I am in the process of finishing up a MS in Technical Communication at North Carolina State University and I am shooting for a career more along the lines of a user experience generalist. NC State also offers a Human Factors/Ergonomics concentration in the Department of Psychology and there is also a Human Factors concentration in the Department of Industrial Engineering.
I was working at the University's art museum several years back when I decided to return to graduate school for a career as a full-time UX/Usability professional. Uprooting my family, selling our home, etc...to go to graduate school elsewhere was not an option for me, but then again, why should I go anywhere else with the options here in the Research Triangle area? I chose to pursue the Technical Communication degree, as it seemed to afford a great deal of freedom in choosing a path informed by specific interests. I also took it as a given that UX work has a communicative component that is well-served an emphasis on strong fundamental writing skills. It was, and still remains, the correct decision for me. I think it has worked out pretty well. I am currently doing a coop at IBM as a UX Engineer as I finish my thesis this Spring. I had little trouble getting bites when I started looking for a full time UX job in September (as my department/program is respected in the area) and I feel perfectly well-prepared for anything I have been asked to do in my new role. Yes, I would also recommend looking at UNC's programs referenced in the first reply. However, I cannot recommend one school over the other, but have a personal preference for NC State. Regardless, you have the option of taking courses at NC State, UNC-CH and Duke as a part of the inter-institutional registration cooperative. In other words, you pay tuition at your home school and can then register for courses at any of the other area Universities. I wish I could have taken more advantage of this option, but couldn't for one reason or another. Good luck with your search for an answer. I hope this is helpful. Cheers-John . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Posted from the new ixda.org http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=36863 ________________________________________________________________ Welcome to the Interaction Design Association (IxDA)! To post to this list ....... [email protected] Unsubscribe ................ http://www.ixda.org/unsubscribe List Guidelines ............ http://www.ixda.org/guidelines List Help .................. http://www.ixda.org/help
