Master of Science Degree Program

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.

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 two credits of the HCI 591 Seminar in HCI 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 573X — User Interface Implementation for Web Application
HCI 575 — Computational Perception
HCI 574X — Computational Implementation and Prototyping
CprE/ME 557 — Computer Graphics and Geometric Modeling

Phenomena

HCI 655 — Organizational and Social Implications of HCI
HCI 589X — Design and Ethics

Evaluation

ENGL/STAT 332 — Visual Communication of Quantitative Information
HCI 504 — Evaluating Digital Learning Environments
PSYCH 501X — Foundations of Behavioral Research
STAT 480 — Statistical Computing Applications

HCI 591 Seminar, 1 credit

Recommended Electives

ArtIS 508 - Computer Aided Visualization - Implementation
CI 503 - Theories of Designing Effective Learning and Teaching Environments - Design
CI 511 - Technology Diffusion Leadership and Change - Phenomena
HCI 520 - Computational Analysis of English - Implementation
HCI 522 - Scientific Methods in HCI - Evaluation
HCI 558 - Introducation to the 3D Visualization of Scientific Data - Implementation
HCI 580X - Virtual Worlds and Applications - Implementation
HCI 585X - Developmental Robotics - Implementation
HCI 594 - Organizational Applications of Collaborative Technologies and Social Media
HCI 595 - Visual Design for HCI - Design
HCI 596 - Emerging Practices in Human Computer Interaction - Evaluation
HCI 603 - Advanced Learning Environments Design - Implementation
HCI 681X - Cognitive Engineering
IE 577 - Human Factors
ME/FLNG 584 - Technology, Globalization and Culture - Phenomena
STAT 401 - Statistical Methods for Research Workers - Evaluation

Sample HCI Masters Curricula

Example 1
HCI     575       -     Computational Perception
HCI     655       -     Organizational and Social Implications of Human Computer Interaction
HCI     521       -     The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
Stat    480       -     Statistical Computing Applications
HCI     580       -     Virtual Worlds and Applications
IE      577       -     Human Factors
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
ArtGr   672B      -     Graphic Design and Human Interaction: Design for Social Inclusion
HCI     589X      -     Design and Ethics
HCI     520       -     Computational Analysis of English
HCI     574X      -     Computational Implementation & Prototyping in HCI
CI      503       -     Theories of Designing Effective Learning and Teaching Environments
HCI     522       -     Scientific Methods in HCI
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     574X      -     Computational Implementation & Prototyping in HCI
HCI     589X      -     Design and Ethics
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
HCI     521       -     The Cognitive Psychology of HCI
Art Is  509       -     Computer and Video Game Design and Development
HCI     591       -     HCI Seminar [2 cr]
HCI     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 score of 95 iBT or greater or IELTS of 7.0 or greater for nonnative English speakers.
Demonstrated ability to write software competently. This requirement can be met during your course of study in the program.

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 gradapp@hci.iastate.edu.
Ask references to send their letters of reference to gradapp@hci.iastate.edu. A suggested template for letters of recommendation can be found at Applicant Recommendation Form.

ISU Graduate College

If you have any questions about the program, the university or any part of the process, contact Pam Shill at pshill@iastate.edu or hci@iastate.edu.

Deadlines

The application deadline for the Fall semester is January 15.

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 admitted for the Fall semester. Our policy is to send email notifications to those not admitted by June 1 for the Fall semester.

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

Checklist for Admissions

Fill out the pre-admission form found here .
Send resume to gradapp@hci.iastate.edu.
Ask references to send their letters of reference to gradapp@hci.iastate.edu. A suggested template for letters of recommendation can be found at Applicant Recommentation Template.

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 pshill@iastate.edu with questions about your admission status.