The Ph.D. in Human-Computer Interaction specialization is 90-credit-hour program that integrates computing, usability, interface design, the social sciences and other disciplines in the design and development of user-friendly technologies, software and information systems.
The program includes core courses, research rotations, your choice of minor, qualifying examinations and a dissertation.
HCI Core (18 cr.)
- INFO H541 Interaction Design Practice
- INFO H564 Prototyping for Interactive Systems
- INFO H624 Advanced Seminar I in Human-Computer Interaction
- INFO H634 Advanced Seminar II in Human-Computer Interaction
- Select two HCI Research Area Selectives:
- INFO I501 Introduction to Informatics
- INFO H517 Visualization Design, Analysis, and Evaluation
- INFO H543 Interaction Design Methods(take online or in Year 3 if scheduling conflicts)
- INFO H563 Psychology of Human-Computer Interaction
- INFO H565 Collaborative and Social Computing
- INFO H566 Experience Design for Ubiquitous Computing
- INFO H567 Internet-of-Things Interface Design for Business Innovation
- INFO H570 Experience Design for Tangible and Embodied Systems
- INFO H581 Experience Design and Evaluation of Access Technologies
- INFO H582 User Experience Design Ethics
- INFO H583 Conversational User Interfaces: Experience Design and Applications
Methods Courses (18 cr.)
- INFO I575 Informatics Research Design
- INFO I790 Informatics Research Rotation (Taken three times)
- Two Methods Electives:
- PSY 608 Measurement Theory and Interpret Data
- PSY 640 Survey of Social Psychology I
- PSY 655 Cognitive Development
- PSY-I 643 Field Methods & Exper
- ANTH-E404 Field Meth in Ethnography
- COM 501 Qualitative Research
- COM 502 Applied Qualitative Research Methods
- EDU 520 Strategies for Educational Inquiry
- EDU 611 Qualitative Inquiry in Education
- NURS-L 650 Data Ana Clinical & Admin Dec.-Making
- NURS-R 612 Interpretive Data Analy (2 cr.)
- SOC-R 551 Quantitative Methods – Sociology
- SOC-R 551 Quantitative Methods Sociology
- SOC-R 559 Intermediate Soc Statistics
- STAT 511 Statistical Methods 1
- STAT 512 Applied Regression Analysis
- STAT 516 Basic Probability Appl.
- STAT 519 Intro to Probability
- STAT 521 Statistical Computing
- STAT-522 Sampling and Survey Techniques
- STAT 524 Applied Multivariate Analysis
- STAT 525 Intermediate Stat Methodology
- STAT 529 Applied Dec Theory and Bayesian Stat
- STAT 619 Probability Theory
Specialization (18 cr.)
- Disciplinary Affinities (0-6 cr.)
- Minor (12-18 cr.)
You must complete a minor within a domain appropriate to your choice of specialization and/or research area. All courses must be graduate-level and outside the HCI program.
Qualifying Examinations
- Written Exam – You must successfully complete a written qualifying examination by the end of the program’s second year. The exam is established by faculty and covers subject matter taken in the program’s core courses. The exam may be retaken once.
- Oral Exam – An oral examination takes place within weeks after successful completion of the written exam. You must pass both the written and oral exam before passing on to Ph.D. candidacy. The oral exam is based on the student’s response to the written exam and core course material. The exam may be retaken once.
Dissertation (30 cr.)
A dissertation is a written elaboration of original research that makes creative contributions to your chosen area of specialization. Students will enroll multiple times in INFO I890 Thesis Readings and Research (1-12 cr.) as you work to complete your dissertation. All requirements must be completed within seven years of passing the qualifying exams. The dissertation process includes the following components:
- Proposal: The research proposal for the dissertation must be approved by the student’s research committee. The student will defend the dissertation proposal at a public colloquium in the school. The review should be completed within one-year after passing the Qualifying Examinations.
- Defense: A written elaboration of significant original research must be successfully presented to the research committee in a public defense as described in the Graduate School Bulletin.
Last updated: 3/2024
