Admissions

Overview

Application deadline

What sets our program apart?

• Commitment to design for social justice through our curriculum, including our class on Ethics and Activism in Tech and Design
• Tight coupling with UX professionals from industry and nonprofits through our mentor coalition and industry sponsors
• World-renowned HCI faculty with experience teaching the next generation of UX professionals
• A curriculum designed to give you ample opportunities to pursue summer internships or independent study
• Two-quarter capstone project with industry sponsors

Please also check out the summary of our program, which includes possible career paths with an HCI MS degree from UCSC.

Admission details

Students must meet two sets of requirements for graduate studies at UCSC. As these requirements sometimes change, please see the following websites for the most up to date information:

• General UCSC requirements for graduate admissions (2 letters of recommendation)
• Specific requirements for the HCI M.S. program (CV/Resume, Statement of Purpose, Personal History Statement, Online Portfolio)

Beyond these requirements, there are no specific course requirements for HCI applicants.

The M.S. in Human Computer Interaction is designed to accommodate a diverse set of students, including:

• Students who have a technical background in interactive system creation but no particular design or analytics expertise (e.g., students graduating from the current UCSC B.S. in computer science or computer engineering or professionals working as programmers or hardware engineers).
• Students who have a background in analytics, but no particular design or technology expertise (e.g., students graduating from the current UCSC B.S. in cognitive science or professionals from technology companies working in user research).
• Students who have a background in design, but no particular analytics or technology expertise (e.g., students graduating from design schools or professionals working as technology designers).
• Students who have a background in social sciences, but minimal analytics or technical background.

International student resources

• International Applicant Information
• Language Requirements

Application fees

• Application Fee (Domestic): $135
• Application Fee (International):  $155

Fee waiver application instructions

There are two options for requesting a fee waiver.

Option 1: If you are currently enrolled in a UCSC undergraduate or graduate program or have an undergraduate or graduate degree from a UCSC program, you may request an application fee exemption from the HCI program directly. Please be aware that there are a limited number of fee waivers available. 

• Before you submit your application: Please fill out the Application Fee Waiver Request Form for HCI M.S. 2023-24 with your application details and be sure to include a brief statement regarding your financial need for the application fee exemption. To ensure sufficient time to process your free waiver request, your fee exemption request must be received at least 2 weeks before the application deadline. Applications for the HCI program AND the Fee waiver request form that are incomplete after January 18th will not be eligible for an Application Fee Waiver.
• After you submit the Application Fee Waiver Request Form:
  1. On the “Fee Waiver/Payment” page of the application, please choose “no” to the question, “Do you believe you will need assistance paying for your application processing fee?” Then select “Yes” to “Has the program you are applying to agreed to pay for the application processing fee?” The page will tell you a credit card payment is required. Do not worry about this, and do not pay it; we will pay for it on your behalf. Please submit your application as soon as it is ready by the Deadline (January 18th).
  2. After you have submitted your application, you will be directed to the status portal. There will be a pay fee link, do not pay this fee, you will not be refunded.
• Processing Time: We will review your request within 5 business days  and send you a confirmation email to inform you whether the fee waiver has been approved. If you haven’t received any updates after this period, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us at hci@ucsc.edu

Option 2: If you are a US Citizen, AB 540, or Permanent Resident of the United States, you may request an application fee waiver for financial hardships or if you currently receive financial aid. Please be aware that these fee waivers are extremely limited.

Financials

Cost of attendance

The HCI M.S. program is a professional degree and is subject to the professional degree supplement tuition fees. All tuition and fees are subject to change. Please visit the Office of the Registrar for more information. Note that the program is four quarters long – the annualized program fees below reflect the costs for one academic year (three quarters).

	Program Fees Per Quarter 2022–23	Annualized Program Fees 2022–23
Tuition	$3,900	$11,700
Professional Degree Supplemental Tuition (CA resident)	$7,713	$23,139
Student Services Fee	$384	$1,152
UC SHIP Health Insurance (waivable)	$1,459	$4,289
Campus Fees	$453.70	$1,685.95
Total Fees (CA Resident)	$13,909.70	$41,942.95
Non-Resident Supplemental Tuition	$4,082	$12,245
Total Fees (Non-Resident)	$17,991.70	$54,187.95

Questions?

For any questions about applying to UCSC’s HCI MS program, please contact us at hci@ucsc.edu