{"id":44916,"date":"2026-01-27T13:48:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T18:48:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/?post_type=bu-article&#038;p=44916"},"modified":"2026-01-28T14:38:34","modified_gmt":"2026-01-28T19:38:34","slug":"com-to-offer-boston-universitys-first-degree-program-in-human-centered-design","status":"publish","type":"bu-article","link":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/com-to-offer-boston-universitys-first-degree-program-in-human-centered-design\/","title":{"rendered":"COM to Offer Boston University\u2019s First Degree Program in Human Centered Design"},"content":{"rendered":"\t<div class=\"wp-block-editorial-leadin test-block-editorial-leadin is-style-default has-media has-media-focus-center-middle\">\n\t\t<div class=\"container-lockup\">\n\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-block-leadin-media\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<img width=\"1400\" height=\"652\" src=\"\/com\/files\/2025\/10\/hcd-banner.jpg\" class=\"\" alt=\"Woman in silhouette standing in front of bands of colorful lights.\" loading=\"lazy\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/10\/hcd-banner.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/10\/hcd-banner-636x296.jpg 636w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/10\/hcd-banner-1024x477.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/files\/2025\/10\/hcd-banner-768x358.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\" \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-outer\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"container-words-inner\">\n\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"wp-prepress-tag\">graduate program<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"head\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCOM to Offer Boston University\u2019s First Degree Program in Human Centered Design\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/h1>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h4 class=\"deck\">The curriculum will instruct graduate students in design fundamentals for digital, physical and hybrid applications<\/h4>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar test-prepress-layout-metabar\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-categories\">\n\t\t\t<ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<a\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\thref=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/category\/media-science\/\"\n\t\t\t\t\t\t>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMedia Science\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-date\">January 27, 2026<\/div>\n\t\t\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-credits\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul data-credit-type=\"By\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<li>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/authors\/sophie-yarin\/\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSophie Yarin\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-metabar-share js-bu-prepress-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-twitter\"><span>Twitter<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-facebook\"><span>Facebook<\/span><\/span>\n\t\t\t<span class=\"icon-action\"><\/span>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t<div style=\"display:none;\">\n\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-inner js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t<h4>Share<\/h4>\n\t\t<p class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-title\">COM to Offer Boston University\u2019s First Degree Program in Human Centered Design<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"wp-prepress-component-share-tools-article-link\">\n\t\t\t<div>\n\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" value=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/articles\/com-to-offer-boston-universitys-first-degree-program-in-human-centered-design\/\" readonly>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<label>\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Copy URL:<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<button class=\"js-prepress-component-share-tools\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span>Copy<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<\/button>\n\t\t\t<\/label>\n\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\t\n\n\n<p>What do the language-learning app Duolingo and Heinz\u2019s inverted plastic ketchup bottle have in common? While a sophisticated computer program and a condiment container seem, on the surface, to be at opposite ends of the complexity spectrum, they\u2019re actually closely linked: Both were designed to resolve a unique dilemma faced by everyday people. Through human centered design, researchers and strategists seek to alleviate the commonplace problems of living\u2014from learning a new language to applying the right amount of sauce to a burger.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In September 2026, COM will launch <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/programs\/media-science\/master-of-science-in-human-centered-design\/\">its first dedicated human centered design (HCD) program<\/a> within its Department of Mass Communication, Advertising and Public Relations. The nine-course, two-semester program teaches a broad swath of fundamentals, such as product design and management, user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) research methods, and prototyping, that apply across a range of job fields and positions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-teal-background-right\"><p>The program recognizes that the field now requires not only capable practitioners, but leaders prepared to anticipate, shape and guide the next phase of evolution in communication. <\/p><cite>Hong Ko<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cOrganizing a program explicitly around human-centered design represents a timely and strategic opportunity for COM,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/hong-ko\/\">Hong Ko<\/a>, an associate professor of the practice of strategic communication and advertising. \u201cGlobally and institutionally, the program recognizes that the field now requires not only capable practitioners, but leaders prepared to anticipate, shape and guide the next phase of evolution in communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The goal is for students from any background\u2014technology, education, liberal arts, graphic design, healthcare, business\u2014to leverage HCD to solve the problems faced by their disciplines. \u201cExpanded access to technologies, tools and platforms has narrowed the gap between industry professionals and audiences, challenging long-standing assumptions about authorship, authority and expertise,\u201d says Ko. \u201cWhat is at stake, therefore, is not simply media production, but the human role within complex and adaptive systems in the realm of communication.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The HCD program is one of several new offerings that COM is launching over the next three semesters, all of which are designed to respond to evolving trends in communication-related fields. As artificial intelligence looms over the job market, human centered design principles put technology in service of human needs\u2014and can often use AI tools to do so. Think of your Spotify recommendation algorithm, and how it remembers the specific times of day you tend to listen to your favorite band. Or consider how TurboTax\u2019s data analysis capability can help find the deductions you may have missed on your tax return. Even Google\u2019s revamped search function\u2014which aggregates relevant information and presents it as the answer to a question\u2014is modeled after simple human interaction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhat\u2019s going to be great about this program is that it will be intentionally interdisciplinary to mirror how work actually happens in the real world,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/profile\/jen-jiun-choi\/\">Jen Choi<\/a>, an associate professor of the practice of design strategy and communication. \u201cUltimately, it\u2019s going to give students the knowledge to actually earn a seat at the table where the big strategy and innovation happen.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-style-yellow-background-left\"><p>The ability to understand people, navigate ambiguity and the ability to explain your rationale behind decisions is a skill that will never expire.<\/p><cite>Jen Choi<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<p>Under the banner of COM\u2019s mission to drive meaningful understanding through communication, core faculty members\u2014with expertise ranging from product design and research to strategic communication to software development to emerging media studies\u2014will instruct courses that cover product vision and creation, digital and physical design, and the integration of theory and practice. Students will get the opportunity to work with clients and learn industry tools in real-world contexts, and they\u2019ll also come away with an understanding of the essential human-centered design skill: designing for real human needs.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cAt its heart, human centered design is about putting people first,\u201d Choi says. \u201cWhile tools and terminology will inevitably change, the ability to understand people, navigate ambiguity and the ability to explain your rationale behind decisions is a skill that will never expire. In a world that\u2019s constantly evolving, we are focusing on the things that make us more human.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>What do the language-learning app Duolingo and Heinz\u2019s inverted plastic ketchup bottle have in common? While a sophisticated computer program&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1654,"featured_media":44041,"template":"","meta":{"bu_prepress_billboard":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term":"","_bu_prepress_primary_term_manual":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[961,1807],"bu-publication":[1472],"discipline-type":[],"bu_edition":[],"media_type":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/44916"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/bu-article"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1654"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/44916\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44974,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-article\/44916\/revisions\/44974"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/44041"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=44916"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=44916"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=44916"},{"taxonomy":"bu-publication","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu-publication?post=44916"},{"taxonomy":"discipline-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/discipline-type?post=44916"},{"taxonomy":"bu_edition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bu_edition?post=44916"},{"taxonomy":"media_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bu.edu\/com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media_type?post=44916"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}