2026-2027 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog [In Progress]
Master of Science in Human-Centered Computing
- https://www.gvsu.edu/computing/human-centered-computing-ms-115
- https://www.gvsu.edu/academics/human-centered-computing-ms.htm
Degree Overview
The program consists of 34 credit hours, consisting of core courses, an area of specialization (track), electives, and a capstone option - an internship, project, or thesis. Classes are offered fully online, in a hybrid format, or in-person in the late afternoon or evening in downtown Grand Rapids.
Curriculum
- Core
- Tracks
- Electives
- Capstone
Note: If students have already completed 12 credit hours of 4xx/5xx dual-listed courses, they must not take additional 4xx/5xx dual-listed courses to fulfill the elective course requirement. An asterisk (*) designates classes that are dual-listed courses.
International Partnership students: please review your school's agreement and communicate with your GPD about transferring in courses to GVSU, if applicable.
Core
Students are required to complete 5 courses for a total of thirteen credits.
Required
- HCC 501 - Introduction to Human Computer Interaction (3 credits)
- *HCC 502 - User Experience Research (3 credits)
- *HCC 503 - User Experience Design (3 credits)
- HCC 601 - HCC Synthesis: Foundations and Trajectories in Social Computing (3 credits)
- HCC 602 - Design for Creative Learning Experiences (3 credits)
- HCC 605 - Professional Development for Human Subjects Research (1 credit)
Tracks
Students must complete one of the following tracks, taking 4 courses total:
Augmented and Virtual Reality Development
The Augmented and Virtual Reality track equips students with skills to design and develop multi-modal applications for innovative user interactions and interfaces. Courses in this track emphasize AR/VR design and research, AR/VR development, and mobile application development.
Required:
Choose 1 of the following:
- CIS 657 - Mobile Application Development (3 credits)
- CIS 678 - Machine Learning (3 credits)
- HCC 602 - Design for Creative Learning Experiences (3 credits)
- SE 511 - Introduction to Software Engineering (3 credits)
Human Centered Artificial Intelligence (AI)
The Human-Centered AI track prepares students with skills to design and apply AI in diverse contexts focused on the needs of the users. Specifically, students will be able to apply AI within a domain of interest to deploy critical infrastructure to augment human machine intellect. Courses in this track focus on ethics, human AI interaction, and information visualization.
Required:
- AI 501 - Introduction to Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- *HCC 531 - Human AI Interaction (3 credits)
Choose 1 of the following:
- *AI 502 - Generative Artificial Intelligence (3 credits)
- *AI 511 - AI Ethics and Bias (3 credits)
- *AI 531 - Natural Language Processing (3 credits)
- CIS 671 - Information Visualization (3 credits)
- CIS 678 - Machine Learning (3 credits)
Human Centered Software Development
The Human-Centered Software Development track prepares students to create user-centered, reliable, and scalable software products for diverse computing applications. Students gain expertise from courses on Software Engineering, Requirement Specification, Software Quality Assurance, and Machine Learning.
Required:
- SE 511 - Introduction to Software Engineering (3 credits)
- SE 512 - Requirements Specification (3 credits)
Choose 1 of the following:
- *AI 521 - Applied Computer Vision (3 credits)
- *AI 531 - Natural Language Processing (3 credits)
- CIS 678 - Machine Learning (3 credits)
- HCC 602 - Design for Creative Learning Experiences (3 credits)
- *SE 522 - Software Architecture and Design (3 credits)
- *SE 537 - Software Quality Assurance (3 credits)
Elective
Students must complete at least three elective credits. Three additional elective credits will be required if the project option is chosen to meet the capstone requirement instead of the thesis option.
Capstone
Students must complete either a 3-credit project course or 6 credits of thesis (CIS 695 taken twice).
OR
An internship option must be discussed with the graduate program director.
Study Plan
Before starting the program, students must have a study plan approved by the graduate program director. Students are responsible for keeping the plan of study current before the beginning of each semester and getting the program director's approval for any changes to the plan.