undergradly.
Major · Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

Human-Computer Interaction Bridges Code, Design, and Human Behavior

Human-Computer Interaction (CIP 30.3101) studies how people use technology and how to design software that respects how minds and bodies actually work. Coursework pulls from computer science, cognitive psychology, and design. About 813 students complete this major each year across 23 institutions, with most credentials concentrated at a single for-profit institution.

Schools offering
23
Annual completions
813
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$87k

About this major

Human-Computer Interaction is the academic study of how people use technology and how to design software that fits how minds and bodies work. The CIP 30.3101 definition pulls together computing and information science, engineering, and behavioral science — including cognitive psychology, sociology, and organizational psychology — and most programs reflect that mix in their coursework. Students typically alternate between writing code and prototyping in Figma, running user-testing sessions, studying perception and attention, and applying research methods like interviews and usability evaluation. Studio projects, research practica, and accessibility coursework are common.

The major fits students who want to make technology more usable rather than build the underlying systems or design only the visuals. Curiosity about why people misuse interfaces helps. Comfort moving between qualitative research, code, and design tools matters more than excellence in any single one. Students who already know they want to be software engineers usually do better in computer science; students drawn to pure visual craft often prefer graphic design; students aiming at clinical psychology need a different program entirely.

Scale and concentration are unusual for this major. Twenty-three institutions reported a combined 813 completions in the most recent year, and Full Sail University alone produced 473 of them — about 58 percent of the national total. Outside Full Sail, programs at Stony Brook, Tufts, Arizona State, Savannah College of Art and Design, DigiPen, and the University of Washington each graduate fewer than one hundred students per year. Many of the strongest HCI departments — Carnegie Mellon, Georgia Tech, the University of Michigan, and the University of Washington Information School — primarily offer the credential at the master’s level, which means undergraduates frequently major in CS, design, or psychology and arrive at HCI through graduate study.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Computer and information systems managers $171k +15.2% Bachelor's degree
Computer occupations, all other $109k +8.2% Bachelor's degree
Web and digital interface designers $98k +7.0% Bachelor's degree
Computer science teachers, postsecondary $97k +5.3% Doctoral or professional degree
Computer and information research scientists $141k +19.7% Master's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$87k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$42k

Bachelor's

$96k

Who this major is for

Strong fits tend to share a few traits. The major rewards students who get genuinely curious watching someone struggle with an app and who want to know why. Comfort with both code and qualitative research methods matters because the better-paid career destinations all expect both — Web and Digital Interface Designers post a $98,090 median, and Computer Occupations, All Other a $108,970 median, and both pull from graduates who can ship and reason about users. Students who plan to add a research-method specialization, accessibility focus, or front-end engineering chops typically get the most leverage from the breadth.

Reasons to hesitate are concrete. Students who know they want to be software engineers usually do better in computer science, where the credential reads more cleanly to engineering hiring managers. Anyone counting on senior UX research roles at age 22 will run into the master’s expectation — Computer and Information Research Scientists, the highest-wage tracked role at $140,910, lists a master’s as typical. Students hoping to coast on visual craft alone will find the technical and research workload heavier than expected, and the for-profit concentration in the school list means program quality varies considerably by institution.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Human Computer Interaction

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Full Sail University Winter Park, FL 33 440 473
Stony Brook University Stony Brook, NY 0 96 96
Tufts University Medford, MA 0 37 37
Arizona State University Digital Immersion Scottsdale, AZ 0 36 36
Savannah College of Art and Design Savannah, GA 0 30 30
DigiPen Institute of Technology Redmond, WA 0 27 27
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 25 25
University of Washington-Seattle Campus Seattle, WA 0 21 21
California College of the Arts San Francisco, CA 0 20 20
Kent State University at Kent Kent, OH 0 15 15
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Computer Science

50,272 completions/yr

Computer and Information Sciences, General

34,556 completions/yr

Information Science/Studies

10,334 completions/yr

Management Information Systems, General

7,648 completions/yr

Computer Programming/Programmer, General

5,205 completions/yr

Computer Systems Networking and Telecommunications

3,699 completions/yr

Data Science, General

2,068 completions/yr

Computer and Information Sciences, Other

1,634 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do HCI majors actually study day-to-day?
Coursework alternates between technical and human-centered topics. Students write code and prototype interfaces in tools like Figma, run user testing sessions, study cognitive psychology and accessibility, and learn research methods such as interviews, surveys, and usability evaluation. The CIP definition explicitly combines computing, engineering, and behavioral science, and most programs reflect that mix in their requirements. Studio and research projects are common.
What jobs do HCI graduates land with a bachelor’s?
Entry roles cluster around UX designer, product designer, junior UX researcher, and web/digital interface designer. Median wage for Web and Digital Interface Designers sits at $98,090, and Computer Occupations, All Other reports a $108,970 median. Pay is meaningfully higher at large tech employers in coastal hubs and meaningfully lower at smaller agencies and non-tech industries. The bachelor’s lands you in the design and research function; deeper research and management roles tend to require either a master’s or several years of practice.
Do I need a master’s to do UX research?
Not for entry-level work, but the senior end of the labor market expects one. Programs like Carnegie Mellon’s HCII, Georgia Tech MS-HCI, the University of Michigan School of Information, and the University of Washington MHCID exist because mature research teams hire mostly out of those pipelines. The packet’s highest-wage tracked role, Computer and Information Research Scientists at $140,910 with 19.7 percent projected growth, lists a master’s as the typical credential. A bachelor’s gets you in the door as a designer or junior researcher; a master’s opens the senior research and applied-science track.
How does HCI compare to computer science, cognitive science, or graphic design?
Computer science covers more engineering and less design and research, which suits students who want to build the systems rather than shape how people use them. Cognitive science covers more psychology and less programming, which fits students drawn to the science of attention and learning. Graphic design covers visual craft and less code or research method. HCI sits in the middle of all three and gets stronger when paired with a clear specialization — research methods, front-end engineering, or accessibility — than when treated as a generic blend.
How is AI changing hiring for HCI graduates?
AI is reshaping the design tooling first and the research function next. Figma AI, AI prototyping plugins, and automated wireframing have raised the bar for what a junior designer is expected to ship per week, which compresses pure visual-execution roles. The durable skills are the harder ones to automate — qualitative research, accessibility audits, systems-level thinking about how features fit together, and working with engineers on real products. Graduates who treat AI tools as a force multiplier and lean into research methods are still finding strong demand in 2026.
Where is HCI actually offered as a bachelor’s?
Twenty-three institutions confer the degree, and the list is unusually concentrated. Full Sail University reports 473 of the 813 annual completions — roughly 58 percent of the national total — across associate’s and bachelor’s programs. Stony Brook, Tufts, ASU, Savannah College of Art and Design, DigiPen, the University of Washington, and California College of the Arts produce most of the rest. Many strong HCI departments only offer the credential at the master’s level, so undergraduates often major in CS, design, or psychology and pick HCI up later.
What does the bachelor’s pay early in a career?
Median earnings five years after graduation land near $86,799 across all degree levels, with the bachelor’s-only figure higher at $95,737 and the associate’s-only figure much lower at $42,107. The bachelor’s number reflects strong placement at large tech employers and design-focused agencies; the associate’s number reflects a different, more vocational pipeline of graduates. Geography matters a lot: the same job pays meaningfully more in Seattle, the Bay Area, or New York than in mid-tier metros.