MSc Human Computer Interaction

Our Integrated Pre-Master's course will prepare for postgraduate study by improving your academic and creative skills before your degree begins.

You'll build a portfolio of work whilst you explore your subject specialism and benefit from personal development tutoring that will support your academic growth and help refine your specialism. 

If you need to enhance your English language skills you can opt to join a pre-sessional English course to improve your IELTS score as well.

Learn more about the Integrated Pre-Masters course

Fundamentals of HCI
This unit introduces the field of Human Computer Interaction and covers topics such as cognition, role of emotion, design process, conceptual models, interface metaphors, requirements engineering, and evaluation methods. It also explores the role of a UX designer in practice and how this works as part of an agile software development team. 

Research Methods for Creative Technologies
You will learn to synthesise theoretical research methods and industry practices of interactive app evaluation to provide a critically informed and reflective toolset for analysing and critically assessing applications, interactive experiences, and their practice. 

You will also learn about a range of methods for analysing interactive applications on the level of their content and form and develop an understanding of qualitative methodologies for capturing and evaluating the interactive experiences of a diverse range of users. 

This unit aims to give you the analytical tools to not only interrogate and interpret existing applications and interactive experiences in written and verbal form, but to apply what they learn to their practice in a reflective report.

State of the Art
This unit will be split into two key areas. The first will be focused on qualitative and quantitative research, which forms a major part of the discipline of Human Computer Interaction. The second will involve a theoretical survey of the field, providing you with necessary language as well as highlighting key thinkers in this area. Another aspect of this unit will be a hands-on practice-based focus on experimenting with microcontroller and Arduino through a series of workshops and self-directed practical engagement.

A prototype for a physical computing project will be developed in conjunction with a clearly defined research methodology that aligns with qualitative and/or quantitative research methods.

HCI Lab
This studio-based unit is designed to be a stepping-stone to your investigations and interests, as well as a space for exploration and experimentation with alternative design processes and methodologies. It builds upon the previous units and as a studio class it delves into more detail regarding participatory design methods alongside a practical project with an external local community partner.

You will also undertake a collaborative professional practice group project - This is expected to involve groups of students across the postgraduate portfolio collaborating on a project which may be based on an industry brief.

Final Major Project
The Final Major Project is a culmination of your skills, passions and creativity as developed across your MA education. The final major project, and your role in it, should be ambitious but achievable, and framed by how you want to promote yourself as a Human Computer Interaction specialist.

Through this final project you will either utilise proposals you have been working on in other units or develop an entirely new proposal.

Alongside the project, you will be compiling a showreel of work to showcase your mini-projects and prototypes thus far. The unit and year will finish with an exhibition which celebrates the prototypes and projects completed for this unit and throughout the course. 

Integrated Pre-masters course

• Independent study: 70%
• Scheduled teaching: 30% 
• Online delivery: 0%
• Placement: 0%

MSc course

• Independent study: 78.8%
• Scheduled teaching: 21.2% 
• Online delivery of scheduled teaching: 5.8%
• Placement: 0%

Please note, these details are for 2026 entry and could be subject to change for other years of entry.