Education

Undergraduates in Computer Science can follow the department’s HCI track, which includes courses in HCI, user interface programming, graphics, multimedia, and information design.

Additional undergraduate courses in related disciplines such as Art, Industrial Design, Industrial and Systems Engineering, and Psychology are also useful for students desiring coursework in HCI.

CHCI members participate in the new HCI minor offered through the Department of Computer Science. Additional minors are expected in the areas of Creative Technologies and Experiences, and Innovation & Entrepreneurship. More information on these minors will be available soon.

There are three ways to get a graduate degree related to Human-Computer Interaction at Virginia Tech. There is a high-overlap in coursework across all three programs: in particular, all share CS 5724 (Models and Theories of HCI), CS 5714/ISE 5714 (Usability Engineering), and various research methods classes. The ISE program has more intense (and more quantitative) methods classes than CS. The HCD iPhD requires you to select courses that would reflect the particulars of your own research interests without getting the additional breadth in computation that the CS program does.

MS or PhD in CS with Emphasis in HCI

The core of this track are classes in usability engineering and models and theories of HCI augmented with specialization areas like virtual reality, data visualization, CSCW, and design. This approach requires taking "breadth" classes outside of HCI in computer science. Since tracks are only suggestions of plans of study, the Center for Human Computer Interaction offers a HCI Certificate to encourage graduate students to fulfill the requisite exploration of HCI.

MS or PhD in ISE with Emphasis in Human Factors Engineering and Ergonomics

This program focuses on usability engineering with a strong quantitative emphasis.

Human-Centered Design track, Interdisciplinary PhD (iPhD)

This track strikes a balance between intellectual enquiry into creative processes and actual production of creative work. It is geared for students with a strong independent direction and strong creative drive. This program is primarily for students without a computer science background (i.e., social sciences or the arts). Students with a background in CS would be considered if they have a very strong program of research that only peripherally involves computation.

Graduate certificate in HCI

A Graduate Certificate in Human-Computer Interaction Program is administered by the Center for Human-Computer Interaction and offered in conjunction with either a master's or doctoral degree in most departments. The certificate administrator is Dr. Scott McCrickard.

Graduate Certificate Requirements

Master's degree students complete 9 hours and doctoral students 15 hours of coursework for the certificate; at least two of the courses taken must be outside the student's degree program requirements and home department. These courses should be relevant to HCI; those in the following list are especially recommended. If the student writes a thesis or dissertation, it must be related to human-computer interaction.

Students can normally fit the requirements for the certificate into their program of graduate study so that the time needed to complete the graduate degree in their basic discipline is not extended by simultaneously pursuing the certificate. Students interested in the Graduate Certificate in Human-Computer Interaction should confer with the director of the Center for Human-Computer Interaction prior to submitting a program of study to the Graduate School.

Application

Download the certificate application, fill it out and send it to the Graduate School. The Graduate School has instructions about obtaining a certificate, make sure you read them before you proceed.

The following graduate courses (3H, 3C, unless noted otherwise) are offered through participating departments. For descriptions, see respective departments.