Human-Centered Design Minor
The minor in Human-Centered Design is an interdisciplinary program focused on the process of innovation for addressing human needs. The six-course minor combines engineering and design-thinking courses with a wide range of cultural, behavioral, and artistic offerings.
Students planning to pursue the minor should submit the Human-Centered Design Minor Student Worksheet.
Faculty contacts: Professor Peter Robbie (engineering sciences) & Professor Lorie Loeb (computer science).
Design Foundation (prerequisites; 2 courses)
Ethnographic Methods and Human Factors (choose 2 courses)
Ethnographic Methods
- ANTH 3: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
- ANTH 18: Introduction to Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
- ANTH 56: Introduction to Research Methods in Medical Anthropology
- SOCY 11: Research Methods
- GEOG 11: Qualitative Methods and the Research Process in Geography

“Students who become good at design become experts at a process that they can apply to anything, no matter what the problem is.” —Professor Peter Robbie
Human Factors (psychology)
- PSYC 21: Perception
- PSYC 22: Learning
- PSYC 23: Social Psychology
- PSYC 27: Cognitive Neuroscience
- PSYC 28: Cognition
- PSYC 40: Introduction to Computational Neuroscience
- PSYC 43: Emotion
- PYSC 51.11: Thinking about Thinking
Design Electives (choose 2 courses)
- ENGS 15.01: Senior Design Challenge-I
- ENGS 15.02: Senior Design Challenge-II
- ENGS 18: Systems Dynamics in Policy Design and Analysis
- ENGS 44: Sustainable Design
- ENGS 75: Product Design
- COSC 27: Projects in Digital Arts
- COSC 28: Advanced Projects in Digital Arts
- COSC 29.02: Impact Design
- COSC 29.05: UI/UX
- FILM 51: Game Design
- PBPL 43: Social Entrepreneurship
- SART 65: Architecture I
- SART 66: Architecture II
- SART 68: Architecture III
- Independent Study in a relevant discipline
Important Notes
- For Engineering Majors: If ENGS 44 or ENGS 75 is selected for the minor, it may not be counted toward the major
- Students may substitute relevant courses in the “Required Courses” section (that cover ethnographic methodology or human factors psychology) and the "Design electives" section (that focus on problem-solving of human needs and result in the creation of artifacts) with prior approval from the Faculty Advisor and the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee (Engineering Sciences).
- Before taking Design electives courses, it is recommended that students complete both courses in "Design Foundation" plus at least one course from "Ethnographic Methods and Human Factors".
- Courses may require prerequisites in addition to those noted.
- No courses, other than those used as prerequisites to the minor, may be taken under the Non-Recording Option to satisfy requirements of the minor.
- Courses used in the major cannot be used in the minor.