A candidate student for UCL’s HCI programme emailed me to ask some questions about the course, so I’ve decided with his permission to put the Q&A here for the benefit of everyone else. If anyone wants to add anything, feel free to put it in the comments section.
1. What do you think about the experience and knowledge (etc.) that you gained through that course, now almost year after finishing it? Did it help in getting a great and desired job?
I think different students get different things out of the course. What I wanted out of it was some real experience doing ethnographic fieldwork and good exposure to the user experience industry. I got both of that. The course is good, but if you don’t know what to look for, you will most probably not get as much of your worth of fees out of the course.
I would recommend “keeping an eye” on your classmates – especially those who work hard, are active in HCI-related activities outside of class, and have a strong purpose of what they want to get out of the course. For someone who hasn’t had any experience in the real world, it would really benefit to learn from others who have.
I think the course is really good for that because it attracts both new and experienced students alike.
2. I am also concern if I’m doing right choosing that course and rejecting ergonomics at Loughborough. My background is in psychology, I am PC literate but have no idea how to programme (willing to learn though) etc. I also do not have any professional experience whatsoever. Now, obviously HCI is mainly about (as far as I understand) the USER, his experience and performance within various technological settings, so I guess it is more about psychology than Computer Science, but I’m not sure about that. So my concern is: do I actually have any chance of getting a job (HCI-related or ergonomics-related) after this course?
The course is skewed towards psychology and human factors. No programming needed.
However, if you are going to seek employment after the course, some jobs may require a bit of knowledge of HTML/CSS/etc., which are mostly front-end languages. It’s no harm picking it up and getting that extra advantage over someone who doesn’t.
I am currently working in a company where, incidentally, 3 of my friends from the course are working as my colleagues. One of them has strong programming knowledge while the other two don’t. We frequently get into arguments about the way interfaces should be built within the given time constraints, and it’s usually due to misunderstandings about the underlying technology.
However, it’s not a life-and-death thing. I work in a company where we build our own software. Your mileage may vary. I know other students who don’t even touch programming.
3. How many students are there each year? Is it about 30? In the UCLIC 2008 Newsletter you can find this info: “UCLIC’s teaching programme accepts about 30 students per annum, with backgrounds in psychology, computing and design disciplines.”
My year had about 40+ students. This year’s batch had 60+. Two years ago, the numbers were more like 30+. I actually prefer a smaller group. 60 is too much. 40 was just “large enough”.
I don’t know how the numbers are going to be like for this year. I don’t think they can handle more than 60, to be honest. But I’d encourage you to ask this year’s batch to find out more about their experience.
4. How strong is the ergonomic part of the course? Is it more like HCI with “elements of Ergonomics” rather than “Ergonomics”?
Ergonomics is fairly strong. Strong industry links through Rachel Benedyk’s contacts. Good opportunities for projects and hands on experience. The industry is fairly lucrative – you can get to work with Transport for London, air traffic control systems, nuclear power plants, etc etc.
5. Do all students there have a vast professional experience?
In my experience, it has been a mix. The faculty encourage that mix as well – in groupwork and otherwise. Good to learn from other students.