ACM TechNews

IT School to Watch: Carnegie Mellon University

Computerworld (08/18/08) Brandel, Mary

The master's program in human-computer interaction (HCI) at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) features six faculty that are members of ACM's CHI Academy, more than any other organization. The HCI program trains students for careers in user interface and usability engineering, systems development, and interaction design. CMU's School of Computer Science also offers master's degrees in entertainment technology, e-business technology, software engineering, software engineering management, IT with a specialization in very large information systems, robotics, IT service management, IT-embedded software engineering, and an MBA track in technology leadership. All of the programs are intended to lead to professional positions instead of to additional research or academic appointments, although CMU also offers several academic master's degrees. CMU HCI master's graduate Madhu Prabaker says the program teaches in a way that is actionable, and he was able to learn what it is like to operate in a real-world scenario, helping him hit the ground running even in his first week as a professional. "Everyone must program all night to find that last bug, everyone runs tests with users who do things they never could have predicted, and everyone designs and is subjected to critiques by faculty and peers," says HCI program director Bonnie John. All of the skills the students learn are applied in a final project that is longer and more intense than similar programs at other schools, John says. The projects require that students work in teams of four or five students, simulating a real-world experience.

full paper

---

© Copyright 2008 Information, Inc. This service may be reproduced for internal distribution.