How do I become a Design Thinking Specialist / Design Thinking Coach? What training courses are there and what is required?

In principle, design thinking specialists and design thinking coaches are further education professions. This means that you must already have previous training, such as a completed apprenticeship or a university degree. You also need a few years of professional experience.

Design Thinking Specialist and Design Thinking Coach are not protected titles. In principle, anyone can use these titles. In a competitive environment, it is therefore advantageous to confirm your skills with the appropriate training and thus position yourself professionally.

Further training and qualifications:

There are numerous training courses on the subject of design thinking.

  • School's own certificate coursesDesign Thinking workshops and courses lasting several days are offered. Their structure and learning content is not federally regulated. The training courses conclude with either a course confirmation or a school certificate.
  • Postgraduate courses at university levelUniversities of Applied Sciences offer part-time CAS courses in Design Thinking. They usually last one semester and conclude with a Certificate of Advanced Studies. Although CAS are federally recognized, they are not federally protected titles and can only be compared abroad on the basis of the ECTS points awarded.

Requirements:

The requirements vary depending on the focus of the offer:

  • No specific industry or professional knowledge is required for Design Thinking workshops or courses for beginners.
  • Design Thinking workshops and courses for advanced and experienced users require appropriate prior knowledge and/or professional experience.
  • For CAS courses at university level, a degree at tertiary level and several years of professional experience (at least 2 years) are usually required.
  • It is often possible to be admitted to a CAS course at university level "sur dossier", i.e. on the basis of an individual assessment of your professional background.

Provider with design thinking workshop