Madeira Program

Madeira Program

Overview | Curriculum | Madeira Program | Capstone Project | Open House | Plan a Visit | Application | Contact Info

The Human Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) at Carnegie Mellon University and the Mathematics and Engineering Department at the University of Madeira now offer a professional Master's degree in Human-Computer Interaction. The program now offers a double degree with the University of Madeira under the CMU/Portugal agreement and the Information and Communication Technologies Institute (ICTI).

Students who enroll in the MHCI program through ICTI take courses at Carnegie Mellon’s HCII and at the University of Madeira’s Mathematics and Engineering department and complete a master’s degree in Human-Computer Interaction over a 16-month period. During this time, students complete ten traditional semester-long courses and a team-oriented, real-world studio project spread out between one semester at Carnegie Mellon and two in Portugal. By taking a large variety of course, students obtain a broad background in computer science, human behavior, design as well as evaluation and assessment. Additionally, students may elect to take more advanced courses to deepen their knowledge in a more specific area.

Why study HCI? The Human-Computer Interaction masters program prepares students to participate in the design and implementation of software systems that can be used easily, effectively and enjoyably. With a masters in HCI, students are prepared to contribute to the multi-disciplinary teams that typically construct software systems. Students learn techniques for building successful user interfaces, design principles that make user interfaces visually clear and appealing, apply techniques for identifying needs for software and its success, and gain knowledge about the people and organizations that will use their systems.

Because human-computer interaction studies humans and machines in conjunction with one another, the HCI program draws its supporting knowledge from both fields. Combining techniques in computer graphics, operating systems, programming languages and development environments with communication theory, graphic and industrial design, linguistics, social sciences, cognitive psychology and human performance, technology and the humanities complement one another as they redefine both of their respective disciplines in a new partnership.

Students admitted to the HCI program are required to have a strong undergraduate degree or comparable work experience in computer science, a behavioral science (psychology, sociology, anthropology, or organizational behavior), or visual or information design. Students are expected to have had at least one course in statistics, design, and programming prior to entry into the program.

Students successfully admitted to the MHCI program through ICTI may be eligible for scholarships. View Madeira’s website for more information.

To apply, click to Madeira’s application website.