Applicants to the HCDE PhD program will be evaluated on the relevance of coursework already taken; grade history, and other indicators of earlier academic success and promise of future success, and on statement of objectives and research interest, letters of recommendation, and other qualitative data. Admission is highly competitive.
Application materials
Applying for admission to a graduate degree program begins with the online application system managed by the University of Washington Graduate School. All materials will be submitted electronically through the Graduate School portal. Once an applicant submits an application, the application materials are routed to the department for review.
Additional materials to be uploaded to the UW Graduate School application:
- Potential faculty matches (see details further below)
- Statement of purpose (see prompt further below)
- Statement on approach to equity, diversity, and inclusion (see prompt further below)
- Current resume or CV
- Three letters of recommendation. When asking for recommendation letters, we encourage you to ask potential recommenders if they are able to write you a strong letter and to emphasize what you hope their letter will highlight. Letters with specific examples are strongest.
- Unofficial set of all college level transcripts
- GRE scores are not required. We will continue to accept scores from those who wish to submit them. All official scores sent to UW in earlier admission cycles are visible.
- English Language Proficiency Documentation (international applicants only)
For our policy on using AI to craft admissions materials, see Guidance on AI use in application materials.
Potential faculty matches
Review the availability of HCDE faculty for the upcoming year »
A key component of the doctoral experience is your relationship with your advisor, and we begin identifying potential advising matches as part of the admission process. In the application portal, you will be asked to list the names of two to four HCDE faculty whose research aligns most closely with your interests and include a few sentences about each that relates your research interest to their work. Applicants may list up to four faculty, but a minimum of two are REQUIRED. When you list faculty names, you will be asked to rank them in order, from 1-4, where 1 designates the highest priority and strongest research alignment. You may be equally interested in working with multiple faculty, but please do not put multiple people in the same ranking (for example, don’t list both Professor X and Professor Z as rank #1 –choose one of them to be ranked #2).
Two or more of these faculty must be an Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Professor in HCDE (i.e., not listed as an adjunct or affiliate faculty member). If you anticipate HCDE teaching professors or faculty in other departments being a significant part of your mentorship team, you may describe that and name them in prompt #1 of the Statement of Purpose. However, admission to, and continuation in, the HCDE doctoral program requires support from HCDE faculty with endorsement to chair doctoral committees (graduate faculty finder), which are all professors in HCDE with the following titles; Professor, Associate Professor, and Assistant Professor. We use this to identify potential reviewers of your application and ensure we admit applicants to work with faculty who have the capacity to advise incoming students.
Our drop-down menus for selecting faculty might include faculty who are not recruiting. Please review the availability of HCDE faculty for taking on PhD students in the upcoming year here. Please pay careful attention to our website on who is currently recruiting. Applicants who don't name any RECRUITING faculty will have their application be DENIED. You must name at least one recruiting faculty member in your faculty rankings.
We use this to identify potential reviewers of your application and ensure we admit applicants to work with faculty who have the capacity to advise incoming students.
This "material" will be covered when you answer the "Application Questions" section of your application in our portal, where you'll be asked to select faculty and rank them based on your interest and write 2-3 sentences about your selection.
Statement of purpose
You will be asked to upload one document with two sections, each section addressing each prompt under its own heading.
Prompts (you will need to answer both in two distinct sections of a document):
- Briefly describe your intended area(s) of research and study. While your plan may not be completely formed at this time, be as specific as you can. Some points you might cover are domains, topics, or theoretical perspectives in which you want to work (e.g., healthcare, community activism, data science, misinformation, robotics) or what research contributions you want to make and how (e.g., analyzing sociotechnical systems, building systems, advancing methods). (Word limit: 250)
- Please prepare a statement concerning your academic goals and career objectives, including elaborating on your research interests. We will use this statement to identify your intellectual interests, your preparedness to do graduate level research, and to assess your communication ability. The statement should include: (a) why you are applying for a doctoral degree, (b) your area(s) of interest in the field of human centered design & engineering, (c) research questions you might be interested in pursuing, and (d) experience and skills you bring to the program. (Word limit: 1000)
Statement on approach to diversity, equity, and inclusion
Please explain what makes your work, background, personal experiences, and/or academic interests unique to human-centered design and engineering.
Alternatively, explain how your work, professional experiences, and/or academic interests will contribute to conditions that foster equity and inclusion in human-centered design and engineering.
You could share specific examples of class projects, work, leadership experiences, etc. and connect them to fostering community, expanding access to technology, tools, and resources, and working on interdisciplinary teams, etc.
This statement could include a discussion of economic and educational opportunities you have had or not had. It might also discuss how your doctoral education or proposed research might make a positive impact. Your application will be read by the HCDE application review committee, which is composed of HCDE faculty, PhD students, and staff members. You should not feel obligated to share information of a sensitive or private nature. This statement should complement, but not duplicate, the required statement of purpose.
(Word limit: 500)