Where to Study HCI

Three years ago, when I decided on an advanced degree in Human-Computer Interaction, I couldn't find local schools. Good grief - I live in Southern California, not...Iowa! Yet, there seemed to be many HCI programs on the other side of the country. And yes, even in Iowa. When nearing completion of my degree (from Rochester Institute of Technology in New York, thanks to options allowing us humans to join class via a computer - a rarity in Human-Computer Interaction apparently), I joined the Usability Professionals Association (UPA) but found only two local UPA chapters. So, when I got the opportunity to try ArcGIS Online, a system that allows anyone to build and share intelligent maps, I tried this small project. The map confirmed what I suspected...West Coast crickets for HCI.


View Larger Map

As of this writing, the map is for the United States only and includes the following layers which can be turned on or off (bring up the larger map to control layers, view the legend, see nicer pop-ups, etc.):

• schools offering degrees in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) or Human-Centered Computing (HCC)


• schools offering degrees with an HCI track/concentration
  
• schools offering HCI-related degrees


• UPA chapters


• SIGCHI chapters

I'd also like to build a slicker map and overlay some other interesting things...perhaps companies with full-fledged User Experience divisions. If you notice something missing or incorrect, let me know.