Interaction Design and Information Architecture Degree Requirements
- These requirements apply to students entering this program in fall 2023 and thereafter. Students who enrolled earlier should consult the catalog in effect at the time they enrolled.
- Read the course descriptions.
You can complete this 36-credit master's program in one of two ways:
OPTION 1: Thesis Option
Complete 30 credits of coursework and a thesis/project for 6 credits, for a total of 36 credits. No credits with grades lower than B can be applied to the degree.
All core courses must be completed before thesis work begins. Thesis work must be spread over two semesters (3 credits each semester). Thesis projects must be approved by a thesis adviser before registering for any thesis credits. All thesis projects must incorporate significant elements of user research; thesis topics may have either a research or project focus.
Core Courses (12 credits)
- IDIA 612 Interaction and Interface Design
- IDIA 630 Information Architecture
- IDIA 640 Humans, Computers and Cognition
- IDIA 642 Applied User Research for UX
technical course (3 credits)
choose one course from the following:
- IDIA 618 Dynamic Web Sites
- IDIA 619 Programming for UX Design
Area concentration (3 credits)
choose one course from the following:
- IDIA 712 Topics in Advanced Interaction Design
- IDIA 730 Topics in Advanced Information Architecture
- IDIA 742 Topics in User Research
Electives (12 credits)
With the approval of the program director, choose four elective courses from the following list:
- IDIA 602 Graphic Design Principles
- IDIA 614 Sequential Visualization and Analysis
- IDIA 616 Designing for Mobile Web
- IDIA 712 Advanced Interaction Design
- IDIA 715 Managing UX Projects
- IDIA 730 Topics in Advanced Information Architecture
- IDIA 740 Topics in Computers and Cognition
- IDIA 742 Topics in Advanced User Research
- IDIA 750 Special Topics
- IDIA 841 Statistics and Quant Analysis for UX
- IDIA 842 Experimental Methods for User Research
- APPL 601 The Biological Basis of Behavior
- APPL 603 Learning and Cognition
Thesis/Project (6 credits)
- IDIA 799 Thesis/Project, 3-6 credits
OPTION 2: Non-Thesis Option
Complete the following 36 credits. No credits with grades lower than B can be applied to the degree.
Core Courses (24 credits)
- IDIA 612 Interaction and Interface Design
- IDIA 630 Information Architecture
- IDIA 640 Humans, Computers and Cognition
- IDIA 642 Applied User Research for UX
- IDIA 740 Topics in Computers and Cognition
- IDIA 742 Topics in Advanced User Research
- IDIA 841 Statistics and Quant Analysis for UX
- IDIA 842 Experimental Methods for User Research
technical course (3 credits)
choose one course from the following:
- IDIA 618 Dynamic Web Sites
- IDIA 619 Programming for UX Design
Area concentration (3 credits)
choose one course from the following:
- IDIA 712 Topics in Advanced Interaction Design
- IDIA 730 Topics in Advanced Information Architecture
Electives (6 credits)
With the approval of the program director, choose two elective courses from the following list:
- IDIA 602 Graphic Design Principles
- IDIA 614 Sequential Visualization and Analysis
- IDIA 616 Designing for Mobile Web
- IDIA 618 Dynamic Web Sites
- IDIA 619 Programming for UX Design
- IDIA 712 Advanced Interaction Design
- IDIA 715 Managing UX Projects
- IDIA 730 Topics in Advanced Information Architecture
- IDIA 740 Topics in Computers and Cognition
- IDIA 742 Topics in Advanced User Research
- IDIA 750 Special Topics
- APPL 601 The Biological Basis of Behavior
- APPL 603 Learning and Cognition