Certificate and Degree

Our Interdisciplinary Graduate Education Program (IGEP) is both a PhD degree and a graduate certificate in a curriculum that combines technical expertise with critical, user-centered inquiry to develop reflective practitioners equipped to meet vital human needs.  The HCD IGEP degree is built around competencies in four core areas: Interdisciplinary Research, Design Studies, Understanding People, and Design Realization.

The degree allows highly motivated graduate students to customize an interdisciplinary course of study with HCD-focused faculty advisors across the university in Industrial Design, the School of Visual Art, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Engineering Education, Industrial Systems Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, English, Human Development, Learning Sciences and Technology, Science and Technology in Society, Music, Theater and Cinema, Geography, Forest Resources, and the Institute for Creativity, Art, and Technology.

Students design their proposed research project and must show how their work will not fit into any one field. The student’s advisory committee also must include members from at least two disciplinary fields. More information about requirements can be found on the Individual Interdisciplinary Ph.D. Graduate Catalog pages. 

Those seeking an interdisciplinary Ph.D. must submit their proposals to the Commission on Graduate Studies and Policies for approval. Those proposals must include their proposed research focus, goals, plan of study, coursework, a planned schedule for exams and research, and the applicant’s advisory committee members.