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Human-Centered Design Minor

The human-centered design (HCD) minor is focused on the process of innovation for addressing human needs, and offers a creative discipline that can be applied to a wide range of fields.

The minor consists of three sections:

  1. foundation course in engineering problem-solving and design thinking
  2. courses in social science that inform design practice
  3. a culminating set of design electives

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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

The six-course HCD minor—Dartmouth's most popular minor—gives students the tools, mindset, and framework for creative problem-solving that integrates the human perspective at every step to develop products, systems, and experiences that generate positive change.

Required Electives

Please note that some courses may require prerequisites in addition to those noted. Check with Dartmouth's Undergraduate Registrar for exact requirements. 

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 TYPENUMBER OF REQUIRED COURSESCOURSES
Section 1: Design Foundation*1 courseENGS 12: Design Thinking
Section 2: Ethnographic Methods and Psychology**2 courses

Choose 2 courses from the following, with 1 course from outside of the student’s major department:

ANTH 3: Introduction to Cultural Anthropology
ANTH 18: Research Methods in Cultural Anthropology
ENGS 15.07: Research Methods for Human-Centered Design
GEOG 11: Qualitative Methods and the Research Process in Geography
PSYC 22: Learning
PSYC 23: Social Psychology
PSYC 28: Cognitive Psychology
PSYC 38: Cognitive Neuroscience
PSYC 43: Emotion
PSYC 50.02: Decision Making
PSYC 51.11 Thinking
PSYC 53.10: Social and Affective Motivations in Decision-Making
PSYC 53.12: The Behavior of Groups
PSYC 53.13: Social Neuroscience
SOCY 11: Research Methods

Section 3: Design Electives***
 		3 courses

Choose 3 courses from the following:

COSC 23.01: Augmented and Virtual Reality Design
COSC 25.01: Intro to UI/UX Design I
COSC 25.02: Intro to UI/UX Design II
COSC 27: Projects in Digital Arts
COSC 28: Advanced Projects in Digital Arts
COSC 29.06: Digital Tangible User Interfaces
COSC 63.01: Augmented and Virtual Reality Development
COSC 67: Introduction to Human-Computer Interaction
COSC 89.34: Human-Centered Generative AI
ENGS 15.01: Senior Design Challenge I
ENGS 15.02: Senior Design Challenge II
ENGS 15.09: Design Ethics
ENGS 15.11: Design & Education
ENGS 15.12: Design & Entrepreneurship
ENGS 18: System Dynamics in Policy Design and Analysis
ENGS 19.01: Future of Energy Systems
ENGS 21: Introduction to Engineering
ENGS 44: Sustainable Design
FILM 51: Game Design 
PBPL 43/ ECON 77: Social Entrepreneurship
SART 65: Architecture I
SART 66: Architecture II

* It is recommended that students take ENGS 12 first. 

** Students majoring in Cognitive Science, Cultural Anthropology, Neuroscience, Psychology, and Sociology may substitute an additional course from "Section 3" in place of a second course from "Section 2". 

*** When possible, it is recommended that students complete the course under "Section 1" and at least one course under "Section 2" before taking courses under "Section 3". 

Course Planning

Students planning to pursue the minor should complete the Human-Centered Design Minor Student Worksheet and submit it to Professor Peter Robbie. Students must also enter their HCD minor plan on Dartworks. Keep the following considerations and guidance in mind when planning out your HCD minor.

  • No course may be used for both a major and a minor, although a course may used to as a prerequisite to the other or a prerequisite to both. Satisfactory completion of the minor requires a grade point average of 2.0 in the courses beyond the prerequisites suitable for satisfying the minor.
  • No courses other than those used as prerequisites to the minor may be taken under the non-recording option.
  • No more than one transfer course may be used for the minor.
  • All engineering majors: Only ENGS courses numbered below 20 may be counted toward the minor. Otherwise, courses taken for the major cannot be used to satisfy requirements of the minor.

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

Guide to Programs & Courses

Questions? Contact undergraduate.engineering.advising@dartmouth.edu.