Curriculum – Master of Science in Human-Computer Interaction (HCIM)

Our core curriculum provides students with a grounding in the fundamental concepts and approaches of human-computer interaction, introducing key tools and methodologies in the field.

This sequence of courses is intended to familiarize students with HCI theory and provide hands-on opportunities to put that theory into practice. The HCIM curriculum includes four required courses: three core courses–INST 630, INST 631, INST 711–as well as a research methods course. All HCIM students are required to take the core courses described below. Please see a sample of courses sequence for full-time students; part-time students will have the same required courses but take fewer courses at a time.

Fall of Year 1 (three required 3-credit courses)

• INST630: Programming Human-Centered Interfaces
• INST 631: Introduction to HCI Fundamentals
• A research methods course: either INST 710: User Experience Research Methods (highly recommended for students who are interested in doing the capstone and pursuing an industry career) or INST 798: Seminar in Research Methods and Data Analysis (appropriate for students primarily interested in doing a master’s thesis and eventually pursuing a doctorate)

Spring of Year 1 (one required 3-credit course + two electives)

• INST 711: Interaction Design Studio
• Elective
  
• Elective

Internships

Most HCIM students seek a summer internship beginning in the Fall of their first year in the program. In this case, students are pursuing an internship relevant to their extant and new skills. Alternative summer plans include:

• Working in a research lab on campus.
• Doing personal projects.
• Prepping for your capstone/thesis year.

While internships are highly prized and a tremendous professional accomplishment, they are not required for graduation from our program, and you will not receive college or course credit for one.

All students must complete either a thesis or a capstone project.

Fall of Year 2: (one required 3-credit course + one elective)

• INST 775: Capstone OR INST 799* Thesis
• Elective

Spring of Year 2: (one required 3-credit course + one elective)

• INST 776: Capstone OR INST 799* Thesis
• Elective

Capstone

The two-semester Capstone option (INST 775 in Fall Year 2 and INST 776 in Spring Year 2) involves working in assigned groups to interact with clients, conduct user research, and prototype designs for real-world contexts. It is especially suited for students who anticipate working in the industry and want to gain practical experience in the roles of project management, user research, UX design, and front-end development.

Thesis

The two-semester thesis option (INST 799 in both Fall and Spring of Year 2) consists of a more self-directed, research-focused experience and culminates in the defense of a 70- to 100-page thesis. This option is ideal for students who plan to pursue a PhD or research-intensive career. If you are interested in this option, it’s a great idea to get to know HCI faculty and their research specialties in Year 1, since you’ll want to identify and ask a faculty member to supervise your thesis research at the end of the second semester for the following year. Information about the Graduate School’s requirements regarding master’s theses is available here.

More information about thesis and capstone options is available in the HCIM student handbook.

* Note for international students: The HCIM master’s program requires all students to complete 30 credits. International students must also satisfy their student visa requirements to maintain full-time status (48 units/semester), except during their final semester when they may drop to part-time. This generally means that international students end up taking one additional elective in the spring of their first year and another additional elective in the fall of their second year.

In addition to the core courses above, you will take a minimum of 12 credits of electives.

International students generally end up taking up to 18 credits of electives due to visa requirements for full-time students. Electives include advanced usability testing, data analytics, visual analytics, health informatics, or social computing. We occasionally offer one-credit electives. We advise you to take three 1-credit elective courses per semester.  Electives offer students the opportunity to gain in-depth knowledge in more specialized areas of human-computer interaction.

See below for some of the electives that our students have taken:

Strongly Recommended Electives for HCIM Students

• INST702 – Advanced Usability Testing
• INST703 – Visual Design Studio

Additional HCIM-related Electives

• INST 608 – Special Topics in Information Studies (these are highly variable, depending on instructor availability)
  • INST 608E – Designing for Impact: Community-Centered Projects
  • INST 608N – Becoming a Social Media InfluencerINST 608P – Trauma-Informed Information Professionals
  • INST 608Q – Consumer Health Informatics
  • INST 608S – Conspiracy Theories
  • INST 608T – Knowledge infrastructures
• INST 620 – Diverse Populations, Inclusion, and Information
• INST 622 – Information and Universal Usability
• INST 639 (1 credit) – Practical Skills in HCI (these are highly variable, depending on instructor availability)
  • INST 639G – UX Strategy
  • INST 639N – Accessibility Evaluation Workshop
  • INST 639M – Mastering the Master’s Thesis
  • INST 639P – Augmented Reality Design
• INST 650 – Facilitating Youth Learning in Formal and Informal Environments
• INST 651 – Promoting Rich Learning with Technology
• INST 652 – Design Thinking and Youth
• INST 670 (1 credit) – Introduction to JavaScript Programming
• INST 671 (1 credit) – Introduction to Web Programming
• INST 673 (1 credit) – Hands-on Machine Learning with Weka
• INST 682 – Personal Health Informatics & Visualization
• INST 700 – Information Architecture
• INST 704 – Inclusive Design in HCI
• INST 705 – Game Design
• INST 713 – Futures of Work
• INST 725 – Legal Research for Information Professionals
• INST 728 – Special Topics in INFO
  • INST 728A – Digital Accessibility Law and Management
  • INST 728C – Advanced Visual Design for Interfaces
  • INST 728F – Generative AI in UX: Transforming UX Practice
  • INST 728M – Special Topics in INFO; UX Business Basics
  • INST 728X – Designing Technology with Older People
• INST 730 – Games as Emergent Experiences
• INST 733 – Database Design
• INST 756 – Information Risk Management
• INST 760 – Data Visualization
• INST 762 – Visual Analytics
• INST 764 – Data Literacy for Arts and Entertainment Management
• INST878D – Special Topics in Information Studies; Governing Algorithms & Algorithmic Governance
• INST878W – Special Topics in Information Studies; Access, Accessibility, and Equity
• INST878Y – Special Topics in Information Studies: Race & Data

Electives Outside of the INFO College

Students are required to take a minimum of 24 credits within the INFO College, and may also request to take up to 6 credits of HCIM-relevant courses outside the INFO College. On occasion, our HCIM students have searched Testudo and found relevant offerings that are open to them within other departments and colleges, including Art, Computer Science, Education, and Journalism. Please pay special attention to any listed prerequisites or restrictions.

If you are considering a course relevant to your degree but outside of the INFO College, please fill out an approval form for taking courses outside of the INFO College. If approval is granted, you are responsible for getting approval from the instructor and host department and following any other registration requirements. The HCIM program has a list of approved outside-of-INFO Collegeelective courses (please check the current HCIM Handbook) that you can take. Please submit an approval form for taking courses outside of the INFO College for any course outside of the INFO College, including courses approved by the HCIM program.

There are also circumstances under which students may seek out courses unavailable at UMD, but available at other institutions. See the UMD Graduate Catalog for details about how students may initiate this and what the steps are to secure approvals. Search for Inter-Institutional Registration, University System of Maryland or The Washington Consortium Arrangement.

The HCIM program is designed to allow students to tailor their course of study to their own needs as much as possible. However, there are some constraints in terms of course sequencing of which students should be mindful:

• INST 631 is currently offered once during each academic year in the Fall semester.
• The core curriculum (INST 630, 631, 710, 711) must be completed before students begin their capstone or thesis work.
• Students who waive a course must replace that course with an equivalent 3-credit course.
• The typical course load for our students is 2-3 courses per semester. More information about what is considered full-time status is available here.
• Students are required to take 24 credits within the INFO College, but may request to take additional courses outside the INFO College.