• Research Experience for Undergraduates

HCI Graduate Program
1620 Howe Hall
Ames, IA 50010
515-294-2089
• Emerging Technologies Conference 2009

• Virtual Reality Applications Center

• Human Computer Interaction Graduate Recruiting Open House. February 19, 2010.
posted: September 03, 2009
• Software Offers 3-D Views Inside Body: BodyViz Software Coming To Iowa Medical Centers
— KCCI News: 11/12/2009
• Iowa State engineers develop 3-D software to give doctors, students a view inside the body
— College of Engineering: 11/11/2009
• LearnDS student business grows from advanced instructional design class
— ISU News Service: 10/13/2009
• Virtual reality company developed by Iowa State engineers wins Pappajohn prize
— College of Engineering News: 10/07/2009
• HCI Faculty Ana-Paula Correia and Instructional technology students assess National Guard teaching tool
— College of Human Sciences News page: 10/07/2009
• Mark Bryden and Doug McCorkle in People on the Move for Sept. 3, 2009
— Des Moines Register: 09/03/2009
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.
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
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[A grade of 'B'—3.0 GPA—or better is required.]
Design
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HCI 521 — Cognitive Psychology of HCI
ArtGR 672B — Graphic Design and Human Interaction: Design for Social Inclusion
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HCI 575 Computational Perception
HCI 520 Computational Analysis of English
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HCI 655 Organizational and Social Implications of HCI
JLMC 598P Communication Technology-Philosophy and Ethics
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Stat 401 Statistical Methods for Research Workers
Stat 430X Empirical Methods for Computer Science
HCI 504 Managing and Evaluating Instructional Technology Programs
Recommended Electives
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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
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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.
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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
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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.