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D.Sc. in Information and Interaction Design

Program Type

Doctoral

DOC

School

Yale Gordon College of Arts & Sciences

Locations/Format

Baltimore

Online

Create new applications of technology to enhance the way we work, play and live.

This 48-credit Doctor of Science program encourages an in-depth exploration of information and interaction design for humans. Through interdisciplinary courses in topics like cognitive psychology, library science, computer science, user research, and interaction design, doctoral students become leading researchers and designers who can build innovative design solutions on a solid understanding of human behavior.

This program is unique in its careful balance between theory and practice, and in its focus on the challenges of designing for audiences with special needs, such as children, older adults, people with low literacy skills, or people who need assistive technology. Required coursework will include applied qualitative and quantitative research methods, experiment design, applied statistics, HCI theory, and project management. It is also one of the only doctoral degree programs in human-computer interaction that supports part-time study from anywhere in the world, with evening and online courses (in a live, synchronous format).

When you graduate from this program, you will be able to:

conduct well-designed quantitative and qualitative user research
communicate research findings to academic and industry audiences
evaluate the user research methods in studies performed by others
develop user experiences that meet the needs of a global and diverse audience and that can accommodate change and growth
develop new conceptual models and hypotheses of interaction design based on both existing interaction design knowledge and user-centered iterative design
evaluate the social and cultural effects of information systems and their implementations.

Your studies culminate in a dissertation project with a significant impact on the field; you will submit your dissertation project for evaluation by a committee of faculty and experts. You'll have the opportunity to work on high-impact digital technology projects through cutting-edge research with such tools as a Tobii T60 eye tracker in the UBalt User Research Lab and the immersive visualization technologies in the UBalt Gamelab.

Classes are offered during the evenings, and most classes are also available in a synchronous online format.

Our students: are primarily educators and industry practitioners who possess refined research and writing skills and a demonstrated interest in user-centered design and user research.
Our faculty: Once you’re here, you'll study with nationally prominent faculty members who are recognized scholars in interdisciplinary research. Their accomplishments range from designing online information and services for “at-risk” audiences, to co-designing with children, to studying online communities, to developing new game genres.
Our graduates: have moved into faculty appointments at top universities and leadership positions in business and technology. Many of them combine disciplines in innovative positions—researching virtual communities, for example, or developing new visualizations for Web searches. In this program, you'll have the opportunity to test new approaches to user research and experience design, adding theoretical sophistication to productive practice.

Contact Us

Kathryn Summers

Kathryn Summers
program director
email: ksummers@ubalt.edu | phone: 410.837.6202
view Prof. Summers' faculty profile

The Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area is home to countless arts organizations, from large and established to small startups—not to mention government agencies like the National Endowment for the Arts. Work with artists to understand and contribute to the culture, and gain the knowledge and skills to help artists and arts organizations thrive in a market-driven society—all while pursuing your own artistic endeavors. In this Bachelor of Arts program, you’ll learn about the cultural, political and business aspects of the arts while concentrating on the art that interests you most: from visual art to creative writing to music.

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EMPOWERING YOUR FUTURE

When you graduate, you’ll be prepared to work for businesses, nonprofit organizations and government agencies that deal in, represent or interact with artists and the arts—perhaps in addition to managing your own freelance artistic career. You’ll also be well prepared for graduate-level study in business and the arts.

You’ll take courses in:

arts production and performance
history, appreciation and analysis of the arts
government and business as they relate to the arts
technology’s impact on and importance to the arts.

With UBalt’s location between the Station North Arts and Entertainment District and the Mount Vernon Cultural District, the neighborhood is your laboratory, and this program will allow you opportunities to work with the city’s theaters, museums, galleries, musical venues and arts advocacy groups, shadowing and assisting artists, attending exhibits and performances, and interning with an artist or arts-related organization.

What Our Graduates Do

Throughout the program, you’ll make connections with artists in your desired industry. Our graduates go onto work in some of these high-visibility fields throughout the arts industry.