Human-Centered Design, M.S.

Guided by world-class faculty, the master’s program in human-centered design offers students a close-knit learning environment with small class sizes and hands-on research opportunities.

Faculty members bring extensive industry and research expertise to the classroom, providing practical insights into real-world environments and challenges students are likely to face in their careers.

The program fosters a professional and supportive atmosphere, encouraging students to think creatively, adopt a design mindset and develop interdisciplinary solutions. By integrating principles such as cognitive engineering, organizational design and complexity analysis, students are equipped to address complex, multifaceted problems with innovation and confidence.

Students in the human-centered design master’s program tackle practical, career-relevant challenges, applying their expertise to areas such as industrial design, advanced interaction media, organization design and cognitive engineering.

The curriculum integrates in-class projects, independent study and thesis research, all supported by Florida Tech’s vibrant research ecosystem. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, students apply best practices, explore cutting-edge ideas and make meaningful contributions to advancing the field.

Real-world applications span areas such as:

• Cognitive engineering for nuclear power plant control and maintenance
• Life-critical human-computer interaction
• Situation awareness systems for deep space exploration
• Human-centered support for commercial flight operations
• Cognitive ergonomics
• Educational tools and environments
• Organizational design and management
• Advanced interaction media
• Complexity analysis in design
• Modeling and simulation of human-centered systems
• Functional analysis in system design
• Usability engineering

The human-centered design program fosters a cross-disciplinary approach to design thinking, integrating fields such as human-computer interaction, artificial intelligence, architecture, ethnographical design and crisis management.

Students develop the ability to research, analyze, design and evaluate complex, interconnected systems by applying skills in complexity science, human factors, ethnomethodology, prototyping, usability engineering and modeling and simulation.

The human-centered design master’s program culminates in a thesis, offering an opportunity for deep engagement with the field.

Students select an analytical, experimental, theoretical or applied topic, delving into the discipline’s literature while modeling, designing, prototyping and evaluating solutions.

Florida Tech’s advanced research centers and laboratories offer state-of-the-art engineering equipment and software to support cutting-edge innovation.

Highlights include the commercial aviation cockpit design lab and the advanced interaction research lab, where novel tangible interactive systems are designed and tested.

These facilities provide exceptional capabilities for research in control systems, complex systems design and management, knowledge management (including big data), visualization with 3D printing capabilities and the development of tangible interactive objects.

Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution, or the international equivalent. The program is open to individuals with a major in engineering, science or technology, or with a strong interest in human and social science or the arts. Applicants with experience in industry or academia, or in human factors and ergonomics, are also encouraged to apply.

For more admission information please see our graduate admission requirements, or start your application now!