language
English
duration
2 years
Scholarships
1400 EUR / month (for selected, succesful candidates)
FORM OF STUDY
Full time, on-site
location
Latvia, Finland, Estonia
requirements
A Bachelor’s degree in humanitarian sciences, arts, information and communication sciences, the social and human sciences, or science in business administration
Fees
4000,00 EUR per year for students from the EU, EEA or Switzerland. 8000,00 EUR per year for students from the rest of the world. No fees for Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders.
Degree
Multiple degree: Master of Arts (Art and Design) by the University of Lapland, Master of Design by the Art Academy of Latvia, Master of Arts by the Estonian Academy of Arts, and a joint diploma supplement.
Do you have a Bachelor’s degree at least 180 ECTS or a second-level professional higher education diploma in humanitarian sciences, arts, information and communication sciences, the social and human sciences, or science in business administration? Then you meet the only prerequisite for the Master’s in SDSI. A professional work experience is preferable and might give you a competitive advantage but is not a prerequisite for studying with the SDSI.
We welcome candidates and future leaders who are passionate about service design and aim at becoming leaders in service design. We value diversity and welcome students from a range of geographical locations, nationalities and backgrounds.
We encourage you to apply if one of the following statements describes you:
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Required Documents
Proof of English proficiency
You have to present the results of one of the internationally recognized tests (see below). If your previous studies have been obtained in English but in the country where English is not native language, then you have to present an official letter from your previous educational institution where is stated that all your studies were in English (medium of instruction is English), and you have to pass interview where the SDSI will evaluate your language skills. Applicants who have obtained previous education in English in one of the bellow listed countries do not need to provide separate language proficiency:
Internationally recognized foreign language certificate does not have to be presented if the foreigner has acquired secondary education in a country of the EU and the EEA or in the Swiss Confederation and in his secondary education certificate is included an assessment of foreign language skills, which are comparable to at least level B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
SDSI accepts the following internationally recognized language tests:
*The Duolingo English Test which is an online English proficiency test that can be taken online, on-demand, in under an hour for only $49. The test is taken via a computer with a camera and includes a proficiency score, video interview, and writing sample which are shared with the SDSI (Art Academy of Latvia) when you send your results. Certified results are available within 48 hours of the test sessions.
Resume/CV
The applicant should submit a CV containing the following information:
Motivational Letter
One of the most important parts of your application is the motivation letter, a short essay (in English, 4,600 characters maximum, including spaces).
In short, its goal is to introduce your background, support your application, and answer the question: "Why are you a suitable candidate?"
Some points that may help you answer this question:
NB! It is important to properly cite and reference any sources used in your motivation letter (quotations, publications, ideas, etc. that are not your own). Neglecting the rules of referencing and citation is considered plagiarism and will result in the disqualification of your application.
Admission assignment
Candidates must complete a service industry-related admission assignment (detailed instructions will be described in the application on-line portal Dreamapply during the application process). Successful candidates will be invited for interviews.
After successfully passing the interview, you will be conditionally accepted to SDSI and will receive an email. Read through the conditional acceptance letter – it includes a list of all the required information, documents, and deadlines!
Please see more information below in the section “Sending documents”.
All education documents will be assessed by the Academic Information Centre (AIC).
The study agreement and the invoice for the tuition fee payment (if applicable) will be sent to candidates by email. The invoice includes money transfer details and a mandatory deadline for the payment to be made.
The final acceptance letter of candidate’s admission to SDSI will be issued after the university has:
NOTE! SDSI organizes only one student intake a year - for the next autumn semester.
Documents should be sent only upon the request of the SDSI programme coordinator.
After you receive a study offer and are asked to send documents by post, please ensure the following:
What documents to include?
All education documents sent to us have to be officially certified. The purpose of certifying/ notarizing is to ensure the authenticity of the original documents.
A notary is a lawyer or person with legal training who is licensed by the government to perform acts in legal affairs. Notarization is the act of officially certifying a legal document by a public notary. The purpose of having a legal document notarized is to ensure the authenticity of the signatures that appear on the document. Notarization is a verification that a document together with the signature attached to it is authentic.
Please note that all the requested documents need to be prepared correctly and sent to us in one complete set on time. The applicant is responsible for the timely delivery of the required documents.
Documents should be sent to the following address:
Art Academy of Latvia
SDSI programme
Kalpaka boulevard 13
Rīga LV-1050
Latvia
The deadline for sending the documents
The personal deadline for sending the documents is indicated in the Conditional Acceptance Letter that is issued via the DreamApply application system. You must send documents by the indicated deadline. If you fail to deliver documents by the deadline, your study offer will be dismissed.
For future reference, please note that application documents will not be returned.
If you are doing your last year of studies
If the applicant is in the process of completing the last bachelor's semester and has not received a diploma yet, the application can be submitted with provisional results from his/her school. In this case, your degree has to be completed by:
Instead of a degree certificate, you will need to upload your own statement concerning your degree to the DreamApply application's system, including the following information:
If you are admitted to the SDSI, your final education documents must arrive at the Art Academy of Latvia by post as soon as possible, by the personal deadline indicated in the DreamApply study offer at the latest. Please make sure that it is possible to send documents by the given deadline. If you fail to complete your degree or deliver documents by the deadline, your study offer will be dismissed.
Considering that the SDSI study programme has been awarded the status of Erasmus Mundus Joint Masters (EMJM) programme* and has received financial support from the European Union, the SDSI consortium can now apply a 50% discount to the SDSI original study fee (8000 EUR per year), starting with the study year 2023/2024. The discounted study fee is 4000 EUR per year, and applies to students originating from the EU, EEA or Switzerland. Study fee for students from the rest of the world remains the same – 8000 EUR per year.
In addition, thanks to the EU support, the SDSI consortium can annually award the Erasmus Mundus scholarships in the amount of 1400 EUR / month and completely waive the study fee for 15 students of excellence originating from European Union, the third countries associated to the Erasmus+ Programme**, and the Neighborhood East countries***, as well as to 5 students annually originating from certain other parts the world****.
* Grant agreement with the EACEA, project ID 101082388 “Joint Master's Degree Programme in Service Design Strategies and Innovations”
** North Macedonia, Iceland, Norway, Serbia, Liechtenstein, Turkey
*** Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova, Territory of Ukraine as recognised by international law
**** Region 1 – Western Balkans, Region 3 – South-Mediterranean countries, Region 5 – Asia, Region 6 – Central Asia, Region 9 – Sub-Saharan Africa, Region 10 – Latin America
After the final acceptance you will have to prepare your documents for the residence permit to start your studies in SDSI. Your first study location is Latvia and therefore it is also the country to submit your application for the residence permit. You will be able to find the additional information about the documents needed for the initial residence permit for studies here: https://vissparmigraciju.pmlp.gov.lv/. Select your country and proceed to the next steps.
Please note:
Make sure that before arriving to Latvia you have obtained the original paper-signed document certifying the necessary means of subsistence. Monthly amount in EUR is country specific and indicated in the section "Documents to be submitted". You have to present the means of subsistence for the time period of one year at least. Make sure that the document has the original signature, full name, job position of the signature person, and name of the financial institution issuing the document. The sum has to be indicated in EUR. Take this document with you when arriving to Latvia – you will have to submit it together with other docs during the process of obtaining the residence permit.
In order to obtain the residence permit, you will be requested to indicate the address of your residence during the studies in Latvia. Make sure that you start search of the rental apartment / dorms as soon as possible after admission to SDSI. Ask the SDSI incoming team for assistance.
We suggest that you open a bank account in a bank in Latvia. For non-EU/EEA students it is a must, and is possible after the residence permit by the Republic of Latvia is granted, within 90 days after starting your studies at SDSI. This will be the EU bank account for the whole duration of your study process. For Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders – it is where the SDSI scholarship will be monthly paid to, including during the mobility periods in Estonia and Finland. However, also non-Erasmus Mundus scholarship holders at some point might apply to and be awarded another kinds of national scholarships, and the EU bank account will then be needed. In addition, EU bank account allows you for low-cost or free of charge ATM transactions in the SDSI countries.
In order to continue the SDSI mobility periods in Estonia and Finland, mobility instructions are pretty easy. Considering that the initial residence permit for non-EU students was granted by the Republic of Latvia in compliance with the EU study migration directive 2016/801 and covers your whole mobility path for the 2 years’ study programme, no additional visa or residence permit has to be obtained in Finland and Estonia by non-EU students. However, certain mobility registrations have to be implemented by all students in the following order:
Semester in Estonia: For non-EU students it is enough to have the initial residence permit which was granted by the Republic of Latvia on your Year 1, and you are not requested to undergo any other migration procedures. However, EU students have to register their Estonian residence address and apply for the Estonian ID card; see instructions here: https://www.eesti.ee/en/.
Semester in Finland: Non-EU students must submit a mobility notification to the Finnish Immigration Service prior to the start of the mobility semester in Finland: https://migri.fi/en/. For non-EU students – again, keep in mind, that you don’t need to apply for a new residence permit in Finland, based on the fact that you have a valid residence permit for studies issued by the Republic of Latvia, and your studies are covered by the SDSI consortium’s agreement among higher education institutions. EU students must apply for the registration of the right of residence: https://migri.fi/en/.
We were thrilled to receive a tremendous number of applications this year, with around 700 candidates applying for only 30 spots in the program. The competition was tough, and we were highly impressed by the quality of the applicants.
As you may be aware, we can only award a limited number of Erasmus Mundus scholarships each year. According to the Project No. 101082388 of the EACEA, which is implemented by the SDSI consortium, we can annually allocate
15 Erasmus Mundus scholarships for students from the Programme Countries,
additional one scholarship funded by the Instrument for Pre-Accession Assistance,
and additional 4-5 scholarships per year funded by the Neighbourhood, Development and International Cooperation – Global Europe Instrument.
Please note that those who were not selected for the Erasmus Mundus scholarship will still have the opportunity to study as self-funded students. However, please keep in mind that the selection process for study fee spots is just as demanding as the regular admission process, and there are only ten study-fee spots available in the program.
We feel honored for receiving your study applications, and wish you all luck in your future endeavors. The admissions committee had a difficult month reviewing all of the applications, and we appreciate your patience and understanding throughout the process.
Once again, we thank you for your interest in the SDSI program and for sharing your talents and aspirations with us.
Best regards,
SDSI Admissions Team
info@sdsi.ma
Kalpaka boulevard 13
Rīga LV-1050, Latvia
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