Key Facts

This page includes some important information about the HCDE department and policies at the University of Washington. This page was updated in July 2003, and it reflects the last time that change were made to the MS-HCDE curriculum requirements.

Enrollment and Course Credits

  • To maintain enrollment at the University of Washington, you must register for at least two credits per quarter (excluding summer quarter), unless you have officially obtained an on-leave status. If you withdraw from the University, whether intentionally or by default, you must reapply for admission.
  • Some courses cannot be credited towards the MS degree in HCDE:
    1. HCDE 310, 400, 401, and 402.
    2. All 499 courses.
    3. Some 498 courses.
    4. Courses at the 300 level are not included in the calculation of your GPA and do not apply toward the minimum Graduate School requirement of 18 graded credits for the MS degree. In general, 300 level courses will not be approved as counting toward the required 41 credits for the MS by the HCDE graduate adviser or your Supervisory Chair.
  • Incomplete grades become a part of your permanent UW transcript; although they may be updated with a grade, the "I" remains as a permanent entry on your official transcript. Students must successfully complete the work by the last day of the next quarter in residence. This rule may be waived by the Dean of the College of Engineering. In no case may an incomplete be converted into a passing grade after a lapse of two years or more.
  • With the approval of the Supervisory Committee Chair or the Graduate Adviser, students may choose the Satisfactory/Not Satisfactory (S/NS) grade designation for up to 6 elective credits (but not prerequisite courses). Only a grade of 2.7 or higher will be considered satisfactory. Courses listed in the time schedule as credit/non-credit do not count toward the 6 allowable S/NS credits.
  • Up to eight total combined credits of HCDE 596 and HCDE 599 can be approved and used in Research Methods, Society and Systems, and Media Design & Application categories; but these credits cannot substitute an entire category. No more than 4 credits of HCDE 596 and 599 can be used in any one category.
  • TC 597, Teaching Technical Communication, may not count toward the MS-HCDE degree.

Supervisory Committee

  • Before you register for your 25th credit (generally after the third quarter of full-time studies), you must select your HCDE Supervisory Chair and Committee, even if you have taken an incomplete for any of your first credits of course work. (The committee must also be appointed officially at least 4 months before you complete the graduate program.)
  • For students in the coursework option, the Supervisory Committee should include two HCDE faculty members, who are also members of the graduate school faculty. For students in the Project Report or Thesis option, the Supervisory Committee should consist of three HCDE faculty members, two who are also graduate school faculty
  • Your Supervisory Chair and Committee must approve and sign your Course of Study. Delaying the selection of your Chair and Committee puts you at the risk of completing a major portion of your coursework without your Committee's approval.
  • You will not be allowed to register for HCDE 600, 601, or 700 until you have officially appointed your Supervisory Chair (and ideally your committee).

Theses and Graduation

  • To graduate, you must file an online application with the Graduate School by the second week of the quarter that you intend to graduate. Applications are valid for one quarter only. You must be enrolled for at least two credits during the quarter that you expect to graduate. For more information, see this website: http://www.grad.washington.edu/stsv/mastapp.htm.
  • Your thesis, if you write one, must meet the guidelines in the Graduate School Style and Policy Manual for Theses and Dissertations (policies in this guide do not apply to internship/project reports; however, you might find the guide helpful). For more information, see this website: http://www.grad.washington.edu/stsv/thesistempl.htm).
  • All work for the MS degree must be completed within 3 years, including any time spent with on-leave status or any credits transferred from other institutions..

Note: You can save yourself from worry and wasted time and money if you carefully read these announcements: (1) letters and forms from the HCDE department and the University, (2) the Graduate Section in the University of Washington General Catalog, and (3) the Quarterly Time Schedule.