Level: Master Degree
Course (Italian classification): LM 55 - Scienze Cognitive
Language of the course: English
Admission: public selection

Locations:

• Department of Psychology and Cognitive Science, Corso Bettini, 84 - 38068 - Rovereto (TN)
• Department of Information Engineering and Computer Science, Via Sommarive, 9 - 38123 - Trento (Povo)

Course overview

The Master's course in Human-Computer Interaction is a 2-year program (2 semesters per year). The main objective of the Master is to prepare a novel generation of skilled researchers and professionals in the HCI field able to manage and understand the complexity of human cognition, behavior and emotion at a micro-meso-and macro-level. The ultimate goal is to train researchers and professionals with multidisciplinary skills who will proficiently embed their expertise in the rapidly changing technology domains.

In particular, the Master covers three main areas of knowledge:

• social-cognitive area: brain/mind interaction; human behavior and cognition; social processes;
• computer science area: user-interfaces; user-centered and participatory design; human-machine interaction; prototyping of interactive systems; affective computing;
• methodological area: experimental design; research methods, both qualitative and quantitative; ethic and epistemological planning.

For graduation, 120 credits (ECTS) are required. One ECTS credit corresponds to approximately 25 hours, inclusive of class hours and hours for individual study.

Internship is an integral part of the Master's program. Students will conduct a study research project in one of the University labs, under the supervision of a qualified academic tutor or at a private or public company, under the supervision of an academic and/or an industrial qualified tutor.

The final dissertation is a structured project that requires a student to apply theoretical and conceptual skills related to the study of an empirically defined HCI problem.

 

Expected learning outcomes

• skills in performing simulations, observations and experiments to investigate the interaction between human beings and complex IT devices;
• ability to plan user-centered designs of technology interfaces;
• ability to use quantitative and qualitative procedures for data collection and data analysis;
• capability to analyse decision-making processes, at an individual and collective level, in organisational, economic and social contexts;
• autonomy in carrying out experimental and applied research activities.

By virtue of its interdepartmental nature, the course:

• offers an integrated programme  that allows students to pursue their own research interests in an interdisciplinary research environment;
• fosters the development of research skills in several areas;
• provides specialised skills which are not included in standard degree courses.

Career Opportunities

Graduates will acquire a solid background in the field of communication technologies for the evaluation and development of user-oriented and environmentally sustainable products, devices and interfaces, thus meeting a demand which has been constantly increasing on the changing market of novel technologies.

They can be employed in both the private  (e.g. marketing, research, industries dealing with the creation and development of products requiring a human interface), and the public sector (e.g. health, services, research).

Graduates can also become  self-employed and work as consultants for private and public institutions concerned with the analysis and development of Human-Computer Interaction, ergonomic systems and computational models of the cognitive processes.