In their first year, PhD students in Human Centered Design & Engineering (HCDE) will progress through a common set of experiences in terms of general coursework, a preliminary exam, and selection of an advisory committee chair. You must take the following sequence of courses unless you have already satisfactorily completed one or more these courses.

Course descriptions are available PhD Course Descriptions page.

Students who have already completed one or more of the courses specified here should work with their advisory committee chair (or Graduate Program Coordinator) to identify appropriate alternative credits for registration.

Year 2

In the second year of the program students will begin selecting elective courses. Elective courses provide an opportunity for focused specialization, and it is important that students work closely with their PhD advisory committee chair in selecting relevant courses. Students must include at least one course in each of the four thematic areas along with additional credits to complete the minimum 30 credits of elective coursework. 

More about electives »

PhD Course of Study Form

The Course of Study Form is a document which must be updated and signed by the student and faculty advisor each year as part of the annual review.