Master’s in DesignOps for Product Teams
Online master's programme of 1,900 hours in DesignOps for product teams: design systems, tokens, accessibility and scaling. 12 modules covering design operations at scale, design systems, workflows and handoff, tooling, talent, capacity planning, ResearchOps, quality and accessibility, impact measurement, cross-functional collaboration and governance, with an assigned technical tutor.
Master’s in DesignOps for Product Teams — studying from Ireland
Ireland's manufacturing base includes pharmaceuticals, medical devices, food and beverage, chemicals and advanced materials, with significant activity in the Cork, Limerick and Galway regions. Engineers in this area work on process design, materials selection, quality management and continuous improvement across high-volume and regulated production. National bodies such as Enterprise Ireland and the Irish Manufacturing Research centre support innovation and capability development. Quality and manufacturing standards are maintained through the National Standards Authority of Ireland and international certification frameworks.
Fees for Ireland: €8,920 (Euro), with instalments and employer sponsorship available.
Relevant bodies in Ireland
Typical roles
Questions from Ireland
Does this qualification count as a recognised engineering qualification in Ireland?
No. SEIUM's qualifications are private and are not official state degrees or accredited by any national body. In Ireland, professional engineering status is typically pursued through Engineers Ireland, which sets its own membership criteria. Completing a SEIUM programme does not itself confer chartered or professional status, so verify requirements with the body before enrolling.
Where do quality and manufacturing professionals in Ireland typically use this kind of training?
Ireland has a large manufacturing and pharmaceutical sector, and quality roles there often rely on experience and recognised certifications. A private online qualification may support your CV, but whether an employer values it is their decision. There is no guarantee of any role, promotion or salary outcome, so it is worth discussing with your employer whether the content meets their needs.
Can I fund this through my employer and study around my shifts?
Yes, employer sponsorship is possible if your company agrees to support it. Fees can also be paid in instalments. Because the programme is fully online and in English, you can study from home or on site around shift patterns, though you should allow for the programme's total hours: 300, 800 or 1,900 depending on the course. Each student has an assigned technical tutor.
Take the controls.
Run a real engineering trade-off from this field. Move the sliders, watch the model react in real time and beat the challenge.
What you will be able to do
Diagnose the maturity of a design team and design its operating model.
Build and govern scalable, token-based design systems.
Optimise workflows and handoff between design and development.
Manage talent, careers and capacity in design teams.
Organise user research through ResearchOps practices.
Ensure quality and accessibility in line with WCAG and EN 301 549.
Measure and communicate the business impact of design.
Who it's for
- DesignOps managers scaling design teams.
- Design system leads responsible for libraries and tokens.
- ResearchOps leads organising user research.
- Heads of design shaping their team's operating model.
- Design programme managers coordinating multiple product squads.
- Design transformation consultants.
- Engineering or science graduates aiming to join software companies.
What you'll work with
- WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)
- EN 301 549 (accessibility requirements for ICT products and services)
- ISO 9241-210 (human-centred design for interactive systems)
- ISO 9241-110 (interaction principles)
- ISO/IEC 40500 (WCAG 2.0 as an international standard)
- ISO/IEC 25010 (software product quality model)
- ISO 30414 (human capital reporting)
- Figma
- Storybook
- Jira
- Dovetail
- Zeroheight
12 modules
1.1Origin and purpose of DesignOps1.2Pillars: people, processes and tools1.3Design maturity models1.4Centralised, embedded and federated teams1.5Design-to-development ratios1.6Business value of design1.7Relationship with ResearchOps and DevOps1.8The role of the DesignOps manager1.9Organisational diagnosis of the design function1.10Case study: maturity diagnosis of a team
2.1Components, tokens and patterns2.2Design tokens and the W3C specification2.3Atomic design methodology2.4Governance and contribution model2.5Documentation with Storybook and Zeroheight2.6Semantic versioning of libraries2.7Accessibility built into components2.8Multi-brand and theming2.9Adoption metrics2.10Workshop: token library in Figma
3.1Dual-track discovery and delivery process3.2Design-to-development handoff3.3Dev Mode and specifications3.4Design reviews and critiques3.5Definition of done in design3.6Integration with Jira and Linear3.7Design-code synchronisation3.8Visual QA and regression testing3.9Branching and file organisation in Figma3.10Practical: end-to-end handoff flow
4.1Figma, plugins and API4.2Advanced prototyping tools4.3Research repositories4.4Asset and library management4.5Automation with scripts4.6Licences and cost control4.7Security and access permissions4.8Tool evaluation and selection4.9Migrations between tools4.10Lab: Figma plugin to audit files
5.1Design career ladder5.2Profiles and competencies5.3Hiring and portfolio review5.4Onboarding designers5.5Mentoring and continuous learning5.6Performance review5.7Diversity and inclusion5.8Wellbeing and burnout prevention5.9Communities of practice5.10Workshop: competency matrix
6.1Designer capacity and allocation6.2Demand prioritisation6.3Estimating design work6.4Design roadmaps6.5Dependency management6.6Scrum and Kanban applied to design6.7The Shape Up methodology6.8Design team OKRs6.9Portfolio management6.10Case study: quarterly capacity plan
7.1Participant recruitment7.2Panels and consent management7.3Insight repositories7.4Templates and standardisation7.5Democratising research7.6Dovetail and Maze tools7.7Ethics and privacy in research7.8Research budgets7.9Research impact metrics7.10Practical: insight repository
8.1WCAG 2.2 guidelines8.2EN 301 549 standard8.3Accessibility audits8.4Experience quality heuristics8.5Design QA in every release8.6Design acceptance criteria8.7Design debt8.8Cross-platform consistency8.9Screen reader testing8.10Lab: WCAG audit of a flow
9.1Design operational metrics9.2Throughput and cycle time9.3Team satisfaction9.4Impact on product metrics9.5ROI of the design system9.6Team health surveys9.7DesignOps dashboards9.8Industry benchmarks for design teams9.9Reporting to management9.10Case study: business case for a design system
10.1Partnership with product and engineering10.2Team rituals and ceremonies10.3Workshop facilitation10.4Five-day design sprints10.5Asynchronous communication in distributed teams10.6Distributed and remote teams10.7Change management10.8Stakeholder management10.9Negotiation and conflict resolution10.10Workshop: facilitating a design sprint
11.1Design in large organisations11.2Design centres of excellence11.3Internal policies and standards11.4Brand management in digital products11.5Generative AI in design workflows11.6Automation of repetitive tasks11.7Governance of AI use11.8Risk and compliance11.9Maturity roadmap11.10Case study: three-year scaling plan
12.1Selection of the organisation for study12.2Maturity and pain-point diagnosis12.3Map of current processes12.4Design of the operating model12.5Stack and governance proposal12.6Talent and capacity plan12.7Indicators and scorecard12.8Implementation plan12.9Master's Thesis report12.10Master's Thesis: defence before a panel
How you'll learn
100% online training on the SEIUM campus, with downloadable material, recorded classes and an assigned technical tutor. There are no fixed timetables: you progress at your own pace within each intake, making it compatible with work.
Each module combines theory, guided reading of the original standard and applied exercises. The working software is Figma, Storybook, Jira, Dovetail and Zeroheight, in free, academic or evaluation versions. Cases are studied on real procedures: maturity diagnoses of design teams, audits of design systems and accessibility, and implementation of handoff flows in real teams. Assessment is continuous by module, plus the final Master's Thesis.
Standards covered: WCAG 2.2, EN 301 549, ISO 9241-210, ISO 9241-110, ISO/IEC 40500, ISO/IEC 25010, ISO 30414.
Build it end to end
Your final project follows the real engineering workflow, step by step, reviewed by your tutor.
Where this takes you
Requirements
- A university degree in engineering, science or architecture, or equivalent demonstrable professional experience.
- An internet connection and a computer capable of running the programme software.
- English sufficient to read technical standards.
Ready to start?
Send your application today. Our admissions team replies within 72 hours with your study plan and funding options.
Frequently asked questions
The programme totals 1,900 hours over 12–14 months. You set your own pace within each intake, and your tutor helps you plan the workload around your job.
You work with Figma, Storybook, Jira, Dovetail and Zeroheight, using free, academic or evaluation versions. Your tutor indicates the free alternative wherever one exists.
A SEIUM Institute diploma, awarded on passing the continuous assessment and the Master's Thesis. It is SEIUM's own qualification, not an official state degree; its recognition depends on the programme completed and the regulations of each country.
Yes. Modules passed in a course or postgraduate diploma in the same area are recognised in the higher programme. Ask about the recognition policy when you enrol.
A university degree in engineering, science or architecture (or equivalent professional experience), a computer able to run the software and English sufficient to read technical standards.
Start dates are set by SEIUM's faculty for each intake. Our admissions team will confirm the next available date when you apply.
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