To echo Dave's point, and Bill's via Dave, an undergraduate degree in
HCI _only_ is probably not a good idea.
To clarify CMU's program. It is not a first major -- you can't just
major in HCI. It is a *second* major. A student has to have a first
major in something else (Design, CS, Psychology, Business, English, Art,
Engineering, etc) and then apply for the second major in HCI, fulfilling
all the requirements for both. This is a reflection of the fact that you
have to be disciplinary in something before you can be inter-disciplinary!
I absolutely agree that you should go to a school that has stand-alone
programs in each of the areas you are interested in. But we believe
there are three sides (not two): Design, Technical (e.g., CS) and
Psychology (both cognitive to understand perception, problem-solving,
learning, etc., and social, to understand the behavior of groups now
that the technology is up to social networking).
Best of luck.
Bonnie
dave malouf wrote:
I'll bite.
I run the *MINOR* in interaction design here at Savannah College of
Art & Design.
Bill Moggridge recently came out and said that a major as an
undergrad in IxD is not valuable at this time. That the requirements
of the form giving design programs should include IxD in it. And I
can't agree more!
To this point, if you aren't at a design school you will not be
learning to design. You'll be learning how to research, how to
evaluate and how to engineer, but not design. You won't learn about
aesthetics and you won't learn about design thinking and other core
methods and practices towards applied creative thinking.
That being said, if you want to be a designer, I would not (you asked
for an opinion and I'm giving it to you; and people will disagree) go
into an HCI program. I would go to a design school and join a program
in graphic design, interactive design or industrial design to learn
design and then add the concentration of HCI & IxD specific stuff to
that course load through electives.
If you can't go to a out of state or private schools due to cost
(totally reasonable) try to get into a design program like that at
Virginia Tech.
if you can go private or out of state and the technical side is as
important to you as the aesthetic side, then be sure to go to a
school that offers both sides like CMU, UCLA, Stanford, Berkeley, the
list goes on and on. OR! come down here to Savannah!!!! & SCAD. I've
only been here a short time, but I can say confidently you will never
work harder in your life, nor be more ready for the real world. You
get out of it what you put into it.
Anyway, as to specific curriculum I'd put it this way:
Series of studios in Interactive Media and Production (2D)
Series of studios in interactive PRODUCT design (3D)
Research methods (generative/contextual & evaluative)
General HF (erogonomics, cognitive/perception)
Art History & Critique
Design History & Critique
Anthropology/Sociology
Cultural Criticism
Business/Economics/Management
Computer Science & Math
Lit & Composition
Speaking & Presentation
That should do you well right there!
Have fun! and Good Luck!
-- dave
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Posted from the new ixda.org
http://www.ixda.org/discuss?post=42102
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