MHCI Curriculum

MHCI core courses guide students through HCI fundamental theories and methodologies.

The Master of Human-Computer Interaction at Carnegie Mellon University is an interdisciplinary professional degree designed for students who want to shape the future of technology. Every student develops a strong foundation in human-centered methods while creating a personalized curriculum that reflects their interests and career aspirations. With electives offered across the university, students can deepen their expertise in areas such as AI, product management, software engineering, entrepreneurship, research, healthcare, public policy, data science, accessibility, design, robotics, and countless other disciplines.

Students enrolled in the MHCI program are required to take 7 core classes and 4 electives to complete their degree and graduate.

Seven Core HCI Courses

1) 05-600: HCI Pro-Seminar: Communications in HCI
The Professional Seminar introduces students to topics in the broader HCI community and prepares them for professional success. Through conversations with leading researchers and industry experts, career development workshops, and hands-on practice in communication, teamwork, and facilitation, students develop the skills to lead, collaborate, and grow throughout their careers..

2) 05-610: User-Centered Research and Evaluation (UCRE)
User-Centered Research & Evaluation provides training in the mixed-methods research approaches that underpin human-centered design. Through a team-based project, students learn to plan and conduct observational studies, interviews, usability evaluations, and other qualitative and quantitative research methods while developing the skills to analyze data, synthesize insights, and communicate findings to diverse stakeholders. The course emphasizes evidence-based decision-making and prepares students to confidently lead research throughout the product development lifecycle.

3) 05-660 Interaction Design Fundamentals*
This hands-on studio course introduces students to the core principles, methods, and practices of interaction design, user experience (UX) design, and Human-Computer Interaction (HCI). Following a human-centered design framework, students will learn to discover and reframe problems, and challenge conventions to craft intuitive interactive experiences across digital interfaces and broader physical contexts.

The course emphasizes learning by doing. Working both individually and in teams, students will practice essential methodologies including ideating, sketching, storyboarding, wireframing, rapid prototyping, and user testing—no coding required. In-class activities challenge students to evaluate design at multiple scales: individual user interactions, specific contexts of use, and overall experiences.

By the end of the course, students will be equipped to apply fundamental visual and interaction design principles, constructively critique peer work, and pitch persuasive design solutions. Students will exit grounded in design thinking, with improved practical skills and the foundational knowledge required for advanced interaction and UX design coursework.
*May be placed out of, and another course substituted for the requirement

4) 05-661: Advanced Interaction Design**
This course follows 05-660: Interaction Design Fundamentals and students are expected to apply what they have learned about visual and interaction design as a starting point for all assignments. This class is meant for students who want to take their design skills to a near-professional level. Students will work individually and in teams to design features, products, and services that demonstrate a high level of quality in both user interface design and interaction design. Students will learn about design systems, accessibility, and considering data in design decisions, and will practice their reframing and prototyping skills. Emphasis is placed on the quality of the students’ ideas and their ability to give form to their design concepts. By completing and presenting their work, students will gain skills related to professional UX design practice.
**Depending on placement, this or another HCI design course may be used for the 2nd design course requirement

5) Choice: 05-635 or 05-631
05-635: Programming Interactive Experiences (PIX)
PIX is an introductory course on designing, implementing, and evaluating computational interactions, such as web sites, apps, kiosks, and interactive installations. The course covers topics including input and output techniques, basic accessibility, reading and reviewing code, and iterative development between ideas and prototypes.

05-631: Software Structures for User Interfaces (SSUI)
SSUI covers the basic and detailed concepts and principles that go into building software to implement user interfaces. It considers factors of input, output, application interface, and related infrastructure as well as the typical patterns used to implement them, and how these aspects are organized and managed within a well-structured object oriented system.

6) 05-671: HCI Project I (15-unit spring course) and

7) 05-672: HCI Project II (48-unit summer course)
The Capstone Project is a seven-month industry project in which interdisciplinary student teams partner directly with an external sponsor to solve a real-world organizational challenge. Students take ownership of the engagement, working with client stakeholders to conduct research, develop solutions, and deliver functional prototypes and strategic recommendations. Guided by faculty mentors, they gain the experience of leading a real product engagement before they graduate.

Electives

Learn more about the available courses on the HCII course guide or the official CMU Schedule of Classes.

Sample Plan

Prospective students can view an MHCI sample study plan to reference an example schedule. At this time, there are no online degrees or classes available for any programs in the Human-Computer Interaction Institute.

Our Student Outcomes

Since its founding, our program has graduated more than 1,350 students. The in-depth interdisciplinary experiences here at Carnegie Mellon make our students the glue between design, development and management in many companies. The MHCI student is often hired to play one role, but quickly becomes an indispensable team player — in many cases, a team leader for research, design and strategy in software, technical or consulting engagements.