SKIP TO COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Academic Standing
You must maintain satisfactory academic progress to remain in the certificate program. Only courses for which you receive a letter grade of C (2.0) or better count toward certificate requirements; and a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required for graduation. If you receive a letter grade of C+ or below in any graduate course, you will be placed on academic probation. If you receive a letter grade of C+ or below in two courses, or if your cumulative GPA is below 3.0 for two consecutive semesters, you will be dismissed from the graduate certificate program.
If you have been dismissed from the program for unsatisfactory academic progress, you may apply for readmission after one calendar year has passed. To reapply, submit an updated resume and a letter to the Design of User Experience Graduate Certificate Program indicating what circumstances have changed and how you plan to successfully complete the program. The program faculty review your request and respond in writing.
Only courses in which you receive a letter grade are applied toward your certificate. The option of a competence/no competence with a narrative transcript is not available.
Appeal of Unsatisfactory Academic Progress Removals from the Program
If you are removed from the program for unsatisfactory academic progress, you may appeal the removal to the College of Liberal Arts dean. The appeal must be in writing, and it must provide specific grounds for the appeal. The appeal is due to the dean within 30 days of the date of the letter notifying you of the decision to remove you from the program. The dean has 30 days to respond, in writing, to the appeal. Appeals received after 30 days will not be considered.
Time to Completion
You have two years from your first semester of graduate study to complete your certificate program requirements. You may request an extension of the time limit by writing to the Design of User Experience Graduate Certificate Program. Such requests must be received prior to the expiration of the time limit. Requests for extensions should include your reason(s) for requesting the extension, a summary of your plan to finish graduation requirements, and a specific date for the extension to expire. Extension decisions are made by the certificate program faculty and are not automatic.
Reactivating into the Program
If you are a student in good academic standing who has not registered for courses for three or more consecutive semesters, you must apply to reactivate into the certificate program. To reactivate, submit an updated resume and a letter to the Design of User Experience Graduate Certificate Program expressing a desire to reactivate into the program. The faculty review your request and respond in writing, specifying certificate completion requirements and deadline for completion. You may be required to satisfy certificate requirements in force at the time of reactivation, even if those requirements differ from those in force at the time of original admission to the certificate program.
Requirements (16 credits)
This course focuses on usability and user experience for technical and information products. Students learn concepts, principles, processes, and methods of usability and user experience. Students work in teams and conduct a usability study systematically to improve an information product. Topics also include usability in business and organizational settings, usability workflow and governance. Students will also interact with user experience professionals.
Full course description for Usability and User Experience
This course provides students with advanced knowledge and skills in designing user experience. Students learn how to discover user needs and desires, conceptualize user-centered designs, and test design solutions. Classes will cover latest industry trends, scholarship, and emerging technologies in user experience.
Full course description for User Experience and Design Thinking
This course introduces students to designing, conducting, communicating, and evaluating user research. Students learn to form and investigate a research question, examine existing literature, use a wide array of methods, conduct effective user research, make design recommendations, and communicate research findings.
Full course description for User Research
Choose one of the below
This course is designed to provide an introduction to Learner Experience Design, which brings together principles of design and learning to create effective interactive training and learning experiences. The course draws on fields such as instructional design, user experience design (UXD), and learning and development. Students learn concepts and techniques to prepare them to analyze learners and learning situations and to choose appropriate strategies in order to create interactive, engaging, and effective learning experiences
Full course description for Foundations of Learner Experience Design
This course helps user experience professionals design human-centered content for user interfaces and create compelling user experiences. Learners will analyze user
needs and rhetorical contexts, develop appropriate tone and voice, produce inclusive and accessible text, write for user interface components, create content prototypes, and assess the effectiveness of user experience content.
Full course description for User Experience Writing
This course provides students with techniques and strategies to work on complex business problems while exercising strong critical thinking skills. It also helps them develop potential solutions. This course then focuses on how to take the results of students' professional work and present complex material in a manner that helps them clearly explain and market their information.
Full course description for Problem Formulation and Data Presentation
