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Other Major Modified w/ Human-Centered Design

Any major may be modified with human-centered design, with necessary approvals. A major modified with human-centered design includes three prerequisites, plus a total of four courses selected from Ethnographic Methods and Human Factors/Psychology and Design. The modified major should be planned as a unified, coherent whole, and not consist of a series of unrelated courses.

For additional information about majors, courses, and degree requirements:

Guide to Programs & Courses

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Student Testimonials

Students discuss the benefits of adding human-centered design (HCD) to their Dartmouth education.

Human-Centered Design at Dartmouth

HCD is for students who want increased confidence in their ability to think and act creatively through interdisciplinary collaboration, ideation, and prototyping.

Prerequisites

Unless otherwise prohibited, prerequisites may be taken under the non-recording option. Any course being used to satisfy major or minor requirements beyond the prerequisites, may not be taken under the non-recording option.

COURSE TYPE NUMBER OF REQUIRED COURSES COURSES

Mathematics

1 course

MATH 3: Calculus

Section 1: Design Foundation*

2 courses

ENGS 12: Design Thinking
ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering

* Prerequisite courses may be taken concurrently with most other required elective courses. When feasible, it is recommended that students take ENGS 12 before ENGS 21.

Required Courses

COURSE TYPE NUMBER OF REQUIRED COURSES COURSES

Electives

4 courses

Choose 4 courses, from the following with at least one being from each section:

Ethnographic Methods and Human Factors/Psychology*
ANTH 3: Intro to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 18: Intro to Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
ENGS 15.07 Research Methods for Human-Centered Design
GEOG 11: Qualitative Methods and the Research Process in Geography
SOCY 11: Research Methods
PSYC 22: Learning
PSYC 23: Social Psychology
PSYC 28: Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 38: Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 43: Emotion
PSYC 50.02: Decision Making
PSYC 53.10: Social and Affective Motivations in Decision-Making
PSYC 53.12: The Behavior of Groups
PSYC 53.13:Social Neuroscience

Design**
ENGS 15.01: Senior Design Challenge I
ENGS 15.02: Senior Design Challenge II
ENGS 18: System Dynamics in Policy Design and Analysis
ENGS 19.01 Future of Energy Systems
ENGS 44: Sustainable Design
ENGS 75 :Product Design
COSC 23.01: Augmented and Virtual Reality Design
COSC 25.01: UI/UX Design I
COSC 25.02: UI/UX Design II
COSC 28: Advanced Projects in Digital Arts
COSC 29.04/PBS 15: Impact Design
FILM 51: Game Design
PBPL 43/ECON 77: Social Entrepreneurship
SART 65: Architecture I
SART 66: Architecture II
SART 68: Architecture III

* Courses in psychology require PSYC 1 or PSYC 6 as a prerequisite. Check with Dartmouth’s Undergraduate Registrar for the exact requirements. For engineering sciences majors, only ENGS courses numbered 20 or below may count toward the minor.
** Before taking courses under “Section 3: Design Electives,” it is recommended that students complete both courses under “Section 1: Design Foundation” and at least one course under “Section 2: Ethnographic Methods and Human Factors/Psychology.” No engineering sciences courses numbered 20 and above may be taken under the Non-Recording Option.

Course Planning

Due to the potential overlap between the human-centered design courses and existing majors, there is potential for creating a program of study that does not add significant value beyond a straight major. Students wishing to modify their major with HCD should have a proposed plan showing the following:

  1. a strong intellectual rationale
  2. something new and significant that is not possible with the straight major
  3. no significant overlap in courses between the modifier and the primary field of the major

Students should discuss their plans with their major advisor and the HCD minor faculty advisor, Professor Peter Robbie , before they submit their major declaration. Formal proposals for the modified major require approval of both the major department and Professor Vicki May Engineering Sciences Associate Dean for Undergraduate Education.

For additional information about majors, courses, and degree requirements, see:

Guide to Programs and Courses

Questions? For course planning questions, please contact Professor Peter Robbie.