Master of Science - Human-Computer Interaction (Optional Co-op)

Explore the design methods, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems for human use. Building on decades of research in psychology and human behavior, the human-computer interaction master’s degree focuses on the skills needed by user-experience researchers and computing professionals, including observing how people interact with websites and software and design new technologies to help them accomplish their goals. With computing moving rapidly away from the traditional desktop, companies need professionals that understand how evolving technologies can be designed to be intuitive, effective, and compelling for users.

Human-computer interaction addresses the design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing and computing-based systems for the benefit of human use. HCI research is driven by technological advances and the increasing pervasiveness of computing devices in society. With an emphasis on making computing technologies more user-friendly, HCI has emerged as a dynamic, multifaceted area of study that merges theory from science, engineering, and design—as well as concepts and methodologies from psychology, anthropology, sociology, and industrial design—with the technical concerns of computing.

The MS degree in human-computer interaction provides the knowledge and skills necessary for conceptualizing, designing, implementing, and evaluating software applications and computing technologies for the benefit of the user, whether the user is an individual, a group, an organization, or a society. Human, technological, and organizational concerns are interwoven throughout the curriculum and addressed in team- and project-based learning experiences.