MSc in Interaction Design and Technologies
Chalmers University of Technology
Key Information
Campus location
Lindholmen, Sweden
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
2 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
SEK 160,000 / per year *
Application deadline
Request info
Earliest start date
Request info
* tuition fees for non-EU/EEA students
Introduction
From our careers and social lives to shopping and entertainment, human life increasingly takes place online, mediated through digital applications and services. This program will give you the opportunity to play a vital part in building the next generation of applications, those which may come to define how we live and work in the coming decades.
As interactions between humans and machines become ever more deeply embedded in our daily lives, they need to be refined, improved, and made as effective as possible. A system, product, or application that is simply functional or efficient is no longer enough — there must also be consideration of human factors, such as ethics, sustainability, and accessibility. Are they pleasurable to use, fun, or intriguing? When working with entertainment or educational products, you might even wish for the experience to be challenging, frustrating, or provocative.
Interaction design is the process of designing precisely these kinds of user experiences, and this Master’s program is intended for those with a keen interest in how humans interact with technology. The program, therefore, attracts students from a wide range of educational backgrounds, from computer science, software engineering, and cognitive science, to design — in all its many forms.
The technologies you will work with in this program include well-established devices like personal computers and smartphones, but also new and innovative areas of application, such as dialogue interfaces, robots, and virtual reality. You will need to become highly skilled in the design and construction of current interfaces, but also have the vision and foresight to contribute to the development of future human-machine interaction. The majority of the projects you will work with are software-based, but a number of courses and projects also involve tangible interfaces and physical prototypes built in our maker space design studio. You can work with many different tools — everything from post-it notes, cardboard, and wood to electronics, 3D printers, and laser cutters.
The program also offers excellent opportunities for students with an interest in the gaming industry. We have several game-development-related courses, led by prominent researchers in the field, and students have the possibility to collaborate with gaming companies or with students in game-design programs at Gothenburg University.
Design, technology, ethics, and user behavior form the fundamental areas for this master’s program, while a wide range of elective courses covers topics such as design processes and prototyping, human-centered design, interactive simulations, visualization, interactive art, and game development.
Career
As an interaction designer, you can work in any industry and any company or other organization that develops digital applications, systems, or machines that interact with a human. Interaction designers can be found in any software company, as well as in the game industry, or in companies that combine hardware and software in products such as cars, kitchen equipment, and smartphones. Other key areas include web design, information visualization, artistic applications such as interactive installations and live performances, and design of online services such as web shops and online banking.
Large companies such as Volvo, ABB, Google, and Microsoft are of course a place where you often find interaction designers (or UX designers which is a popular title at the moment), but you can also find work at non-profit organizations or governmental institutions. Other potential employers are start-up companies or smaller companies developing new and innovative solutions, for example in the gaming industry or in virtual reality providers. You can also work as an engineer and designer in interactive art projects and performances.
General entry requirements
A Bachelor's degree in Science, Engineering, Technology, or Architecture
To fulfill the general entry requirement for a Master's program at Chalmers (at advanced level/the second cycle), the prospective student must hold a degree that is equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree (minimum 3 years, 180 Swedish higher education credits) in either Science, Engineering, Technology or Architecture.
- All applicants must document their formal academic qualifications to prove their eligibility. Only documentation from internationally recognized universities will be approved by the Swedish Council for Higher Education which manages the website universityadmissions.se.
- If an applicant is also a holder of a second degree such as a Master's degree, that may be to fulfill specific (course) requirements, it cannot be used to fulfill the general entry requirement on its own.
In your final year of Bachelor's Studies
Students in their last year of studies who don't yet have documentation of their soon-to-be-completed degree can be accepted.
Restrictions
Degrees that are constructed on one another cannot consist of the same course
Applicants who fulfill the general entry requirements for the second cycle (master’s level) programs and eventually specific entry requirements can be admitted to a master’s program. Applicants cannot be evaluated as unqualified in the qualifying academic merits which include courses from the program’s plan in those programs that they have applied for if that occurs.
Courses included in an earned first cycle degree (bachelor’s level) or professional qualification of at least 180 cr. (180hp) or the equivalent foreign qualification that are prerequisites for master’s qualifications may not be included in the higher qualifications. This also applies to prerequisite courses for master’s programs, regardless of whether they are included in the underlying qualification. *
*) Local Qualifications Framework for Chalmers University of Technology - first and second cycle qualifications.
Restrictions for Citizens from the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (North Korea)
Chalmers cannot admit applicants with citizenship of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea only to any program or course, due to the Council Regulation (EU) 2017/1509 of 30 August 2017 concerning restrictive measures against the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and repealing Regulation (EC) 329/2007.
For applicants with double citizenship of which one is of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and the other of another country, the citizenship of the other country has precedence in this respect.