hs_m2c

I was also in this situation but I am leaning more and more towards the HCDE program at UW. Mainly because Seattle is a tech hub so I feel it would be easier to transition to another job. I am also in the west coast (california) and ultimately want to stay there. I recently went to their visiting day and the faculty and campus were great.

Yes I am going to the HCDE visit day on the 15th!

What program did you decide to attend if you don’t mind me asking? I am planning to wait it out a week or two but I am considering UW HCDE and UCI MHCID as well.

Thanks! I heard back late feb/early march. I applied Jan 14. They are kind of rolling basis and still taking apps till the end of this month so maybe that's why? hopefully you hear back soon!

Great points! Thanks for the response!

Hi all, Thankfully, I have been accepted to the three programs above (UW HCDE, UMICH MSI, and UCI MHCID) and those are my top choices for HCI/Design masters programs that I have applied to. I am having difficulty deciding what school to choose. Any help or advice by anyone who has heard about or done these programs would be greatly appreciated. I currently work in Los Angeles, CA as an associate interaction designer and since UCI has a mostly online program that caters to working professionals, it helps me budget wise. I would not have to worry about moving and can still work at my current job. However, UCI (still a great school) seems to be the least known program out of the other two for HCI. UW HCDE and Michigan's MSI program seem to be really well known in the HCI world and have access to a large alumni network as well. It seems like big companies recruit at both schools quite often. Michigan's program does cost almost twice as much because of the out of state tuition however. So far I am leaning towards UW since it still in the west coast and the cost difference compared to Michigan (even though cost is not the biggest concern for me). I also feel like I am not growing too much at my current job so I am not too scared to leave it. I feel like I would prefer Seattle to Ann arbor as well but it does seem like U of Michigan has slightly more prestige. Ideally, I would like to work at a large/well known company soon after graduating (automotive industry a bonus). Those are my current thoughts but if anyone has any general insight to any of these programs or are also deciding and can give their thoughts, that would be great! Thanks in advance.

Hey all! Congrats on your acceptances! I recently got into UW HCDE, UMICH MSI, and UCI MHCID. I got rejected from UW MHCID. I was wondering if anyone is trying to also decide between these 3? especially UMICH and UW? Not really sure what to do. Both programs seem great. Did anyone here apply to the UCI program as well? I am in california and that would be the cheapest option for me while still maintaining my current job too. UW and Umich seem like they are more well known and prestigious programs though. Not sure which is considered more than the other.