Completing an MS in HCDE alongside a PhD
Program Overview
Completing an MS in HCDE alongside a PhD
Current HCDE PhD students may be interested in completing the requirements for a Master of Science in HCDE. There are two options for this:
- A research-oriented master's degree which parallels the HCDE doctoral curriculum
- A practice-oriented master's degree which has additional requirements.
Research-oriented master's degree
The requirements for our research-oriented master's degree parallel the HCDE PhD program. Students must complete 42 credits, including:
- HCDE 541: Introduction to PhD Studies in HCDE
- HCDE 542: Theoretical Foundations in Human Centered Design and Engineering
- Quantitative methods requirement (e.g., HCDE 544: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Research Methods)
- Qualitative methods requirement (e.g., HCDE 545: Qualitative Research Methods)
- Theory electives (8 credits)
- Methods elective(s) (4 credits)
- Free electives to bring the total credits to 42.
Additionally, students must complete a concentration (12 credits, which can overlap with theory, methods, and free electives) and successfully complete the Preliminary Exam.
No students are admitted to this master's program; it is only offered to HCDE doctoral students as a milestone toward the doctoral degree.
Professional master's degree
Below are the required classes for the HCDE professional master's program. PhD students complete these instead of or in addition to classes already taken as part of the PhD program. As shown, there are two courses required for master's students with no equivalency in the doctoral program.
Students who enrolled in 2020 or later should follow the curriculum in this table:
Students admitted before 2020 have an option to pursue slightly different requirements, though in most cases the below requirements are more flexible.
| MS Requirement | Equivalent PhD Courses / Approved Courses |
|---|---|
| HCDE 501: Theoretical Foundations of HCDE | HCDE 542: Theoretical Foundations in Human Centered Design and Engineering |
| Either: HCDE 519: Qualitative Research Methods HCDE 516: Experimental Methods | Either: HCDE 545: Qualitative Research Methods HCDE 544: Experimental and Quasi-Experimental Research Methods |
| HCDE 517: Usability Studies | No equivalent - must take 517 or waive based on equivalent prior coursework. |
| HCDE 518: User-Centered Design | No equivalent - must take 518 or waive based on equivalent prior coursework. |
| Capstone: HCDE 592 & HCDE 593 | Preliminary Exam |
| Strategy (4 credits minimum) | HCDE 503: Navigating Design in Organizational Contexts HCDE 512: International User Experiences and Communication HCDE 520: Design and Management of Complex Systems HCDE 534: Designing a Human Centered Venture HCDE 548: Concepts in Designing for Coordination (Lee) |
| Design (4 credits minimum) | HCDE 508: Visual Communication HCDE 511: Information Visualization HCDE 515: Accessibility and Inclusive Design HCDE 536: Interaction Design & Prototyping HCDE 537: User-Centered Web Design HCDE 538: Designing for Behavior Change HCDE 546: Design Thinking INSC 543: Value Sensitive Design |
| Engineering (4 credits minimum) | HCDE 511: Information Visualization HCDE 530: Computational Concepts in HCDE HCDE 533: Digital Fabrication HCDE 539: Physical Computing and Prototyping HCDE 548: AI and ML (McDonald) CSE 512: Data Visualization INFX 574 Data Science: Machine Learning |
| Additional Electives (14 credits minimum) | HCDE 521, 523, 543, 548, 598, and 599 can be included, along with other approved courses above. Whichever of HCDE 544/545 you do not use for the methods requirement may be used as an elective. Other courses, including HCDE 596s, may be included with prior approval from the director of the MS program. |
Much of the value and experience of the MS HCDE is through learning and working with peers. Consequently, among strategy, design, engineering, and additional electives, at least 14 credits must be from HCDE courses and DRGs or independent studies. This is in addition to HCDE 517 and HCDE 518.
With prior approval, HCDE 548s and 599s may also count toward strategy, design, and engineering specialized electives categories depending on content.
FAQ
- Q. Can 511 count toward both design and engineering?
- No; it’s an either/or, not both choice.
- Q. If I TA a course, does that count toward the requirements?
- Generally, no. HCDE students come in from all sorts of backgrounds and use these buckets to deepen their knowledge beyond what they came in with. So, if you TA something in one of the buckets, treat it as a sign that you came in with that course’s that preparation and extend your knowledge in other ways/through other courses in the bucket.
- For 517 and 518—courses not in buckets—TAing them might be a sign that you should consider waiving them based on prior experience, but it’s not automatic.