Human-Technology Interaction is a two-year fulltime master’s program.
In the first year, you follow in-depth courses related to human behavior and specialize in one of the following technical fields:
You can also combine courses from different technological fields. You will then learn how to integrate and apply this knowledge in short projects.
In the second year, you can go abroad or opt for an internship and additional elective courses. You then work on your graduation research.
International internship opportunities
A period at a university outside of the Netherlands is a possible component of your second year. This will help you to expand your knowledge and broaden your perspective on the interaction between humans and technology. During this period, you will attend lectures or collaborate on a research project that connects to your studies at TU/e. The HTI program has strong ties with leading universities abroad.
Project options
Following your international studies, you will spend the rest of the second year working on the remaining courses and your graduation research. The graduation research takes half a year. You conduct your research individually and are supervised by a researcher from the HTI group. You can do your research at the university but also at a company or public institution. Your project will focus on a new research question concerning the interaction between humans and technology.
More information about the curriculum?
User Experience Design
User Experience (UX) Design is all about understanding people so that we can develop interactive systems that align with their needs, desires, abilities and habits. People also use the term ‘human-centered design’ to mean that technology should be designed for effectiveness and usability but also for fun or enjoyment and human values. You will learn new theories and techniques but also get hands-on experience in evaluating and designing new technology that is optimally tailored to the user.
Advanced Data Analysis
Here, you will not only learn more advanced statistical techniques (path models, contrast analyses) but also strengthen your understanding of the statistics that you learned during the bachelor’s phase. You will develop a more critical attitude toward data analysis and gain experience working on the analysis of issues that are relevant to the HTI domain.
Meta-science
How can we improve the manner in which we conduct research in order to generate reliable knowledge more efficiently? Where can technical solutions support the research process and make it more transparent? In what ways can psychological processes, such as confirmation bias, distort research results and how can we prevent this? In this course, you will learn about research on research: how does science work and how could science work?
Literature Study of Real-world Case
In the business world, you often work on specific problems for which it is important to quickly acquire a good overview of the existing knowledge in that area. To prepare you for this experience, it is good to learn how to use scientific knowledge in your communication with people in business. In this course, you will work in groups to translate a piece of scientific knowledge on a particular subject into a case from the business world and you will deliver something that the client can use to move forward.
CBL per track
After your program, the projects you work on in the business world will almost always be more socially oriented than what you were used to as a student at TU/e. In this project, you will work in a group on an open challenge that connects to your track with a case that stems from or is related to a societal problem and in which several directions are possible. It is up to you and your group to find that direction and, under the guidance of a coach, to create something that can have societal impact.
In addition, all tracks include some of the core elective courses listed below, sometimes in combination with technical courses (additional courses can also be included in your elective space).
Advanced Cognition (Human-Centered AI track)
Advanced Cognitive Engineering (Behavioral & Social Computing track)
Advanced Perception (Environmental Psychology track)
Advanced Social Psychology (Robots for Humans track)
Environmental Psychology (Environmental Psychology track)
Human-AI Interaction (Human-Centered AI & Robots for Humans tracks)
Human Robot Interaction (Robots for Humans track)
Network Society (Behavioral & Social Computing track)
Social Media & Life Online (Behavioral & Social Computing track)
Super Crunchers (Behavioral & Social Computing track)
Psychology of Light and Time (Environmental Psychology track)
Quantified Self in Health (Environmental Psychology track)
Note for students from outside the Netherlands
Due to the fact that levels and areas of study can vary widely around the world, students from outside the Netherlands will be expected to complete an individual study program to ‘fill in the gaps’ and ensure that relevant knowledge is up to speed. You follow this program in your second year, instead of the standard international internship. It comprises extra undergraduate (minor / pre-master's) courses to a maximum of 15 ECs.