The MS in Human Computer Interaction focuses on user research, design, implementation, and evaluation to create technologies that are useful, easy to use and accessible for diverse users.
| Program Requirements | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|
| Introductory Courses | 0-16 |
| Degree Requirements | 48 |
| Total hours required | 48-64 |
Learning Outcomes
Students will be able to:
- Plan and conduct ethical user research with human participants using appropriate data collection methods, and analyze the data using both qualitative and quantitative methods.
- Create, justify, and critique interface designs using appropriate theoretical and methodological HCI frameworks.
- Create prototypes that simulate the interactivity of user interfaces and have enough functionality for usability testing with human participants.
- Design and conduct usability tests for an existing or prototyped product or service.
Degree Requirements
Course Requirements
No Introductory course (a course numbered 400 through 419) may be substituted for any other course at any level.
Introductory Courses
Introductory courses may be waived for any of the following conditions:
- The student has the appropriate course work to satisfy an Introductory Course.
- The student has appropriate and verified professional experience to satisfy an Introductory Course.
- The student passes a Graduate Assessment Examination (GAE) in the Introductory Course area.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| IT 411 | SCRIPTING FOR INTERACTIVE SYSTEMS | 4 |
| HCI 406 | WEB SITE DESIGN FOR HCI | 4 |
| HCI 412 | HCI DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS I | 4 |
| IT 403 | STATISTICS AND DATA ANALYSIS | 4 |
Foundation Courses
The following Foundation Courses are listed in the suggested sequence for the program.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HCI 440 | INTRODUCTION TO USER-CENTERED DESIGN | 4 |
| HCI 450 | FOUNDATIONS OF HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION | 4 |
| HCI 430 | PROTOTYPING AND IMPLEMENTATION | 4 |
Students currently taking Foundation Courses may also register for Major Elective Courses if they have successfully completed the prerequisites for those courses.
Advanced Courses
The following Advanced Courses are listed in the suggested sequence for the program.
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HCI 445 | USER RESEARCH METHODS | 4 |
| HCI 454 | INTERACTION DESIGN AND INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE | 4 |
| or HCI 457 | INFORMATION ARCHITECTURE AND CONTENT STRATEGY | |
| HCI 460 | USABILITY EVALUATION METHODS | 4 |
| HCI 472 | HCI DESIGN FUNDAMENTALS II | 4 |
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| At least one of the following major electives is also required: | 4 | |
| ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS IN HCI | ||
| GLOBAL USER RESEARCH | ||
| DESIGN ETHNOGRAPHY | ||
| BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE & UX | ||
| LEARNER-CENTERED DESIGN | ||
Major Elective Courses
Students must complete 12 credit hours of Major Elective courses from the lists below:
HCI Electives
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| DESIGNING FOR CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS | ||
| ACCESSIBILITY CONSIDERATIONS IN HCI | ||
| INFORMATION VISUALIZATION AND INFOGRAPHICS | ||
| GLOBAL USER RESEARCH | ||
| DESIGN ETHNOGRAPHY | ||
| BEHAVIORAL SCIENCE & UX | ||
| LEARNER-CENTERED DESIGN | ||
| UX STRATEGY AND WEB ANALYTICS | ||
| MOBILE DESIGN | ||
| SURVEY DESIGN AND ANALYSIS | ||
| EMBODIED INTERACTION | ||
| SOCIAL INTERACTION DESIGN | ||
| INTERACTION DESIGN AND ANALYSIS | ||
| USER EXPERIENCE DESIGN PRACTICUM | ||
| TOPICS IN HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION | ||
| HCI RESEARCH CAPSTONE |
NON-HCI Electives Open to All HCI students
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGEMENT | ||
| DATA ANALYSIS AND REGRESSION | ||
| ADVANCED DATA ANALYSIS | ||
| FUNDAMENTALS OF DATA SCIENCE | ||
| DATA VISUALIZATION | ||
| ETHICS IN ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE | ||
| COGNITIVE SCIENCE | ||
| GAME DESIGN WORKSHOP | ||
| DATABASE DESIGN FOR INFORMATION SYSTEMS | ||
| REQUIREMENTS ELICITATION, ANALYSIS, AND SPECIFICATION | ||
| SOCIAL ISSUES OF COMPUTING | ||
| MANAGING CHANGE FOR DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION | ||
| CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT TECHNOLOGIES | ||
| WEB ARCHITECTURE | ||
| TOPICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY | ||
| MARKETING MANAGEMENT | ||
| FUNDAMENTALS OF IT PROJECT MANAGEMENT | ||
or SE 477 | SOFTWARE AND SYSTEMS PROJECT MANAGEMENT | |
| COLLABORATIVE TECHNOLOGIES FOR LEADING PROJECTS | ||
| PERCEPTION AND COGNITION | ||
| THE PSYCHOLOGY OF JUDGMENT AND DECISION-MAKING | ||
| INDUSTRIAL AND ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY | ||
| OBJECT ORIENTED MODELING | ||
| REQUIREMENTS ENGINEERING | ||
Capstone
| Course | Title | Quarter Hours |
|---|---|---|
| HCI 594 | HUMAN-COMPUTER INTERACTION CAPSTONE | 4 |
Degree Requirements
Students in this degree program must meet the following requirements:
- Complete a minimum of 48 graduate credit hours in addition to any required introductory courses of the designated degree program.
- Complete all graduate courses and requirements listed in the designated degree program.
- Earn a grade of C- or better in all courses of the designated degree program.
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher.
- Students pursuing a second (or more) graduate degree may not double count or retake any course that applied toward the completion of a prior graduate degree. If a required course in the second degree was already completed and applied toward a previous degree, the student must meet with a faculty advisor to discuss a new course to be completed and substituted in the new degree. This rule also applies to cross-listed courses, which are considered to be the same course but offered under different subjects.
- Students pursuing a second master's degree must complete a minimum of 48 graduate credit hours beyond their first designated degree program in addition to any required introductory courses in their second designated degree program.
Students with a GPA of 3.9 or higher will graduate with distinction.
For DePaul's policy on repeat graduate courses and a complete list of academic policies see the DePaul Graduate Handbook.