Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction 2008

The Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) master’s degree program focuses on the rapidly growing discipline called Human-Computer Interaction. HCI practitioners are involved in the design, implementation, and evaluation of computer interfaces that are accessible and easy for people to use. This degree integrates content from computer science, graphic design, psychology and HCI to provide a broad understanding of the discipline.

The program has five phases, with each phase preparing the student for the subsequent phase. The master’s degree program consists of:

• Prerequisite Courses
• Fundamentals Courses
• Core Courses
• Advanced Phase Courses
• Capstone Course

Upon acceptance into the master’s degree program, the student will meet with a faculty advisor to discuss Prerequisite courses. The Prerequisite courses are intended to ensure that all students enter graduate courses with an equivalent background. The Fundamental courses offer knowledge in the multiple disciplines that contribute to HCI. Students in the Core courses acquire an understanding of the technological and theoretical foundations, and the Advanced Phase provides students the opportunity to study specialized topics in greater depth. This phase adds depth to the work completed in the previous phases. The degree culminates in the experience of the Capstone Course where students take a real-life problem from design through implementation and usability testing.

Grade and GPA requirements

Grades: Students must receive a grade of B- or better in each prerequisite course and a C- or better in all other courses. 

GPA: Students must maintain a graduate level GPA of 2.50 or higher while pursuing their degree. Students will not be approved for graduation with less than a 2.50 GPA. Students with a GPA of 3.90 or higher will graduate with distinction.

Prerequisite Courses

The courses in the Prerequisite Phase for the MS in Human-Computer Interaction are listed below. Students who intend to take implementation courses at the graduate level are encouraged to take CSC 212 and the graduate-level database course (CSC 449).

By taking these courses and receiving a grade of a B- or better in each, the student will have completed the requirements of the Prerequisite Phase. All or part of the Prerequisite Phase may be waived if a student has the equivalent academic background. Alternatively, students with practical experience may complete a Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) to show competency in a prerequisite.  The student must submit an online Change of Status request when the Prerequisite Phase is completed to inform the Student Services offices that the block can be removed. The online request must be submitted two weeks before the student intends to register for graduate level classes. The student will then be considered a fully admitted student, and may pass to the Graduate Phase of the program. Students may submit the Change of Status request by logging in to MyCTI.

Fundamentals Courses

Students should complete their Prerequisite courses before beginning the Fundamental courses. However, while completing the Prerequisite courses, students may take Fundamental courses with consent of their faculty advisor. The Fundamental courses for the MS in Human-Computer Interaction are:

Core Courses

Advanced Phase Courses

The HCI offering includes: (but is not limited to)

Non-HCI Advanced phase courses open to all HCI graduate students

Advanced phase courses open to students with programming experience.

Capstone Course