Master of Professional Studies in User Experience (UX) Design

User experience (UX) design is the art and science of creating products, services, and systems that provide users with meaningful, efficient, and satisfying experiences. With a human-centered design approach, UX designers deliver innovative solutions to complex real-life problems.

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Designing the Experience

UX is the experience a user has while interacting with a product, service, system, or any designed artifact. UX Design applies human-centered design methods to complex systems that enhance human experiences, focusing on the interfaces between people, products and systems.

For example, is a website visually appealing? Does it have a clean layout and consistent branding? Is an application easy to navigate? Is the information the user is seeking prominently displayed with responsive design and touch-friendly elements? UX design also extends beyond the digital world. For example, are products in a retail store arranged logically to guide customers effortlessly through their shopping experience, with clear signage and easy access to items? In a hospital, are the appointment scheduling process and waiting room experience improving the quality of service patients receive? Whether it’s a digital product or a physical environment, UX design is about understanding how people interact with products, services, and spaces and ensuring that these interactions are as intuitive, efficient, satisfying, and user-friendly.

This is the Only Graduate-Level Program of Its Kind in Connecticut.

Our program fills a significant gap in the current program offerings in Connecticut. While other institutions incorporate some UX design courses in their graduate degree programs, ours is the only one that offers a degree specifically tailored to UX design.

You will begin by building a foundation in human-centered design tools and methodologies. Then, you’ll develop your knowledge through structured UX projects and theoretical courses that emphasize the interfaces between people, products and systems. With this degree, you will have more to offer potential employers, thanks to your in-depth understanding of the field and your ability to conceptualize, visualize, and use the design applications to put your ideas into usable form. In you, they will have the whole package.

UX Design is, by nature, interdisciplinary

UX design draws inspiration from the fields of psychology, technology, engineering, business, marketing, software development, and communication. That's why individuals with these backgrounds are so welcome in the UX design field.

The curriculum of our Master of Professional Studies in User Experience (UX) Design pulls in all these disciplines and equips our graduates with the skills to thrive in this challenging and exciting field.

Another Résumé-Strengthener and Career Enhancer: This Is a STEM program

It’s no secret that the demand for professionals with STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) degrees continues to surge. The Department of Homeland Security has awarded our M.P.S. in UX Design this STEM distinction.

International students with this degree are eligible for an additional 24 months of work authorization after completing their first 12 months of the Optional Practical Training (OPT).

Where Will You Land Your First Job?

According to the “Future of the Creative Economy Report 2021” by Deloitte, almost all typically non-creative industries now have a demand for creative work. These industries have realized the need for the outside-the-box thinking and design skills that will better engage potential customers with their products and services.

These industries include:

  • Insurance
  • Banking
  • E-Commerce
  • Education
  • Technology and Software Development
  • Health Care
  • Travel and Hospitality
  • Retail
  • Social Services
  • The Government

Here are just a few of the job titles that could be yours:

  • UX Researcher
  • UX Designer
  • Customer Experience Designer
  • Interaction Designer
  • Usability and UX Specialist
  • Product Designer

Envision Your Future

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs for UI (user interface)/UX designers will grow by 23% from 2021 to 2031 — much faster than for other occupations. The terms UI and UX may be used interchangeably, but there is a difference between the two areas. UI design refers to the visual elements (e.g.,buttons, icons, etc.) of a digital product, whereas UX design is about the product's overall usability and the quality of human-machine interactions.

The average salary of a UX designer in the U.S. is $110,392 per year*. But where do you want to live? Here’s the breakdown of a UX designer on staff's average income by city:

$110,745

New York

$101,851

Los Angeles

$88,904

Chicago

Selected Courses and Programs

  • This course provides an overview and introduction to human-centered design. The nature of human-machine interactions will be studied, with an emphasis on improving UX for accessibility and inclusivity. Students will learn how to use prototypes to explore, test, and communication design ideas.

  • This course covers the conceptual skills and issues pertaining to the design of interfaces for digital products, with a comprehensive investigation of the interface design process. Students will learn to design interfaces that are meaningful to users and applicable to a range of contexts: web, mobile, desktop, and beyond. Emphasis will be on aesthetic issues such as iconography, layout, colors, and typography as well as on site evaluation, content, structure, audience, and industry best practices.

  • Students will delve into the human psychological side of human-computer interaction, from smart phones to virtual reality. Although the focus will be on cognitive psychology, students will learn concepts relating to human factors of perception, memory, decision making, and social psychology. Each topic will be discussed in the context of UX.

  • The primary focus of this course is on data visualization tools and techniques. The course will use Tableau Desktop and Tableau Public data visualizations tools. Emphasis will be on connecting to external data sources and transporting data into interactive dashboards.

  • This course introduces students to the world of augmented, mixed, and virtual reality interfaces and focuses on developing the skills necessary to create user interfaces that enable fully immersive virtual world experiences. The course also will address the diverse challenges and opportunities in user experience design when incorporating AI components in either a structural, agentive, or evaluative role.

Learn from professors who are dedicated to your success.

Our faculty are leaders and innovators in their fields, bringing both deep professional experience and academic rigor to the classroom.

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From career assessments, networking, and job shadowing to on-campus interviews and salary negotiation, the Career Development Center provides the skills and connections to identify a meaningful career and an opportunity to pursue your passion.

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Next Steps

  • An advanced degree from the University of New Haven will help you take your career to the next level. Each program offers convenient scheduling, personalized attention, and state-of-the-art facilities.

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  • The University of New Haven Graduate School is an excellent value with reasonable tuition. Of course, you will still have bills to pay and the Financial Aid office can help.

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