Master of Science Degree Program

The MS in Human Computer Interaction is an interdisciplinary degree program. In addition to three core HCI graduate courses, students take electives from a wide variety of disciplines and write a thesis of their research for graduation. The program prepares students for a career in business or industry as well as for continuation of studies in a PhD program.

MS Required Courses

Listed below are the core (required) courses for the HCI Graduate program. Additional courses may be added at the direction of the Program of Studies Committee. Sample curricula for the Masters program are shown below.

HCI575X Computational Perception.
MIS 655 Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction (fall course).
Psych 521 The Cognitive Psychology of HCI.

Note: A grade of 'B' (3.0 GPA) or better is requred for each of the core HCI courses.

Sample 1

HCI Sample Curriculum
•	HCI	575x	Computational Perception
•	MIS	655	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
•	Psych	521	The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
•	Stat	401	Statistical Methods for Research Workers
•	Psych	508 or 586	Research methods
•	Psych	580 or 581	Social Psychology
•	Psych	550	Industrial/Organizational Psychology
•	Psych	699	Research credits, including thesis research (9 hours minimum)

Sample 2

HCI Sample Curriculum
•	HCI	575	Computational Perception
•	MIS	655	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
•	Psych	521	The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
•	IE	557	Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling
•	CPRE	575	Introduction to Virtual Reality
•	ME	549	Vehicle Dynamics
•	ComS	572	Principles of Artificial Intelligence
•	IE	699	Research credits, including thesis research (9 hours minimum)

Sample 3

HCI Sample Curriculum
•	HCI	575	Computational Perception
•	MIS	655	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
•	Psych	521	The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
•	ArtGr	570	Advanced Studies in Visual Communication
•	ComS	309	Software Development Practices
•	IE	577	Human Factors
•	ArtGr	574	Exhibition Design
•	ArtGr	699	Research credits, including thesis research (9 hours minimum)

Admission to the MS HCI Program

Admission into the HCI graduate degree program depends on a combination of your academic qualifications, area of interest, research specialties and the current research needs of the faculty. Evidence of creative talent, the ability to speak and write English clearly, and promise for a successful career are also important considerations for entry into the HCI Graduate program. Other admission requirements include

Transcripts, test scores and other indicators that the student applicant can be successful at the graduate level
3.0 GPA.
GRE for all international students.
TOEFL 240 (IELTS 7.0) for nonnative English speakers.
Demonstrated ability to write software competently. For those who do not have the required computing background, we provide an introductory survey course, with appropriate follow-up material

In addition to the above requirements, the following conditions apply when reviewing your application for admission.

Meeting or exceeding these guidelines does not guarantee admission.
An HCI faculty member must agree to work with and support you as your major professor.
Your complete file must be available for HCI faculty members to review. (See the faculty page to learn more about the diverse members of the HCI faculty.)

The MS Graduate Program Application Process

Using the resources found on this web site, determine which faculty members and related fields of study (departments) best match your interests. You will be asked to specify up to three faculty members on the pre-admission application.

Fill out and submit the online HCI pre-admission form. No costs are associated with this step. (Please complete this pre-admission form and wait for notification from the HCI Graduate Program before applying to the Iowa State University Graduate College.)
Send your resume to .
Ask references to send their letters of reference to . A suggested template for letters of recommendation can be found at http://www.admissions.iastate.edu/apply/pdf/us_gr_rec.pdf.
If you are invited to enter the HCI Graduate Program, apply to the ISU Graduate College ($30 US fee for non-ISU students, $70 US for international students) to be formally admitted to the University.

If you have any questions about the program, the university or any part of the process, contact Pam Shill at or .

Deadlines

The application deadline for the Fall semester is January 15. For the Spring semester, the application deadline is October 1. These dates are for priority consideration.

Faculty Notification and Review

After all of the pre-application materials are received, the three faculty members listed on the pre-application are notified of your application. If those faculty members are not able to admit you, the application package is made available to all HCI faculty. Students are accepted into the program throughout the year and are able to begin the program at the beginning of the Fall, Spring, or Summer semesters. Our policy is to send email notifications to those not admitted by June 1 for the Fall semester and by December 1 for Spring.

If you need to know if you will be admitted before those deadlines, please contact Pam Shill at , and she will update you on your admission status.

Checklist for Admissions

Fill out the pre-admission form found here.
Send resume to .
Ask references to send their letters of reference to . A suggested template for letters of recommendation can be found at http://www.admissions.iastate.edu/apply/pdf/us_gr_rec.pdf.

If you believe that you can add value to this process by contacting the faculty member directly with additional information about yourself, please feel free to do so.

Contact Pam Shill at with questions about your admission status.