The Human-Computer Masters programs offered here at SUNY Oswego integrate service and design thinking into a rigorous, cross-disciplinary human-computer interaction curriculum that prepares our students to design and guide the future of human and technology interactions.
Our programs provide students with the practical skills and theoretical understanding they need to develop successful careers related to human-computer interaction, user experience design, and user-centered research.
We offer both a research/project based HCI masters program and a more business oriented Professional Science Masters (PSM) track aimed at providing a more managerial (MBA) focussed experience.
MA HCI (Research/Project Track) : This is the flagship Human-Computer Interaction program offered at SUNY Oswego. This degree teaches core HCI principles while also having the flexibility to be configured to each individual student’s interests and requirements.
MA (HCI) (PSM Track) : The Professional Science Masters (PSM) track of the HCI degree allows students to pursue advanced training and excel in their chosen field, while simultaneously developing highly-valued business skills.
Almost all of our graduate students take our research/project track, only one or two students each year take the Professional Science Masters (PSM) program. Usually, students who already have jobs in the HCI field are the ones who take the PSM program. If you plan to be looking for a job in this field after graduation then you should be on the research/project track.
Core Courses:
• HCI 500 – Introduction to HCI • HCI 510 – HCI methods • HCI 520 – Graphical User Interfaces or 525 Hypermedia/Multimedia Authoring) • HCI 521 - Software Design • HCI 530 – Graduate Seminar
Students must also complete two masters level research projects (HCI 550 and HCI 551) and take four HCI related electives of their choosing.
• HCI 500 – Introduction to HCI • HCI 510 – HCI methods • HCI 520 – Graphical User Interfaces or 525 Hypermedia/Multimedia Authoring) • HCI 521 - Software Design • MBA 517 – Organization and Management
Students must also select two elective courses from the MBA program and three elective courses of their choosing. The PSM track also includes a mandatory internship.
The on-campus and online program structures are identical
We also offer a number of Graduate (Advanced) Certificates, which can be taken concurrently while studying for a HCI masters degree. Graduate certificates are the grad school equivalent of a minor, usually only requiring that students take 5 or six classes. By careful selection of electives it is often possible to graduate simultaneously with both a Masters Degree and a Graduate Certificate without needing to take any extra classes.
The links below provide more information on the currently available graduate certificates :
The Integrated Health Systems and Health Information Technology graduate certificates are offered by the Department of Computer Science and attached to our Masters program in Biomedical and Health Informatics. The Integrated Media graduate certificate is offered in the Department of Communication and attached to the Strategic Communications masters program.
Every student is assigned an academic advisor; ensure you talk to them about which classes to take in upcoming semestersDo not rely on any other information. Courses are always subject to change.