Curriculum

Human-Centered Design and Engineering professionals use their language, visual, and analytical skills, as well as training and research in electronic and other media, to create and enhance communication in scientific and technical environments. Human-Centered Design and Engineering prepares students to design, create, edit, and evaluate technical and scientific discourse. The department provides coursework in the development of online help systems and in the design of general-audience content for delivery by means of advanced communication technologies such as the Web.

The BS Curriculum is designed to give undergraduates a solid foundation in design, research, and usability, while providing opportunity to create a specialization in two formalized areas (HCI or TC) or an individualized course of study.

The HCDE core courses are as followed:

  • HCDE 310 Introduction to Communication Design (5)
  • HCDE 400 Human Centered Design and Communication Solutions (5)
  • HCDE 403 Project Management (3)
  • HCDE 411 Visuals in HCDE (5)
  • HCDE 417 Usability Testing (5)
  • HCDE 418 User-Experience Designing (5)
  • HCDE 437 Web Design & Web Publishing (5)
  • HCDE 493 Senior Portfolio (5)
  • HCDE 495 Internship (3)
  • HCDE 496 Directed Research in HCDE (2)

All students create a specialization, consisting of 27 credits. There are two structured options (HCI and TC) and a course of study that provides students with the option of creating their own specialization (Individualized Course of Study)

  • The Human Computer-Interaction (HCI) concentration is designed for students interested in the design, evaluation, and implementation of interactive computing systems. This is an interdisciplinary option that includes coursework from four UW majors.
  • The Technical Communication (TC)  concentration is designed for students interested in technical writing and editing, and information design. Students choose additional electives from the HCDE and related programs. 
  • The Individualized Course of Study (ICO) is designed to grant students the flexibility to design a specialization that is tailored to their academic and professional goals.

In addition to the three degree options, each student is responsible for completing additional elective credits. Please visit this page to view a list of pre-approved electives.

View the upcoming course schedule for undergraduate courses in the Human Centered Design & Engineering program. Students are expected to follow a pattern of registration through the HCDE required course sequence and to complete their other courses while they pursue the technical communication sequence. This required course sequence takes four to seven quarters to complete. It is important that each student has time to grow, to develop the necessary skills, and to integrate the knowledge necessary to enter the profession.

If you have any questions about the appropriate course sequence, or are having trouble planning your course schedule, please contact the undergraduate adviser for assistance.