Smart Service Design (MDes) | School of Design

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Entrance Year 2026

Programme Code 73035

Stream Code

SSD (Full-time)
SSP (Part-time)

Mode of Study Mixed Mode

Normal Duration

1 year (Full-time)
3 years (Part-time)

Fund Type Self-Financed

Credits Required for Graduation 37

Initial Registration Credits 9 for local students
12 for non-local students

Tuition Fees HK$7,400 per credit
(Tuition fees will not be charged for the 1-credit AIE subject.)

Programme Leader(s)

Dr Shera Hyunyim Park
PhD

The Master of Design (Smart Service Design) (SSD) is an interdisciplinary specialism dedicated to creating impactful service interventions at the intersection of business, technology, and human ingenuity. It broadens the scope of design beyond traditional commercial practices, focusing on the socio-technical dimension with a critical, systemic and human-centered perspective in service design.

Students enhance their theoretical and practical knowledge of service design through SSD, gaining a comprehensive understanding of the technological, commercial, societal, and organisational contexts. his foundation enables the transformation of design opportunities into innovative and sustainable service experiences.

Application Timeline - Sep 2026 Entry

Applications start: Jul 2, 2025

Review deadlines: Early Round: Oct 15, 2025; Main Round: Jan 15, 2026; Extended Round: Apr 30, 2026

Programme application deadline: Apr 30, 2026

Aims

Deepen Understanding: Enhance comprehension of end-to-end service journeys and design service ecosystems across multiple services.
User-Centric Focus: Highlight the importance of users’ needs alongside the interests of various stakeholder in the human-centered design process, applying this knowledge in the service industry.
Practical Application: Develop and implement service design strategies to address a range of business, societal, and environmental challenges through studio work and collaborations with stakeholders, partners, and experts.
Advance Skills: Accelerate the adoption of new service design practices and systems thinking methods to further develop students’ skills and competencies for service innovation.

Also: Employers of MDes Graduates

"Creating meaningful service interventions to meet broader societal and business challenges."

Objectives

PolyU is the first university in Hong Kong to off er both Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in service design education, addressing the rapidly growing global demand in this field. The focus of SSD extends beyond user experience, information design or product design. It integrates design, business, technology and human needs to create service solutions for the future, bringing new value to the service industry and society at large.

Through advanced service design methodologies, SSD offers a unique interdisciplinary educational environment that meets diverse learning needs and provides students with opportunities to reshape their own design practices. Through lectures, studio learning, workshops and industry research projects, this specialism enables students to be involved in creating, transforming and evaluating service products and content in both digital and offline channels.

Through advanced service design methodologies, SSD provides a unique interdisciplinary educational environment that meets diverse learning needs, allowing students to reshape their design practices. Through lectures, studio learning, workshops and industry research projects, students engage in creating, transforming and evaluating service products and content across digital and offline channels.

Graduates are equipped with the professional skills necessary for careers in the service industry, taking on various roles not only in traditional design-related professions, but also in management and strategy across sectors such as consumer electronics, mobility, healthcare, tourism and hospitality, finance and public service.