Human Centered Computing, PhD

Program Requirements

Human Centered Computing (HCC) is an emerging field focused on understanding how to design, build and evaluate computational technologies as they relate to the human condition, and how these technologies affect society. PhD students pursue interdisciplinary research in human-computer interaction, educational software, virtual environments, or development of systems that amplify human cognition, perception, and communication. Although formal course requirements for the PhD degree are minimal, a typical program requires two to four years of study beyond the MS degree. Each candidate is required to pass a comprehensive examination, a dissertation proposal and a defense of the dissertation.

Admission and Financial Aid

To receive full admission to graduate study in Human Centered Computing, a student must have completed an undergraduate degree and have taken computer programming courses through data structures. An applicant with minimal deficiencies may be admitted with prerequisites, while one with several deficiencies may be required to satisfactorily complete prerequisite work as a non-degree student prior to admission as a graduate student. Applicants must complete the online application and are required to submit transcripts, GRE general test results, a statement of purpose, and two letters of reference. Applicants are accepted for both fall and spring semesters. Assistantships are available for especially well qualified applicants.

Requirements for Awarding of a Degree are:

1. 60 credit hours beyond the Bachelors degree
2. A portfolio (a combined version of the PhD qualifying and comprehensive exams)
3. Competency in four topic areas, typically demonstrated by coursework: Computing, People, Research Methods and Design, Cognate Area
4. Ability to pursue research, typically demonstrated by producing a research publication, which may be coauthored with the student’s advisor
5. Proposing, completing and defending a dissertation.

Students are required to have a strong computing or computation core with training in areas that emphasize people or the human condition and research methods for studying people, technology, policy and/ or information. Each student is required to take a first course in the fundamentals of HCC for three hours. Students are required to take 12 hours in the computing or computer science track from 6000- or 8000-level computer science courses, six hours from a people or human condition track consisting of courses from psychology, human factors, policy, etc., and six hours of research methods. Students are required to take a series of at least nine hours in a cognate or specialty domain under the advisement of their dissertation research advisor with the approval of the HCC graduate program committee. Students are also required to take six hours of pre-dissertation (pre-portfolio) research, CPSC 8880 - Directed Projects in Computer Science . Students also take 18 hours of dissertation research (CPSC 9910 ).