Ahmed

Got into both, and trying to make a decision. CMU has a (slightly) better reputation and more brand name, the faculty is great and overall the program is a better fit with my specific area of study (studying public civil institutions in developing countries), but they've recently rehauled their PhD program, and so with a new funding model in place the school will have less resources to give - their package covers a 5 year tution waiver and a meager stipend. Pittsburgh is also frozen half the year. GaTech has slightly less brand name (I think straight out of CMU the chances of making it as a faculty hire are greater), and the school seems less of a fit but their faculty seems very excited to have me (generally warmer, more prompt email conversations), and the school has vastly more resources and funding at its disposal - compared to CMU, they're giving an extremely generous scholarship (way more stipend) for the first year (I've emailed them asking about after), and generally they seem to have more money through grant research coming in. I'm also aware that Atlanta is warmer and more pleasant than Pittsburgh. Which would you choose?

Don't overlook CMU's Design MDes and Fine Art MFA programs - both have great faculty and focus on digital\electronic media.

Hey all, Just wondering if we could have a thread here that talked about the relative value of HCI\IxD specific programs (rankings, reputation in both industry and academia, research output, strengths and weaknesses etc.). I just finished up a masters in Interaction Design from CMU an year ago and found it a great program - was also working in several HCI\Robotics labs. Now thinking of applying for a PhD. I can list what I see as the pros and cons of CMU HCI and IxD (both have slightly different approaches and cultures) CMU HCI Housed wholly within the school of CS Very, very well reputed in both industry and general academia - ranked #1, I think (??) Very high research output, I remember reading somewhere that in CMU HCI has the highest number of annual publications in top ranking journals and conferences By and large research driven culture - most graduate students work on some kind of research project Broad program drawing faculty from the social sciences, esp. sociology, psychology and cognitive science, from the design school, and from computer science Close ties with Robotics - both labs I was working as an RA for were actually under the robotics school Focus on a "hard-sciences", empirically driven approach Students encouraged to collaborate on papers and publish prolifically The way the program funds its students is by employing them as researchers on specific funded projects, so you basically end up doing your PhD on what your professor is working on On average time to completion is usually >5 years from what I hear Incredibly hectic, work driven culture, from how I experienced it CMU IxD Housed within the school of Design Much smaller, more niche program than HCI Very well reputed in industry, masters program ranked consistently in top 5 every year The school provides full funding and students select their own research topics to work on Very highly reputed faculty also sharing with HCI, english, philosophy and social sciences Approach draws more from the humanities, esp. philosophy, critical theory etc. and looks at larger questions of ethics, feasibility etc. More of a focus on social and sustainable innovation and less on developing emerging technologies Time to completion is 4 years - students start directly on research after the first year of coursework The program isn't as old or established as HCI, so not sure what it's reputation is in terms of academic placements More relaxed, reflective culture Anyone else have anything to add about their experiences or thoughts regarding other HCI programs?

Applying for Interaction Design\HCI programs for Fall 2015. Currently looking at CMU HCI & Interaction Design, UWashington Human Centered Engineering and Design, Georgia Tech's Digital Media and HCI, and MIT's Media Lab.

2) MFA is considered as the terminal degree in fine art / design. With a MFA degree, you are qualified to teach at most US universities. Actually, the PhD in Design is becoming more and more of a requirement to teach and do research in academia around the world. It's more common in Australia and the UK, but it is fast becoming a requirement in the US too. Very few US schools offer the PhD though...a few that come to mind are CMU, IIT, Harvard, and NC State.

Sorry, I'll be more specific: I did my bachelors and masters in design. While doing my masters in interaction design at CMU, I was really involved in a lot of human-centered design research, and a lot of the methods we used to go and study people and their behaviours so that we could design for them were taken from anthropology. Honestly, I was always more interested in the fieldwork and theory than in the making that followed it, and I started reading more in cyborg anthropology and the philosophy of technology. My GPA was pretty good, and I am a Fulbright Scholar, but I feel like, since I don't have a formal background in anthropology or any of the other social sciences, I might have a more difficult time getting into good PhD programs. I have a few publications but they all fall within the boundaries of design research. I'm quite poor, so I can't really go anywhere that doesn't offer great funding. Thanks!

Hi everyone, Contemplating doing a PhD in Anthropology but don't have the necessary background or money to pay through a grad program. Would be grateful for any information on fully funded MA programs. Thanks!

Thanks a lot everyone for the suggestions! Will definitely check these programs out - I've started taking classes in German and am looking at European programs as well.

Most of the good philosophy of tech programs seem to be in Europe. Stonybrook with Ihlde seems to be a possibility...Rensaeller also has Langdon Winner so that might be worth applying to too.

Well, I plan on an academic career...possibly in the US, if I can find a job after postdocs, but I'm not wedded to the idea.

Hi All, So, a little bit of background first: I do not have a formal philosophy background - my masters is in Interaction Design, although I have read extensively across major works and philosophers. While doing my masters I became really interested in the work being done at the intersection of philosophy and technology, especially in ethics, by philosophers like Don Ihlde, Peter Paul Verbeek, Hubert Dreyfuss etc. I am now looking for good PhD programs with a heavy emphasis on technology and continental philosophy (my grad work was on Heidegger's importance to design theory). Any suggestions? Thanks!

Hi all, I recently received a masters in Interaction Design from CMU with a pretty high CGPA, have decent GRE scores (very high verbal), and I have a background in design and continental philosophy. I've been particularly interested in the philosophy of technology, particularly ethics, and I was wondering if there are any STS programs that would be a good fit for someone who wants to explore technology through philosophical rather than sociological lenses. So far I've been looking at Cornell, MIT HASTS, and RPU. Thanks.

Go to CMU. Best HCI program there is.