HCI professionals are developing the next generation of interactive computing products and services that will motivate, help and delight their users. They work across many different industries, from developing human-machine interfaces for medical and industrial equipment to applying the latest research in game design and gamification. HCI experts are playing a critical role in helping society make the most of innovations like virtual and augmented reality, robotics, IoT and generative AI.
As an HCI major, youâll work with the latest technology to design and build new, better ways to interact with computing systems and information technologies. Youâll also have the chance to contribute ÄûĂÊ”Œșœâs HCI research during your studies, which has .
You will graduate from this major with:
In the Human-Computer Interaction major, the language of instruction is English.
The tuition fee for this programme is 17 000 euros per academic year. Citizens of European Union (EU), the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland do not pay tuition fees. Citizens of other countries must pay tuition fees.
Aalto University offers a small number of scholarships in the form of tuition fee waivers to fee-paying students. Scholarships can be awarded to the highest-achieving applicants based on the programme's evaluation criteria. Applicants are ranked according to the criteria outlined on the programme's webpage.
More information on tuition fees and scholarships at Aalto University is available at the Scholarships and Tuition Fees webpage.
The Human-Computer Interaction major is part of the two-year Masterâs Programme in Computer, Communication, and Information Sciences. The programme comprises a total of 120 ECTS credits:
Students can select their minor either from the other study options in the Master's Programme in Computer, Communications and Information Sciences or from other programmes offered by Aalto University. All major and minor studies are intended to be completed during the first year, when you learn the core methodologies and techniques in the design and analysis of human-computer interaction.
Your second year is dedicated to your masterâs thesis and elective studies, where youâll have the opportunity to specialise in a chosen technical topic. The elective studies consist of additional major courses, an additional minor, multidisciplinary courses, or studies abroad. You can choose practically any combination of elective courses â from Aalto or other universities in Finland and abroad â that supports your studies and suits your interests. For example, you can take part in the Interaction Design course organised by Aaltoâs School of ARTS.
Alongside interactive lectures and seminars, the teaching in the programme emphasizes practical, hands-on learning, research, and group projects. All the teaching leads up to a capstone project â a major project that will test your ability to design, build and study a system from end-to-end.
More information about the programme content and curriculum can be found in the Student Guide. There may be some changes to the courses for the academic years 2026â2028 â the new curricula will be published in April 2026, when they will also be visible in the Student guide.
Our curricula are designed for full-time students. While master's students often work part-time during academic terms or full-time in the summer, full-time work during academic terms is discouraged. Part-time work requires careful planning and extra effort, as not most courses are available online or every year.
While there may be courses that are available online, as a general guideline, studies at Aalto University School of Science require on-campus attendance.
The HCI major has a large course selection. Once you complete the core courses, youâre free to build your study path around your interests and aspirations. And if you want to specialise, weâve grouped sets of courses around important current themes in HCI. You can follow these as written, or build a custom study path:
You can see the courses included in each specialisation in the Student Guide. There may be some changes to the courses for the academic years 2026â2028 â the new curricula will be published in April 2026, when they will also be visible in the Student guide.
From the beginning of your degree, youâll be working closely with a diverse group of international students and faculty â and there are many ways to build even more international experience during your studies. You can complete your practical training, summer courses or your masterâs thesis abroad, become a tutor for first-year students, or study a foreign language.
You will also be eligible for the Aalto exchange programme, which gives you access ÄûĂÊ”Œșœâs network of partner universities around the globe.
Aalto Universityâs HCI programme is recognised around the world, and our HCI research ranks #1 in Europe. This major will give you the foundation and technical competence needed to start your career at an international company, research institute or university. And if you aspire to work internationally, taking advantage of Aaltoâs international opportunities will help you graduate with a strong global network behind you.
Interested in earning your PhD and pursuing a career in research? The HCI major, with its focus on fundamental theory and methodologies, builds a solid foundation for doctoral studies, and you will have the chance to contribute to cutting-edge HCI research during your studies.
After graduation, many of our students have pursued academic careers at top universities like ETH ZĂŒrich, the University of Copenhagen, and the University of Lausanne.
The degree programme provides eligibility for scientific postgraduate studies in Finland. The skills learned in the programme create an excellent basis for doctoral studies at Aalto University, another Finnish university or top international universities. Doctoral graduates from Aalto University continue to researcher or other academic career or high-level business positions, among other things. Read more about applying for doctoral studies at Aalto University: /en/doctoral-education/how-to-apply-for-doctoral-studies
As an HCI professional with a strong technical edge, youâll graduate from Aalto with excellent career prospects. Your engineering and design skill set, along with your specialisation courses, capstone project experience and potential research exposure, will make you a top candidate for a competitive career.
Throughout your degree, youâll get to network with Finnish and international companies. About half our students write their master's thesis for a company, which is another way to get your foot in the door even before you graduate.
Typical graduate job titles include:
And since the programme provides essential knowledge of how to make products and services successful, it is also well suited for students who want to become entrepreneurs or work at startup companies. On the other hand, many of our graduates decide to pursue academic careers and work as researchers at top universities.
Graduates from the School of Science at Aalto University have very good employment prospects in positions corresponding to their education. On this page, you can find information about employment and career development five years after graduation.
Sami Nieminen graduated as a Master of Science in Technology in the summer of 2022, majoring in human-computer interaction.
What is it like to study in the Master's programme in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)?
As an HCI student, youâll get the chance to conduct independent research in co-operation with our active research groups. How will artificial intelligence and generative AI change the way we use computers? What will come after the mouse and keyboard as input devices? What makes a computing system trustworthy or interesting?
These questions â and many more â are being explored now in HCI-related research areas at the Schools of Science, Electrical Engineering and Arts, Design and Architecture led by:
At Aalto University, bridging different disciplines is made easy â you can choose your elective study modules so that your degree is a combination of science, technology, business, and arts. You can supplement your studies with courses from other Aalto schools and programmes as well as courses offered by other universities, including international ones. For example, HCI students can participate in the Interaction Design course organised by Aaltoâs School of ARTS. This multidisciplinary environment sparks new ideas, friendships, networks, and every so often, startups.
The research groups involved with the HCI programme collaborate closely with international companies and research groups in the field. The groups are also part of , and .
Learn more about Master's programme in Human-Computer Interaction. Watch the Webinar recording where programme representatives and students tell more about the studies, career possibilities and answer some other questions you might have.
Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) applicants meeting the general eligibility criteria for master's studies are evaluated according to the below Evaluation criteria. The evaluation process is described under Evaluation process. In addition to the obligatory application documents, this study option asks the applicants to submit also the documents listed under Requested documents.
The applications to Human-Computer Interaction - Computer, Communication and Information Sciences (CCIS) are evaluated based on the following criteria:
| What is evaluated? | Grades of the previous degree(s) and pace of studies |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
The CCIS programme is looking for applicants with excellent academic performance in their previous studies. In study options where the number and quality of applications is high, this means that the applicant has achieved consistently excellent grades throughout the degree studies (very high weighted average grade or GPA). The applicantâs prior academic performance will be evaluated based on the grade point average (GPA) and grades in key courses. The time spent on the previous studies will also be considered. All the applicantâs previous university studies, including incomplete degrees and nonâdegree studies, will be taken into consideration when evaluating academic performance. Applicants from Finnish universities of applied sciences (AMK) International applicants |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, degree certificate(s) |
| What is evaluated? | Content and scope of previous studies |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
Applicants are expected to have a high-quality Bachelorâs degree in computer science, software engineering, communications engineering, or electrical engineering. Excellent candidates with degrees in other fields including but not limited to information systems, engineering, natural sciences, mathematics or physics will be considered if they have sufficient studies in the required areas. The required university-level studies for Human-Computer Interaction are:
Advanced studies in all areas of HCI are advantageous for the applicant. The contents of the applicantâs previous degree(s) are evaluated based on the courses on the official transcript of records. Relevant work experience, professional certificates and online courses can also be taken into account in the evaluation, but they do not in general compensate for the absence of |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Transcript(s) of records, course descriptions |
| What is evaluated? | Recognition and quality of the applicant's previous institution |
| What we look for in an applicant? | We expect applicants to have completed their previous degree in a high-quality university and programme. The recognition of the applicantâs home university also affects the interpretation of the grades when evaluating the academic performance. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | International and national rankings of higher education institutions |
| What is evaluated? | Applicantâs suitability to the study option, motivation, commitment to the studies, and written communication skills |
| What we look for in an applicant? |
The applicant should be motivated to study the chosen subject and committed to fullâtime studies with a plan to complete the Masterâs degree in two years. We are looking for applicants who can express clearly the reasons for applying to the study option and describe why they would be excellent candidates for the study option. Studies in the Masterâs programme should provide genuinely new knowledge for the applicant. If the applicant already has a Masterâs or a higher degree or is studying towards one, the motivation letter should clearly indicate why another one is necessary. In most cases, non-degree studies are recommended instead. |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Application as a whole including motivation letter |
| What is evaluated? | Work experience, other qualifications and achievements |
| What we look for in an applicant? | Beyond their academic record, applicants may have other experience, knowledge and qualifications that prepare them for the Masterâs studies and distinguish them among their peers. We particularly value demanding work experience related to of the planned studies, participation in scientific research leading to publications, entrepreneurship, and special achievements such as success in competitions (e.g. Junction Hackathon). |
| Method of demonstrating competence | Curriculum vitae (CV), recommendation letters, proofs of employment, publications, other certificates, GRE or GMAT results (if available). |
This is the master version of the programme-specific evaluation criteria and its Finnish and Swedish versions are its translations.
During the evaluation of eligible applications, Human-Computer Interaction applications are first evaluated based on the following criteria:
Only the applications who fulfil the requirements for these criteria will be evaluated against the full set of evaluation criteria. It is not possible to compensate for these criteria with other criteria. This means, for example, that motivation for Master level studies in this subject does not compensate for low grades or that relevant work experience does not compensate for higher education studies in the required subjects.
After the evaluation of the remaining criteria below, the best applicants will be selected based on the joint evaluation of all five criteria.
The admission process is very competitive and only the best applicants are selected yearly. Not all applicants fulfilling the requirements can be admitted.
Applications missing any of the required study-option specific documents i.e. motivation letter, curriculum vitae (CV), self-evaluation form are rejected, and not evaluated against any of the evaluation criteria.
In addition to obligatory application documents, the applicants to Human-Computer Interaction are requested to provide the following study-option-specific documents:
*) The lack of this document will cause rejection.
In addition, these additional documents add value to your application:
2nd year student Chenyu reflects on her experience studying Human-Computer Interaction.
Computational model precisely replicates eye and finger movements of touchscreen users -- could lead to better auto-correct and keyboard usability for unique needs
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Learning Services at Aalto University School of Science
For enquiries regarding the programme-specific application documents or studies in the programme, please contact Learning Services of Aalto University School of Science
masters-sci@aalto.fi
Admission Services
For enquiries regarding the application process, obligatory application documents or English language proficiency, please contact Admission Services
admissions@aalto.fi
