses from the other programmes.

Complementary competence studies include elective studies that can be taken freely from the other TUAS Master's programmes or from the Master's programmes of other universities.

A central part of the Master's studies is the Master's thesis. The thesis work starts already at the beginning of the studies and it is carried out as a working life oriented development project. The thesis will not only develop the students' knowledge and skills in a certain study field and specific topic but also gives the students the possibility to enhance their own skills in leading teams and work groups.

Final project:
The Master's thesis is a working life based development project and an important part of the Master's degree. The Master's thesis is a demanding development project or research work combining theory, praxis and creation of new knowledge. The thesis subject and aims are based on the requirements and needs of working life. The thesis is an applied study research and it emphasises development of the work, the organisation or the working community.

Conducting the Master's thesis project requires independent and demanding expertise. The student gives proof of mastering the methods of retrieving information, research and development as well as the skills of adapting research information in an analytical and critical manner.

Career opportunities:
After studying in this programme the students will be prepared to work with leadership and service design tasks within different organisations which want to develop their services.

The programme also gives students an insight in starting or developing their own business. The studies give students an advanced knowledge base for multi-professional tasks and tools for the future challenges in the business.

Qualification:
A Master’s degree awarded by a university of applied sciences provides the same eligibility for public posts as a degree awarded by a university. The education provides general competence for management and development tasks. In the social and health sector, besides the general eligibility conditions, there is also sector-specific regulation for the eligibility for management tasks. Extensive development and expertise in the field make national and international mobility possible. The education follows the European Qualification Framework (EQF) proficiency level descriptions and the National Qualifications Framework (NQF) proficiency descriptions. The level corresponding to the Master’s degree is 7.

Possible jobtitles after graduation:
Manager, Consultant, Business Developer, Service Designer

Internationalization:
Students and teachers who have an international background and experience create an international learning environment. Professional and research literature in English forms a significant part of the learning materials and internationalisation.

Students have an opportunity to complete part of their studies outside Finland at higher education institutions with which Turku University of Applied Sciences has signed a cooperation agreement. Students can also engage in internationalisation by participating in intensive weeks organised by international networks, as well as in international conferences and projects.

Turku University of Applied Sciences organises once a year a Master School international seminar and it can be a part of the master studies.

Co-operation with other parties:
The studies are planned and organised in a multi-professional way in collaboration with Turku UAS and Novia UAS.
The focus, study contents and ways of implementation of the programme are planned together with working life. Close contacts and co-operation with working life also continue in the implementation and continuous development of the programme.

Research focus:
Studies including different tasks, projects and Master's thesis are characterised by a research and development approach and collaboration with working life. The students are welcome to join the research and development projects running at Turku University of Applied Sciences.

Postgraduate study opportunities:
A Master's degree awarded by a university of applied sciences provides eligibility for further academic studies as well as for applying for professional teacher education. Universities may set conditions on granting rights for further studies in the form of e.g. supplementary studies.

Objective

After completing the programme, the student is able to:
· Implement Design Thinking principles
· Create ideas and solutions with the help of Service Design approach
· Analyse and develop services through critical thinking
· Develop team work skills and manage different projects in national and international context
· Understand the aspects of cultural, social, economic and sustainable activities in Service Design
· Implement ethical and working community competences

Development

The pedagogical approach applied in the leadership (MBA) studies is Innovation pedagogy that refers to an approach of constructivist and problem-based learning. Master´s students study alongside their work and they can broaden and deepen their theoretical knowledge and get models to apply theory to their own work. Studying is part time and involves both contact and distant learning. In addition to individual learning. Collaborative learning in teams is applied to meet the needs of working life. Integration between studies and applied RDI activities and working life orientation play an important role in the studies. Learning takes place partly in virtual and in multi-disciplinary environments. On average, there are two contact teaching days in a month.

Multiform studies in business, service design and research include activating learning and teaching methods. Multidisciplinarity means that the students are encouraged in training strategic thinking, sharing own expertise and learning together.

The study projects are discussed in small groups and together with teaching staff and commissioners, which make it possible to share and create new knowledge together. Teamwork, constant peer evaluation and coaching teacher roles create together an important core for the studies. The teamwork includes also constant connections with other team members.

The integration between studies and research and development activities, working life orientation and entrepreneurship are essential parts of the studies. Therefore the students are emphasised to do the tasks for their own work organisations, other organisations in Finland and also in other countries or projects between own university and stakeholders.

Blended and summer studies offer possibilities for the students to study when working fulltime, for example, online courses during the summer are possible choices.

Further information

The objectives for skill levels in a Master’s Degree are based on the legislation concerning universities of applied sciences and the European Qualification Framework (EQF). The level corresponding to a Master’s Degree is level 7.

At the beginning of the studies, the student evaluates own knowledge and skills, draws the developmental goals and makes the individual study plan (ISP), which is discussed with the tutor teacher. As a part of the ISP process, the student may apply for the recognition and acknowledgment of previously acquired competence.

The degree programme is evaluated according to the principles of continuous improvement and dialogue between the staff and the students. Self and peer assessment, assignment reports and seminar presentations are important during the whole study process. The curriculum contents, implementation, learning processes, study outcomes, and working life relatedness are evaluated. The development of the innovation competences is also important part of the studies.

The assessment criteria for each course are described in its implementation plan. Performance requirements vary depending on objectives, content, and method of implementation. The courses and the thesis are assessed on a scale of 0 to 5. The assessment focuses on competence and its development. The course assessment methods vary according to the objectives of the study module. Assessment may focus on the outcome (for instance, a report or a seminar presentation), on the process (the student’s own activity and actions during the course) or on both.

Group-wise and individually given feedback is collected via questionnaires and discussions with the group and teacher team.