MSc Human Centred Interactive Technologies Programme Specification 2024-25.xlsx

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1	ACADEMIC QUALITY TEAM
2	Programme Specifications 2024-25
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5	Programme Title			MSc Human Centred Interactive Technologies
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7	This document applies to students who commenced the programme(s) in:			September 2024		Award type			MSc
8						Length of programme
9	What level is this qualification?			7		Length of programme			1 year
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11	Mode of study (Full / Part Time)			Full-time
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13	Will the programme use standard University semester dates?			Yes		For York Online programmes, will standard dates for such programmes be used?			N/A.
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15	Awarding institution			University of York		Board of Studies for the programme			Computer Science
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17	Lead department			Computer Science		Other contributing departments			N/A.
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19	Language of study and assessment			English		Language(s) of assessment			English
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21	Is this a campus-based or online programme?			Campus-based
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23	Partner organisations
24	If there are any partner organisations involved in the delivery of the programme, please outline the nature of their involvement. You may wish to refer to the Policy on Collaborative Provision
25	None
26	None
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28	Reference points
29	Please state relevant reference points consulted in the design of this programme (for example, relevant documentation setting out PSRB requirements; the University's Frameworks for Programme Design (UG or PGT); QAA Subject Benchmark Statements; QAA Qualifications and Credit Frameworks).
30	The MSc. HCIT meets all of the requirements for the Taught Postgraduate Modular Scheme: Framework for Programme Design, including following one of the recommended layouts of modules and Capstone Project Module. The MSc. HCIT meets all of the QAA Subject knowledge and skills requirements, Subject specific skills requirements and General transferable skills requirements. Many of these requirements overlap with the BCS (The Chartered Institute of IT) that we have received. BCS is also licenced by the Engineering Council's for Chartered Engineer (CEng). The MSc. HCIT meets the Threshold requirements of QAA in the computing stream.
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33	Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
34	Will this programme involve any exemptions from the University Policy and Procedures on Credit Transfer and the Recognition of Prior Learning? If so, please specify and give a rationale
35	No.
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37	Exceptions to Regulations
38	Please detail any exceptions to University Award Regulations and Frameworks that need to be approved (or are already approved) for this programme. This should include any that have been approved for related programmes and should be extended to this programme.
39	PSRB statements: Accredited by BCS (The Chartered Institute for IT) for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement fo registration as a Chartered IT Professional (CITP). In addition, accredited by BCS, on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the academic requirement for Chartered Engineer (CEng). PSRB requirements: - Compensation limited to 20/180 credits, and only on marks 10% below the Pass mark. - Substantive Project (PRMH) cannot be compensated. Students who exceed the accreditation compensation limits, but meet the UoY MSc compensation rules, will be transferred to MSc Interactive Computer Systems.
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41	Internal Transfers
42	Please use the boxes below to specify if transfers into / out of the programme from / to other programmes within the University are possible by indicating yes or no and listing any restrictions. These boxes can also be used to highlight any common transfer routes which it would be useful for students to know.
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44		Transfers in:	Yes			Transfers out:	Yes
45			Yes				Yes
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47	Statement of Purpose
48	Please briefly outline the overall aims of the programme. This should clarify to a prospective student why they should choose this programme, what it will provide to them and what benefits they will gain from completing it.
49	The MSc. in Human Centred Interactive Technologies (HCIT) is a is a highly innovative degree which will equip you for a career in industry and research in our increasingly digitised and connected world. This course is designed for those with a background in computer science or a related human computer interaction (HCI) discipline such as design, information technology or psychology. The course will provide industry relevant practical skills in iterative, user-centred research methods, and principles underpinning the design and evaluation of user experiences (UX) with interactive technologies. The course will ensure you develop skills and expertise in gaining deep, human-centred, understanding of users across a range of contexts, where you will learn how to use qualitative and quantitative research techniques drawn from the diverse fields of psychology, computer science, sociology, and beyond. By the end of the programme, you will be able to elicit and analyse the goals and capabilities of potential users, propose inclusive, ethical design solutions for interactive technologies, and evaluate the quality of user experiences with designs applied for a range of purposes: all skills in demand in modern, UX related careers. A graduate of the MSc. HCIT programme will be prepared for a career on interdisciplinary, collaborative teams in the HCI and UX industries, and related fields, with opportunities to be accredited as CEng and/or CITP from the BCS. The programme is also suitable for applicants seeking to develop a more research-based career, as it provides breadth in an expanding and thriving research field, and the opportunity to specialise in particular areas through an independent research project.
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52	If there are additional awards associated with the programme upon which students can register, please specify the Statement of Purpose for that programme. This will be most relevant for PGT programmes with exit awards that are also available as entry points. Use additional rows to include more than one additional award. Do not include years in industry / abroad (for which there are separate boxes).
53	Exit Award Title			Is the exit award also available as an entry point?	Outcomes: what will the student be able to do on exit with this award?			Specify the module diet that the student will need to complete to obtain this exit award
54	MSc Interactive Computer Systems			Exit award only	All PLOs met, but without accreditation.			Worth 180 module credits - Same as the standard MSc programme (but with UoY compensation rules).
55	PG Diploma (PG Dip) Human Centred Interactive Technology			Exit award only	In this case, students complete all PLOs for the programme but may lose experience in some PLOs depending on which modules they complete.			Worth 120 module credits - the module diet can be from any taught modules and can include the Capstone Project Module, but to include modules IDEV together with ROCS &/or PRAD.
56	Postgraduate Diploma (PG Dip) Computer Systems			Exit award only	A student graduating with a PG Dip qualification will have made progress on achieving all the PLOs, however clearly not to the extent of students who graduate with a MSc. The project work, in particular, gives students the opportunity to build on the core modules in an focussed way with the support of a supervisor.			Worth 120 module credits - the module diet consists of any 120 module credits from across our on-campus PGT programmes.
57	PG Certificate (PG Cert) Human Centred Interactive Technology			Exit award only	In this case, students complete some of the core PLOS through ROCS and/or PRAD and will lose experience in some PLOS depending on the choice of modules.			Worth 60 module credits - the module diet consists of ROCS or PRAD; plus two other HCIT taught modules, one of which must be IDEV. This is because HCIT is specialist programme and the PG Cert should contain at least 40 module credits of core specialist material. Should IDEV NOT be achieved, but the student has acheived 60 credits of taught modules (including ROCS or PRAD), they would be eligible to be transferred to the Advanced Computer Science PG Certificate. Students without IDEV, ROCS or PRAD are eligible to be be transferred to Computer Systems PG Certificate (see row below).
58	Postgraduate Certificate (PG Cert) Computer Systems			Exit award only	A student graduating with a PG Cert qualification will have made progress on achieving some of the PLOs, however clearly not to the extent of students who graduate with a MSc or Diploma.			Worth 60 module credits - the module diet consists of any 60 module credits from across our on-campus PGT programmes.
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60	Programme Learning Outcomes
61	What are the programme learning outcomes (PLOs) for the programme? (Normally a minimum of 6, maximum of 8). Taken together, these outcomes should capture the distinctive features of the programme and represent the outcomes that students progressively develop in the programme and achieve at graduation. PLOs should be worded to follow the stem 'Graduates will be able to...'
62	1	Evaluate: evaluate interactive technologies and systems in terms of usability, accessibility and user-experience using a broad range of analytic, expert and user-based methods.
63	2	Research: generate substantial quantitative and qualitative data relating to interactive systems by planning and executing focussed empirical research of diverse users.
64	3	Design: design interactive technologies by conceptualising designs and prototyping interactive systems based on detailed analyses of target user and other stakeholder data.
65	4	Decide: identify and implement the most effective and appropriate approaches to specific user-centred design and research by taking a pluralistic approach to emerging research, commercial ideas and disciplinary fields beyond Computer Science.
66	5	Present: present complex HCI and UX information and data-supported arguments to technical and non-technical audiences, in an accessible and professional manner, using appropriate media.
67	6	Collaborate: contribute to high performance teams by taking responsibility for their work in the team structure, coordinating productively with others, and contributing to collective decision-making.
68	7	Professional: advocate and build consensus for high quality, moral and ethical design and operation of interactive technologies by using professional, ethical and legal frameworks and standards to guide their design and research practice, while aiming for the broadest inclusion of users based on individual needs and preferences.
69	8	Critique: read, understand and critique existing literature in HCI and UX for purposes of informing new research and practice to evolve and improve the field beyond the state-of-the-art.
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71	Diverse entry routes
72	Detail how you would support students from diverse entry routes to transition into the programme. For example, disciplinary knowledge and conventions of the discipline, language skills, academic and writing skills, lab skills, academic integrity.
73	The programme is designed to allow those with a mix of backgrounds, from recent graduates to experienced practitioners working in industry, to acquire knowledge and skills appropriate for modern careers. Throughout the programme, students will be afforded opportunites to develop and enhance transferable skills such as analysis of others' work in order to achieve defined goals, and presentation of technical material in a variety of ways for a range of audiences. The structure of the programme core modules develop key research, practical and professional skills that support the development of students with a wide range of skills and expertise, and to support them in identifying and addressing their independent learning goals. The programme provides regular access to individual supervisors throughout and explicit opportunities to work in groups supported by teaching teams, to build confidence and provide a supportive environment for gaining feedback and social connection. The teaching team is committed to providing inclusive and accessible teaching materials in recognition of and in support of our diverse student body. Access to the wider post-graduate taught student community is strongly supported through cohort-wide social events and "onboarding" and study skills activities that suppport the transition to post-graduate level study and beyond. Additionally, students will have access to pre-reading material to prepare them for the programme, and to a wide range of free courses and services provided by the University Library and Writing Centre and Careers. These courses and services are designed to enhance the students' language and academic writing skills, and to support them in planning their future career.
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81	Inclusion
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83	Please confirm by ticking the box on the right that the design, content and delivery of the programme will support students from all backgrounds to succeed. This refers to the University's duties under the Equality Act 2010. You may wish to refer to the optional Inclusive Learning self-assessment tools to support reflection on this issue.									TRUE
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85	Employability
86	Please give a brief overview - no more than 5 sentences - of how the programmes helps develop students' employability. Your Faculty Employability Manager can help reflection on this issue. This statement will be used by Marketing as the basis for external content with respect to employability.
87	The knowledge and skills taught in the modules for design and research practice have been validated through collaborations between members of the teaching team with UX professionals and through application in large research projects. These techniques are currently used in both large organisations as well as small-medium enterprises, and are reviewed on a regular basis (PLO1-5). In two modules students are given opportunities to work in collaborative teams (PLO5-8) where they define aims and objectives, manage the project, and deliver outcomes against practicals and assessments. These activities are designed to mimic current iterative practices in organisations for delivering good quality interactive systems and research.
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102	Description of Structure
103	Provide a BRIEF description of the structure of the first stage (UG) or programme (PGT): this is only necessary if this is not evident from the tables above. For instance, an entry might be 'students choose X modules in Autumn Semester from List A and Y modules from List B'. For York Online programmes using the 'carousel' model, the description should include whether any modules have to be taken in a particular order (e.g. if there is an introductory module and/or any constraints on the timing of option and/or CPM or CPM-related modules).
104	All modules are core and students take up to 60 module credits per Semester.
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106	Part-Time Structure (Normally PGT Only): For part-time variants of programmes, please use the box below to specify which modules will be taken in year 1 and which will be taken in year 2 (and so on if more than 2 years).
107	N/A.
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109	Can a York Language Elective module be taken ab initio (ie beginner level) in Stage 1?									No
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111	Are students on this programme permitted to take elective modules (in place of any of their option module choices; subject to limits set out in the UG and PGT programme design policies)?									No
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113	Module List & Programme Structure