MASTER OF SCIENCE
Human-Centered Interaction Design
Graduate Program
Master of Science in Human-Centered Interaction Design | Graduate Program
Master’s Degree Human-Centered Interaction Design (HCID)
“One of the biggest and fastest-growing career fields in today’s technology sector.” – Fortune Magazine
It’s a wonderful thing when one of the fastest-growing tech-related career fields is accessible to you – even if you don’t hold a tech-related degree. In fact, having a liberal arts, humanities, or social and behavioral science background actually makes you a better fit for the Human-Centered Interaction Design (HCID) field than the techies!
HU’s HCID master’s degree program is about designing processes, apps, and environments to make more fulfilling and useful experiences for people. It requires creativity, empathy for people, and strong problem-solving skills.
For example, once you’ve completed your MS degree, your work could involve:
- Designing food-ordering kiosks that are intuitive, easy to use, and people-friendly
- Using your knowledge to redesign the experience of a museum to allow visitors flexible and enriching interaction with exhibits.
- Reconfiguring an MRI room in a hospital to engage children rather than intimidate them
The career possibilities are endless and industry is clamoring for those qualified to bridge the gap between environments, technologies, and the public. When you graduate with your HCID master’s degree, you’ll be ready to begin a career in user research and interface design, interaction design, business analysis, or information architecture. You’ll be able to improve life for millions of people by making technology options and human interactions that provide a gateway to a fuller, more satisfying life rather than a frustrating barrier.
Your HCID program is held online classes for non-international students, or with hybrid classes that meet on the occasional weekend. There are two program start dates each year. Ultimately, you will gain the skills to design effective and engaging interfaces, interactions, and user experiences that leverage the best of digital technologies and bring them seamlessly into complex human environments.
According to the Harvard Business Review there is strong corporate interest in “design thinking” as a way to open businesses to new markets through innovating new human-centered products and experiences. With an HCID master’s degree from Harrisburg University – Philadelphia, you’ll be ready to enter this exploding field. Within just a few years after graduation, you could be earning in the six figures while doing work that is stimulating and highly valued.
Master of Science in Human-Centered Interaction Design (HCID)
The 36-semester hour graduate program in Human-Centered Interaction Design intends to promote the human-centered collaborative mindsets that are part of the 21st-century push to design-driven business frameworks. The HCID master’s program is interdisciplinary, bringing together the application of knowledge drawn from the social and behavioral sciences, information science, software engineering, and project management. The degree promotes design thinking, and a focus on user needs as primary innovation drivers for successful digital products, services, and experiences.
The degree is intended to train individuals with liberal arts, humanities, business and technology backgrounds for careers in the rapidly growing field of UX research, digital service design, and interactive product strategy and design. Job titles possible for students after graduation would include UX Researcher, Interaction designer, UX designer, Information architect, Interactive systems designer, Digital systems analyst, and Digital services (or UX) manager.
Program Goals
- Demonstrate foundational knowledge of theories and applications from human behavior and design science;
- Communicate, collaborate and coordinate effectively across diverse populations and media;
- Effectively research people, document problems and determine research relevance;
- Reflect on self as designer and professional; and
- Design and produce engaging interventions facilitated by digital technologies.
Learn more about the admissions process here. International students apply here. Non-International students apply here.
International Graduate Student Admissions Requirements and Curricular Practical Training
To receive information on the requirements for graduate admissions for international students, please email your request to CPT@HarrisburgU.edu! All of the University’s graduate programs are STEM approved.
