Courses
HCI Master’s degree requirements vary by pathway:
- Thesis Pathway: 5.0 total credits, including 2.5 thesis credits and 2.5 coursework credits.
- Research Project Pathway: 4.0 total credits, including 1.0 graduate research project credits and 3.0 coursework credits.
- Coursework Pathway: 4.0 coursework credits.
Students in the thesis or research project pathway should make all course selections in consultation with their supervisor.
The HCI Master’s degree also offers a Collaborative Specialization in Accessibility in the thesis pathway only.
Specific program requirements, including required courses, are outlined in the Graduate Calendar.
Required courses for all HCI students:
HCIN 5100/PSYC 5105 (0.5 credit): Fundamentals of HCI Design and Evaluation
Strategies and practices in HCI design and evaluation. Students will learn to perform studies in user interface analysis and design, read research literature critically, distill important points from readings, summarize, write papers, design user interfaces and present their work. Precludes additional credit for PSYC 5105 (no longer offered).
HCIN 5200 (0.5 credit): Software and User Interface Development
Design and development of user interfaces for software systems based on principles for supporting user interaction, with emphasis on frameworks, tools, and processes for user interface development.
HCIN 5300/ITEC 5204 (0.5 credit): Emerging Interaction Techniques*
Advanced interaction styles and their associated technologies. Topics may include handheld and gestural interactions, ubiquitous computing, deformable user interfaces, physiological computing, and tangible user interfaces.
*HCIN 5300/ITEC 5204 is no longer a required course for students admitted after the 2026 Winter term. Students admitted as of Fall 2026 should replace this course with an approved HCI elective instead.
0.5 credit from the following:
HCIN 5400/CGSC 5101: Experimental Methods and Statistics (0.5 credit)
An introduction to the design of experiments and the statistics needed to interpret data. Also listed as CGSC 5101.
HCIN 5403: Research Methods in HCI (0.5 credit)
An introduction to quantitative and qualitative research methods in HCI. Students will acquire skills in collecting and analyzing HCI data, presenting the findings and specifying practical implications. Precludes additional credit for PSYC 5106 (no longer offered). Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as COMP 4008, for which additional credit is precluded.
HCIN 5404/IDES 5102: Design Research Methods (0.5 credit)
Critical review of qualitative and quantitative research methods to support interdisciplinary design. Methods used by collaborators from the sciences and humanities as well as methods designers bring to interdisciplinary collaborations are introduced. Research for design, research through design and theoretical frameworks are discussed. Includes: Experiential Learning Activity. Also listed as IDES 5102.
HCIN 5407/ITEC 5209: Empirical Research Methods in HCI (0.5 credit)
Advanced quantitative methods and conducting controlled user studies, statistically analyzing and reporting results in a research paper. Topics include the history of empirical HCI, experiment design, hypothesis testing, interaction models, and scientific writing. Students complete a term-long research project. Includes: Experiential Learning Activity. Also listed as ITEC 5209. Also offered at the undergraduate level, with different requirements, as ITEC 4021, for which additional credit is precluded.
HCIN 5909: Thesis (2.5 credits)
Thesis in Human-Computer Interaction. Thesis objectives and sample theses can be found on the HCI Current Students webpage. Assessment will be conducted through a formal thesis defence, to be organized by the thesis supervisor.
HCIN 5903: Graduate Research Project (1.0 credits)
A graduate-level project in HCI under the supervision of a faculty member (1.0 credits). Project topics must be made in consultation with the project supervisor, with a final grade assigned by the project supervisor upon completion of the project.
Electives:
Students in the coursework pathway must select their electives according to the HCI Approved Electives List below.
Students in the thesis or graduate research project pathway must select their electives in consultation with their supervisor, and may take any graduate course approved by their supervisor.
Students in the Collaborative Specialization in Accessibility thesis pathway are not required to take any electives. Instead of electives, they must take 1.0 credits in:
- ACCS 5001 (0.5 credit) – Critical Disability Studies
- ACCS 5002 (0.5 credit) – Accessibility and Inclusive Design Seminar
Registration notice:
Registration requirements vary by course and department. Depending on the course, registration may be permitted at the discretion of the department, require instructor permission, and/or require submission of a Carleton Registration Override Request. If you encounter a registration error, contact the department offering the course and submit a registration override request.
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Fall 2026
- ACCS 5001 – Critical Disability Studies (HCI students in the Accessibility Specialization must take this course)
- COMP 5900 – Games for Social Good
- DATA 5002 – Data Science, Ethics, & Society
- HCIN 5400 – Experimental Methods & Statistics
- HCIN 5404 – Design Research Methods
- ITEC 5920 – Special Topics in Digital Media: User Experience Design & Accessibility
- SOCI 5107 – Advanced Qualitative Research Methods
- SYSC 5009 – Human-centric Security
Winter 2027
- ACCS 5002 – Accessibility and Inclusive Design Seminar (HCI students in the Accessibility Specialization must take this course)
- HCIN 5300 – Emerging Interaction Techniques
- HCIN 5501 – Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces
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The list below includes graduate-level courses that previous HCI students have taken as electives or that have been recommended by HCI faculty.
Students may choose any graduate-level course, including those on the HCI Approved Electives list, in consultation with their thesis or graduate research project supervisor.
- CGSC 5001 – Cognition and Artificial Cognitive Systems
- CGSC 5003 – Cognition and Language
- CGSC 5004 – Cognition and Conceptual Issues
- CGSC 5907 – Independent Research
- COMP 5110 – Computer Security and Usability
- COMP 5209 – Visual Analytics
- COMP 5210 – Human Computer Interaction Models, Theories, and Frameworks
- COMP 5900 – Eye Tracking in Human-Computer Interaction
- COMP 5900 – Games for Social Good
Communication and Media Studies
- COMS 5224 – Internet, Infrastructure, and Materialities
- COMS 5225 – Critical Data Studies
- DIGH 5000 – Issues in Digital Humanities
- DIGH 5902 – Special Topics in Digital Humanities
- GEOG 5003 – Critical Approaches to Qualitative Inquiry
- GEOG 5400 – Territory and Territoriality
- GEOG 5804 – Geographic Information Systems
- HCIN 5501 – Virtual Reality and 3D User Interfaces
- HCIN 5900 – Directed Studies
- IDES 5102 – Design Research Methods
- IDES 5103 – Interdisciplinary Design Development Studio
- IDES 5104 – Accessibility and Inclusive Design
- IDES 5500 – Special Topics in Industrial Design
- ITEC 5010 – Applied Programming I
- ITEC 5200 – Entertainment Technologies
- ITEC 5203 – Game Design and Development Technologies
- ITEC 5209 – Empirical Research Methods in HCI
- ITEC 5207 – Data Interaction Techniques
- ITEC 5920 – Special Topics in Digital Media
- MUSI 5008 – Technologies of Music
- MUSI 5900 – Directed Readings and Research
- PSYC 5011 – Social Psychology I
- PSYC 5414 – Structural Equation Modeling
- PSYC 5500 – Developmental Psychology Methodology
- PSYC 6104 – Seminar in University Teaching
Systems and Computer Engineering
- SYSC 5009 – Human-centric Security
- SYSC 5807/BIOM 5403* – Advanced Data Visualization (*now SYSC 5106/BIOM 5409)