In working toward a doctoral degree, HCI students must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the HCI Graduate Program. These include:

developing an Academic Plan and the Academic Plan Committee
Passing the Preliminary Exam
Passing the Final Oral Exam
And meeting the coursework and other general requirements.
See also the requirements listed in the Graduate College Handbook

Major Professor and Academic Plan Committee (APC)

Major Professor

Every PhD graduate must have a major professor. For PhD students, the major (or co-major) professor must be a faculty member who is affiliated with Human Computer Interaction. The role of the major professor is to act as a mentor to the student in all aspects of the graduate study, including research, and guide the student's professional development. The graduate student should discuss their funding with their major professor.

>> Policy as of June 16, 2023: All HCI Ph.D. students must have an advisor/major professor with a doctoral degree. There could be a co-major professor if one of the major professors does not have a Ph.D.

Because the HCI Graduate Program is interdepartmental, major professors often have questions about advising HCI PhD students. Dr. Stephen Gilbert has prepared a helpful resource to address these common concerns.

Information about the responsibilities and expectations of the major professor can be found in section 6.4.1 of the Graduate College Handbook.

Committee Selection

It is recommended that students appoint a graduate Program of Study (POS) committee during the second semester of their graduate program. However, this should be completed no later than the end of the first semester of the second year. Committee selection must be done in coordination with the student’s major professor. The composition and responsibilities of the committee must comply with the Graduate College guidelines (see below).

The committee should include faculty whose expertise will ensure a breadth of knowledge on the committee and whose knowledge and research interests can aid and complement the student’s research interests. The committee must consist of at least five members of the Graduate College Faculty.

The committee must have at least three faculty members—including the major professor and any co-major professor—from within the Human Computer Interaction major (i.e., who are members of the HCI faculty).
One member of the committee must be outside the major (not an HCI faculty member).

>> Instructions: Navigate the Graduate Student Committee Hub

- Students should consult this how-to to create their Academic Plan Committee, submit it for approval, update an already-approved committee, and add a committee substitute for an oral exam. The Hub is a one-stop shop for tracking the committee routing process as well as any denied/cancelled committee submissions.

Academic Plan (AP)

The Academic Plan is the list of courses a student has taken or plans to take to meet the requirements of their degree. Degree-seeking students should complete their academic plan soon after their Academic Plan Committee is approved.

Ph.D. students should work with their major professor to begin planning a suitable program for completion of the HCI graduate coursework.

The student and the major professor develop the Academic Plan (AP) with the consultation and approval of their Academic Plan Committee (APC). The AP should be submitted as early as possible for approval. The AP must be approved by the DOGE in Workday at least three calendar months before the preliminary oral examination for doctoral candidates; the three calendar-month timeframe for scheduling a preliminary oral examination begins the day that the DOGE approves the AP.

It is not unusual that a student will have to make changes to an approved AP. Approval of changes to the AP are completed in Workday by the Graduate College, the major professor, all committee members, and the program’s DOGE.

>> Instructions: Complete your Academic Plan as a Graduate Student

Expired Credits

The HCI Graduate Program accepts expired courses on an HCI student's Academic Plan.

Please see the Graduate College Handbook, Chapter 6.3.4

>> Instructions: Petition to Use Expired Credits Toward a Graduate Degree