The MS in Human Computer Interaction is an interdisciplinary degree program. In addition to four 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. Specific program requirements are outlined below.

MS Course Requirements

In order to earn an MS at Iowa State University, each student’s POS must include at least 30 graduate credits, but no more than 36 credits. At least 22 of the graduate credits must be earned at ISU.

Beginning with the Fall 2008 semester, MS students will be required to choose any four courses, 1 each from the Design, Implementation, Phenomena, and Evaluation categories. MS students will therefore be required to take a total of four courses from the core. In addition to these courses, MS students will be required to take the HCI 591 Seminar in HCI for one year plus a minimum of 3 research credits.

Core Courses

Design

HCI 521 — Cognitive Psychology of HCI
ArtGR 672B — Graphic Design and Human Interaction: Design for Social Inclusion

Implementation

HCI 575 Computational Perception
HCI 520 Computational Analysis of English

Phenomena

HCI 655 Organizational and Social Implications of HCI
JLMC 598P Communication Technology-Philosophy and Ethics

Evaluation

Stat 401 Statistical Methods for Research Workers
Stat 430X Empirical Methods for Computer Science
HCI 504 Managing and Evaluating Instructional Technology Programs

Recommended Electives

CI 503 Theories of Designing Effective Learning and Teaching Enviro nments - Design
ArtIS 508 Computer Aided Visualization - Implementation
HCI 603 Advanced Learning Environments Design - Implementation
HCI 558 Introduction to the 3D Visualization of Scientific Data - Implementation
CprE/ME 557 Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling - Impleme ntation
HCI 580X Virtual Worlds and Applications - Implementation
CI 511 Technology Diffusion Leadership and Change - Phenomena< /em>
STAT/ENGL 332 Visual Communication of Quantitative Information -

Sample HCI Masters Curricula

Example 1
HCI	575	-	Computational Perception
HCI	655	-	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
Psych	521	-	The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
Stat	401	-	Statistical Methods for Research Workers
HCI	580	-	Virtual Worlds and Applications
HCI	558X	-	Introduction ot the 3D Visualization of Scientific Data
ME	557	-	Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling
HCI	591	-	Seminar in HCI, 2 Cr.
HCI	699	-	7-9 Research credits, including thesis research

Example 2
Art Gr	672B	-	Graphic Design and Human Interaction: Design for Social Inclusion
HCI	655	-	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
HCI	520	-	Computational Analysis of English
HCI	504	-	Managing and Evaluating Instructional Technology Programs
CI	503	-	Theories of Designing Effective Learning and Teaching Environments
CI	511	-	Technology Diffusion Leadership and Change
HCI	521	-	Cognitive Psychology of HCI
HCI	591	-	Seminar in HCI [3 cr]
HCI	699	-	6 Research credits, including thesis research

Example 3
HCI	520	-	Computational Analysis of English
HCI	655	-	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
HCI	521	-	The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
HCI	504	-	Managing and Evaluating Instructional Technology Programs
MIS	533	-	Data Management for Decision Makers
MIS	534	-	Electronic Commerce
ME	584	-	Technology, Globalization and Culture
HCI	591	-	HCI Seminar [2 cr]
HCI	699	-	7 Research credits, including thesis research

Example 4
HCI	575	-	Computational Perception
HCI	655	-	Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
ArtGr	672B	-	Graphic Design and Human Interaction: Design for Social Inclusion
HCI	504	-	Managing and Evaluating Instructional Technology Programs
ArtGr	672A	-	Graphic Design and Human Interaction: Design for Social Inclusion
ComS	521	-	The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
Art Is	509	-	Computer and Video Game Design and Development
ArtGr	591	-	HCI Seminar [2 cr]
ArtGr	699	-	7 Research credits, including thesis research

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://hci.iastate.edu/Academics/docs/Applicant_Recommendation_Form.doc.
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://hci.iastate.edu/Academics/docs/Applicant_Recommendation_Form.doc.

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.