The following degree requirements apply to HCDE master's students who entered the program before Autumn 2020. Master's students who entered the program before Autumn 2020 may choose to follow these requirements or the updated degree requirements.

To graduate, students in the HCDE Master's program must complete 48 credits of the following:

• Required Core Courses (22 credits)
• Elective Courses in Specialized Content Areas (12 credits min.)
• Additional HCDE Electives (14 credits min.) 

Required Core Courses

HCDE Master's students are required to complete all of the following courses (22 credits total).

• HCDE 501: Theoretical Foundations of HCDE (4)
• HCDE 503: Navigating Design in Organizational Contexts (4)
• HCDE 517: Usability Studies (4)
• HCDE 518: User-Centered Design (4)
• HCDE 521: Speaker Series (1) (1 credit required, students can apply one additional credit towards electives)
• HCDE 592: Capstone Planning (1 or 4*) Prerequisite: HCDE 501; HCDE 517; and HCDE 518; and either HCDE 516 or HCDE 519 (Winter only)
• HCDE 593: Capstone (4) Prerequisite: HCDE 592

Elective Courses in Specialized Content Areas

Students must take at least one 4-credit course in three specialized content areas: Research, Design, and Engineering. Students are encouraged to gain depth in any of the three areas by taking additional courses beyond the minimum required four credits per area.

Research (4 credits minimum)

• HCDE 502: Empirical Traditions (4)
• HCDE 516: Experimental Methods (4) HCDE 516 has a statistics prerequisite. While any college level statistics course can fulfill this prerequisite, EDPSY 490 Basic Educational Statistics (offered every quarter) can count toward the 14 credits of electives in the MS degree. (MS students must complete HCDE 516 or 519 before HCDE 592 Capstone Planning)
• HCDE 519: Qualitative Research Methods (4) (MS students must complete HCDE 516 or 519 before HCDE 592 Capstone Planning)
• HCDE 598: Special Topics (4)  (Psych of UX)

Design (4 credits minimum)

• HCDE 508: Visual Communication (4)
• HCDE 511: Information Visualization (4)
• HCDE 520: Design and Management of Complex Systems (4)
• HCDE 536: Interaction Design & Prototyping (4)
• HCDE 537: User-Centered Web Design (4)
• HCDE 538: Designing for Behavior Change (4)
• HCDE 598: Special Topics (4) (Accessibility and Inclusive Design)

Engineering (4 credits minimum)

• HCDE 511: Information Visualization (4)
• HCDE 530: Computational Concepts in HCDE (4)
• HCDE 539: Physical Computing and Prototyping (4)
• HCDE 598: Special Topics (4) (Digital Fabrication, Internet of Things)

Elective Courses

Students should select electives based on their specific academic and professional goals. 

• HCDE 502: Empirical Traditions (4)
• HCDE 508: Visual Communication (4)
• HCDE 511: Information Visualization (4)
• HCDE 512: International User Experiences and Communication (4)
• HCDE 516: Experimental Methods (4) HCDE 516 has a statistics prerequisite. While any college level statistics course can fulfill this prerequisite, EDPSY 490 Basic Educational Statistics (offered every quarter) can count toward the 14 credits of electives in the MS degree.
• HCDE 519: Qualitative Research Methods (4)
• HCDE 520: Design and Management of Complex Systems (4)
• HCDE 521: Speaker Series (1) Core requirement Winter only (2 credit max toward degree)
• HCDE 523: DUB Seminar (1) (2 credit max toward degree) See dub calendar for locations and timing of weekly talks
• HCDE 530: Computational Concepts in HCDE (4)
• HCDE 532: Web Design Studio (2) Optional skills prep course for HCDE 537
• HCDE 534: Designing a Human Centered Venture (4)
• HCDE 536: Interaction Design & Prototyping (4)
• HCDE 537: User-Centered Web Design (4)
• HCDE 539: Physical Computing and Prototyping (4)
• HCDE 596: Directed Research Groups (Students can apply 6 credits of 596 +599 combined to their degree)
• HCDE 598: Special Topics (1–5, max. 15) Prerequisite: permission of instructor
• HCDE 599: Special Projects (Students can apply 6 credits of 596 + 599 combined to their degree)
• ENGR/HCDE 601: Internship (max. 5 credits toward degree)