Masters Program Application

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All applicants must have a baccalaureate degree in a related field, with a strong record of academic achievement, from an accredited educational institution and be highly recommended by three references. Applicants must submit a photocopy of the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores along with the completed application (the subject test is not required). Applicants must also request that ETS send an official score report to us at institution code 2074, department code 0402. If your native language is not English, you must submit scores for the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL). You must also request that ETS send an official score report to us at institution code 4256, department code 78. The application deadline for our next academic year is January 31.

Application Online application is now available.

How to Apply

Please apply online. The Master of Human-Computer Interaction program must receive a submitted application and a $75 application fee no later than January 31. Admission decisions will be emailed in March. Your response is due to us by April 30. The first day of classes is the last Monday before Labor Day and a mandatory program orientation is held during the week before classes begin. All application materials are on our online application site. Remember that the application deadline is January 31.

Tuition

Tuition is determined by the Carnegie Mellon Board of Trustees. Please visit the Carnegie Mellon Hub Website and refer to the per semester tuition rates and fees for graduate degree students in the School of Computer Science (SCS). Full-time study is defined as taking at least 36 units or four courses per semester. Most courses are 9 or 12 units. Part-time tuition is charged at a per unit basis.

Financial Information

The Master of Human-Computer Interaction Program does not provide students with financial support. An excellent source for general information on financial aid can be found at FinAid. The Carnegie Mellon Financial Aid Office and the Carnegie Mellon Fellowship Resource Advising Center are also available for assistance and advice on obtaining loans and/or fellowships. Many students have been able to obtain funding or financial assistance from their current employers. Employees of Carnegie Mellon University often receive tuition benefits as part of the benefit package. For current Research Assistant positions and other employment opportunities on campus, please see the Human Resources Staff Job Postings. A small number of Teaching Assistant positions occasionally becomes available for enrolled students who have a computer science background. Please note: if you are employed while enrolled in the Masters program, the length of your program will be most likely extend beyond three (3) semesters. If you plan to be employed while enrolled in the program, please be sure to complete the "Employment Information" section on your application.

Related Programs

Because the HCII is a multidisciplinary institute, students can specialize in HCI and work on HCII research projects from a number of related programs on campus. Some of the related programs are listed here; to find out more about these programs, call the department or see their web pages. Professional Programs Master of Software Engineering, School of Computer Science Master of Design in Interaction Design, College of Fine Arts

Environment

The environment in which you work and live is important. We have excellent computing facilities for our students and researchers, as well as all the resources of Carnegie Mellon University, including a brand-new student center, complete with restaurants, coffee houses, pool, gymnasium, racquetball, and exercise equipment. We are located in Pittsburgh, a city that provides a multitude of cultural and social activities.

Carnegie Mellon University

Carnegie Mellon is a privately supported university dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in the creation and dissemination of knowledge, in artistic endeavor, and in research. It was founded by Andrew Carnegie in 1900 as the Carnegie Institute of Technology. In 1967, the school merged with Mellon Institute (now the Carnegie Mellon Research Institute) to form Carnegie Mellon University. With this merger, one of the leading research and education institutions in the country was established. Approximately 4500 undergraduate and 2500 graduate students are enrolled at Carnegie Mellon. The university's excellent programs attract a diverse group of people, but they all have one thing in common – they are serious and dedicated students. To learn more about the university, see the main CMU web site.

Pittsburgh

Dynamic, upscale, and progressive, the city blends the cosmopolitan qualities of an east coast city with the charm and friendliness of a midwestern town. Similarly, Pittsburgh's topography places glass and steel skyscrapers against a backdrop of greenery that blankets the surrounding hillsides. Pittsburgh is known as a city of neighborhoods, with its numerous ethnic communities that have their own distinct characteristics and backgrounds. Pittsburgh's cultural calendar includes performances by the Pittsburgh Symphony, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Civic Light Opera, and various repertory companies and chamber groups; a number of jazz clubs cater to the various jazz sounds. The city is home to the River City Brass Band, the country's only professional all-brass band, and to the American Wind Symphony, which performs on a barge moored at Point State Park. Pittsburgh also hosts the International Poetry Forum, an Irish festival, a folk music festival, and the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Other attractions include the Carnegie Science Center and Planetarium, Allegheny Observatory, and the Pittsburgh Aviary, which houses more than 7000 birds. The East End is home to the Pittsburgh Zoo, which has recently been transformed into a natural habitat. Sports provide a vital, exciting alternative in entertainment. Pittsburgh is home to some of the best major league teams like the Steelers, Pirates, and Penguins and new football and baseball stadiums. Carnegie Mellon is located in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. Ten minutes east of the downtown business district, Oakland is the cultural and educational center of the city. The Oakland area is also home to the University of Pittsburgh, the internationally recognized University Health Center, and The Carnegie, a complex that features the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Art, the Carnegie Public Library, and the Carnegie Music Hall. The Carnegie Mellon campus is bordered by Schenley Park, which has a conservatory, golf course, tennis courts, outdoor swimming pool, ice skating rink, and jogging and cross-country ski trails on 500 acres. Also bordering the campus are the residential neighborhoods of Squirrel Hill and Shadyside, with shops, movie theaters, restaurants, and housing for a variety of lifestyles. Although still within the city limits, the tree-lined streets, low cost of living, and low crime rate make these neighborhoods unique urban environments. Public transportation is accessible, inexpensive, and convenient.

To learn more about Pittsburgh, visit these sites:

http://www.visitpittsburgh.com

http://www.pittsburgh.net

http://trfn.clpgh.org

http://www.city.pittsburgh.pa.us

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pittsburgh

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to submit GRE scores?

Do I have to take the GRE Subject test?

How high do my GRE scores need to be?

Do I have to take the TOEFL?

What is the minimum TOEFL requirement?

My undergraduate degree is from a foreign institution. However, I have received a Masters degree from an institution in the US. Do I still need to submit a TOEFL score?

What are the GRE and TOEFL institution and department codes?

Should I send you a copy of my GRE and TOEFL score reports?

What if I have taken the GMAT?

What are my chances of getting in?

I don't have a strong programming background. May I still apply?

Will I have to take a lot of programming courses?

Should I visit before I apply (and will that help my chances of being admitted)?

May I apply for admission starting in the spring instead of the fall?

If I am accepted, may I defer my enrollment?

May I work on my Masters in HCI part time?

Is financial aid available?

Where can I find information on graduate student scholarships and financial aid?

I just finished my undergraduate work. Should I apply for the Masters of HCI program first as preparation for my Ph.D. work?

If I am not accepted for the HCII Ph.D. program will I be automatically considered for admission to the Masters of HCI program instead?

May I apply to both the Masters and Ph.D program?

How many students are currently in the program?

What kind of jobs can I get with an MHCI degree and who employs HCI graduates?

Does the department provide Career Counseling or job placement?

I don't have all the pre-requisites. May I still apply and be considered for admittance?

I have been out of school for some time. May I submit reference letters from my employment experience instead of from instructors?

Do my chances of getting admitted increase if I submit my application early?

Do I have to submit GRE scores? Everyone who applies MUST have taken the GRE General Test. If necessary, unofficial scores can be accepted at the time of application, but the official score record must be supplied prior to final admission.

Do I have to take the GRE Subject test? Applicants to the MHCI program are not required to take any GRE Subject tests.

How high do my GRE scores need to be? There is no minimum GRE required, as each group of students varies year to year.  With ETS's inception of the new Analytical Writing Test, the practice of simply adding the GRE scores as a means of assessment may no longer be viable. to

Do I have to take the TOEFL? The TOEFL is required of all students whose native language is NOT English. It does not matter whether you have earned your undergraduate degree in the United States or in your native land. Your application will be considered without the TOEFL test. Preference will be given to students who submit Internet Based Test scores (iBT).

What is the minimum TOEFL requirement? For the iBT, minimum score required is 90; with a required minimum score of 24 on the speaking and reading subsections. For the CBT, a minimum score of 250 is required. For the PBT, a minimum score of 600 is required.

My undergraduate degree is from a foreign institution. However, I have received a Masters degree from an institution in the US. Do I still need to submit a TOEFL score? Yes, the TOEFL is still required. However, you may either mail or fax a copy of your previous score report, if it is less than two years old. You may also upload an unofficial copy of your score report in your online application.

What are the GRE and TOEFL institution and department codes? GRE: Institution code, 2074; Department code, 0402. TOEFL: Institution code, 4256; Department code, 78

Should I send you a copy of my GRE and TOEFL score reports? You MUST request an official copy of test scores from ETS. However, if you did not used the correct institution and department codes, we advise you to either email, mail or fax (412 268-9433) a copy of your GRE and TOEFL score reports. You may also upload unofficical copies of your test score reports in your online application.

What if I have taken the GMAT? The MHCI does not accept the GMAT at this time.

What are my chances of getting in?  Of the Fall 2009 applicant pool, we admitted approximately 33% of the students; some years have been higher.

The HCII is in the School of Computer Science. However, I do not have a strong programming background. May I still apply? Yes!  We encourage you to apply without having a strong programming background.  We welcome students from many disciplines outside of CS (e.g., Design, Psychology, etc.) and these disciplines do not necessarily include programming courses. However, students are expected to demonstrate a proficiency in programming that is normally met through an introductory course in C, C++, Pascal or JAVA. Your programming proficiency will be evaluated during the prerequisite review process and you may be required to take an additional programming course before you can continue in the program.

Will I have to take a lot of programming courses? Once you have met the programming place-out, you will be expected to take either Programming Usable Interfaces or Software Architectures for User Interfaces as part of your degree requirements.

Should I visit before I apply (and will that help my chances of being admitted)? Visiting the department before you apply does not improve one's chances of admission. The Institute receives numerous requests every year from prospective applicants for tours and visits of the department. While we certainly do not discourage prospective students from visiting the campus, we do not have the department resources to arrange individualized agendas and tours to accommodate such requests nor do we offer pre-admission assessments or interviews. Students who have been admitted will be invited to visit during the Spring Open House where the opportunity to meet with faculty and current students will be provided.

May I apply for admission starting in the spring instead of the fall? No, we only process admissions once a year. Applications are due January 31 for admission in the fall term of the same year.

If I am accepted, may I defer my enrollment? Yes, you may defer your enrollment for one year, but you must inform the department in writing of your request.

May I work on my Masters in HCI part time? Yes. Many students choose to work full-time while completing their program as part-time student. However, the HCII Project II course must be taken in the summer session after HCII Project I and students must be enrolled full-time during that time.

Is financial aid available? The HCII does not provide financial aid but there are often fellowships and grants available to graduate students. It is up to the student to pursue these options on their own. Financial assistance is available in the form of tuition remission to employees of the University as a staff benefit. Students are eligible to apply for staff positions (for which they are qualified) such as Teaching Assistants (TA) or Research Assistants (RA) or any other type of staff position in the HCII or elsewhere in the university.

Where can I find information on graduate student scholarships and financial aid? An excellent source for general information on financial aid can be found at FinAid. The Carnegie Mellon Fellowships and Scholarships Office is also available for assistance. The HUB at Carnegie Mellon has more general information on graduate student financial assistance.

Many students have been able to obtain funding or financial assistance from their current employers. Employees of Carnegie Mellon University often receive tuition benefits as part of the benefit package. For current Research Assistant positions and other employment opportunities on campus, please see the Human Resources Staff Job Postings. A small number of Teaching Assistant positions occasionally becomes available for enrolled students who have a computer science background.

Please note: if you are employed while enrolled in the Masters program, the length of your program will be most likely extend beyond three (3) semesters.  If you plan to be employed while enrolled in the program, please be sure to complete the "Employment Information" section on your application.

I just finished my undergraduate work. Should I apply for the Masters of HCI program first as preparation for my Ph.D. work? The MHCI program is not intended to serve as preparation for our Ph.D. program. The MHCI program is intended to teach the skills necessary for professional practice in various HCI related careers. The Ph.D. program on the other hand is designed to prepare you to be an HCI researcher. If you intend to apply to both programs, then you must submit two separate applications.

If I am not accepted for the HCII Ph.D. program will I be automatically considered for admission to the Masters of HCI program instead? No. Because of the different educational goals of each program, their admissions processes are separate and applications are not shared between the two programs. As noted in the previous question, the two programs are designed to address different goals.

May I apply to both the Masters and Ph.D program? Yes, you may apply to both programs, but students usually prefer one to the other. The programs have been designed to address different goals, as stated above.

How many students are currently in the program? Fall 2009 matriculation numbers:  42 Pittsburgh Program and 14 Portugal Program.

What kind of jobs can I get with an MHCI degree and who employs HCI graduates? Some of our graduates have successfully obtained careers as Usability Specialists, Interface Specialists, User Interface Designers, Research Programmers, Project Directors and Usability Engineers for companies such as Ebay, Google, IBM, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia, Sandia, TiVo, and many other companies.

Does the department provide Career Counseling or job placement? We do not provide job placement. However, students are encouraged to keep their resumes and/or websites current and are provided with two opportunities to meet with prospective employers: 1) The Annual Technological Opportunity Conference, 2) The Computer-Human Interaction Conference (CHI). Additionally, the Career Center is available for counseling services and any employment announcements we receive from outside sources are posted frequently.

I don't have all the place-out courses. May I still apply and be considered for admittance? Yes, students may be admitted to the program before satisfying one or more place-outs. Place-out courses may be completed at Carnegie Mellon after matriculation, but doing so may extend the length of the program.

I have been out of school for some time. May I submit reference letters from my employers instead of from instructors? Yes, you may send us letters from your employers.

Do my chances of getting admitted increase if I submit my application early? No, all applications are reviewed as a group once the application deadline has passed. Submitting early does not increase your chances of admittance.

Additional questions? Please email hciimasters [at] cs [dot] cmu [dot] edu.