
Master of ScienceHuman-Centered Interaction Design
It’s a wonderful thing when one of the fastest-growing tech-related career fields is accessible to you – even if you don’t hold a tech-related degree. In fact, having a liberal arts, humanities, or social and behavioral science background actually makes you a better fit for the Human-Centered Interaction Design (HCID) field than the techies!
This master’s degree program is about designing processes, apps and environments to make more fulfilling and useful experiences for people.
According to the Harvard Business Review there is strong corporate interest in “design thinking” as a way to open businesses to new markets through innovating new human-centered products and experiences. The career possibilities are endless and industry is clamoring for those qualified to bridge the gap between environments, technologies and the public. It requires creativity, empathy for people and strong problem-solving skills. For example, once you’ve completed your MS degree, your work could involve:
- Designing food-ordering kiosks that are intuitive, easy to use and people-friendly
- Using your knowledge to redesign the experience of a museum to allow visitors flexible and enriching interaction with exhibits.
- Reconfiguring an MRI room in a hospital to engage children rather than intimidate them
Ultimately, you will gain the skills to design effective and engaging interfaces, interactions, and user experiences that leverage the best of digital technologies and bring them seamlessly into complex human environments. The degree is intended to train individuals with liberal arts, humanities, business and technology backgrounds for careers in the rapidly growing field of UX research, digital service design, and interactive product strategy and design. Job titles possible for students after graduation would include UX Researcher, Interaction designer, UX designer, Information architect, Interactive systems designer, Digital systems analyst, and Digital services (or UX) manager.

Program Goals
- Demonstrate foundational knowledge of theories and applications from human behavior and design science;
- Communicate, collaborate and coordinate effectively across diverse populations and media;
- Effectively research people, document problems and determine research relevance;
- Reflect on self as designer and professional; and
- Design and produce engaging interventions facilitated by digital technologies.
Program Lead

Richard Wirth Assistant Professor of Information Sciences
Full Time Faculty
Assistant Professor of Sociology of Emerging Technologies
Corporate Faculty
Program Courses
This program requires a total of 36 semester hours: 18 semester hours from the core courses listed below, 6 semester hours of experiential courses, and 12 semester hours of Individualized Concentration courses. The semester hour value of each course appears in parentheses ( ).

Information for Students who want to come to the U.S.
Program News
HU grad student lands prominent position with United Way
A student who is earning her third master’s degree from Harrisburg University has landed a prominent position with the United…
Webinar to Spotlight In-Demand HX Careers
Harrisburg, Pa. – Anyone interested in careers that draw on research, analytics, project management, and other fields that meld technology…
App research helped prepare HU grad for grad school, career
At Harrisburg University, students don’t just study science and technology. They experience both firsthand. During their time at HU, students…
Take the Next Step
Get More Information
Questions about our programs? Reach out to a member of our team and get personalized answers.
Apply Now
Create an account and start your free online application to Harrisburg University today.