Applying to the Additional Major in Interdisciplinary HCI

Admissions and Acceptance Information

Applications for the Additional Major in Interdisciplinary HCI are processed once a year in the spring.

Information Session

An information session for prospective students interested in applying to the undergraduate HCI programs is held in advance of the application window. The Spring 2021 Undergraduate Information Session was held Monday, March 1, 2021 at 5pm EST.  Here is the handout (pdf) from the Spring 2020 session.

Application Window

Spring 2021 applications for the Additional Major in Interdisciplinary HCI will be accepted between March 10 and 24, 2021. During this time period, you will be able to submit your application to our program manager. 

Acceptance Process

Admissions decisions are made by a committee and will be announced before the fall registration week in April. Once decisions are announced, we will hold another information session to help our newly admitted students with their fall registration. The Spring 2021 Fall Registration Info Session will be announced in the coming weeks.

Decisions are based on QPA, mid-semester QPA, the number of slots available, the statement of purpose, the feasibility of completing the major, the proposed schedule, and the discretion of the committee.

Admissions Statistics

Enrollment in the HCII's undergraduate Additional Major in Interdisciplinary HCI is currently limited to approximately 35 students in each graduating class due to space limitations in the major’s required courses. Admissions statistics depend on the applicant pool of that year. Since HCI work involves multi-disciplinary teams that include designers, implementers, evaluators, and those with content expertise, each graduating year will be balanced in background and expertise. 

Students in any graduating class can apply to the major. Most admissions come from students who apply in their sophomore year, but juniors can be admitted if they are able to complete all remaining requirements for the major in the semesters they have before graduation.

Note to first-year students: We admit a small number of freshmen each year, provided they have strong grades and a good statement of purpose. We limit freshman admittance because we only have one semester of data about them and they can easily fulfill the major if they are admitted in their sophomore year. This way, we retain slots for students who have not decided to apply for the major in HCI until their sophomore year. If you apply as a freshman but do not get in, please reapply as a sophomore.

If you have any questions, please contact  hciibachelors [at] cs.cmu.edu

Application Details

Students must apply during the spring application window mentioned above, and during that time we will provide a link at the bottom of this page where students can submit their applications. 

For those interested in applying, please submit the following materials in a single PDF document. (This PDF will be sent to the HCII Academic Programs Manager (hciibachelors [at] cs.cmu.edu) and you will receive email confirmation of your submission.)

Application Materials

1. Cover page:  Please include full name (can include preferred name), Andrew ID, home college, graduate year, and list of all declared majors and minors 
    
2. Statement of Purpose: (Maximum 1 page, single spaced) In your Statement of Purpose, articulate why you want to pursue the HCI major. What is it about the major that attracts you and why? Communicate your vision for how the HCI major fits into your longer range educational and career goals. Do not exceed a single page.
    
3. Proposed Schedule of Required Courses: In the Proposed Schedule of Required Courses, which is NOT a contract, you should specify a plan for when you can fit the courses required for the major into your schedule. Make a table that looks something like the Sample Plan of Study below. Include your primary major obligations as well, whenever they might conflict with HCI courses. The idea is to show that you have thought through, in some detail, whether you can actually do this major. For example:
   

   	Fall	Spring
   Freshman	36-201	15-110
   Sophomore	85-211 and Elective 1	Elective 2
   Junior	05-320 and Elective 3	Elective 4
   Senior	05-410 and 05-430	05-571 and 05-650

4. Unofficial Transcript, including current cumulative GPA 
    
5. Mid-term grades from SIO of current Spring semester (For spring 2021: Freshman applicants MUST provide mid-term grades. Submitting mid-term grades is OPTIONAL for sophomore, junior and senior students.)
    
6. Optional (not mandatory): your portfolio and/or letter(s) of recommendation. While not mandatory, you may include a link to your online portfolio and/or any letters of recommendation. Since a letter of reference is not required, a generic letter from someone who does not know you very well will not be helpful to your case. However, we will accept a letter of reference from a faculty member or supervisor who knows you well. If you submit a letter of reference, have your reference writer send it in PDF format directly to hciibachelors [at] cs.cmu.edu.