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What are the top East Coast graduate User Experience (UX), User Interface (UI), and Human Computer Interaction (HCI) schools?
| Ranking | School | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carnegie Mellon University | Pennsylvania |
| 2 | University of Maryland | Maryland |
| 3 | Parsons School of Design | New York |
| 4 | School of Visual Arts | New York |
| 5 | Northeastern University | Massachusetts |
Our 2025 rankings of the Top 5 graduate UX/UI/HCI school programs on the East Coast. For reference, we define the East Coast as New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, Rhode Island, Delaware, New Hampshire, Vermont, and Maine. For an explanation of ranking criteria, click here.
1. Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) has two graduate UX/UI/HCI programs. Options include a STEM-designated Master of Human-Computer Interaction (MHCI) and the terminal Master of Design (MDes) in Design for Interactions. The MHCI is the first program in the world dedicated to preparing professionals for HCI, UI research, and user-centered design (UCD) careers. The MDes is one of the nation’s oldest design programs. Graduates of the MHCI and MDes programs at CMU are routinely hired at places such as Microsoft, Apple, NVIDIA, Oracle, Amazon, Google, Bain & Company, IDEO, Mayo Clinic, and Deloitte.
2. University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland
University of Maryland (UMD) is home to the College of Information Studies (INFO College or iSchool), which houses the Human-Computer Interaction (HCIM) MS program. All HCIM students have the opportunity to participate in projects, internships, and campus events with partners such as the U.S. Department of Defense, Microsoft, and Google. The program culminates with a two-semester capstone project. HCIM alumni go on to land positions at places such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH), Microsoft, Google, Amazon, JPMorgan, Chase, IBM, The New York Times, Deloitte, Northrup Grumman, American Airlines, Cisco, PwC, Capital One, Meta, PBS, EY, Accenture, Morgan Stanley, and Ericsson.
3. Parsons School of Design, New York, New York
Parsons School of Design (Parsons) is a college within The New School. For students seeking advanced roles in UX/UI, Parsons houses a studio-based Design and Technology MFA, and an accelerated, one-year Master of Professional Studies in Communication Design (MPS CD) with a Digital Product Design concentration. Both programs are STEM-designated, with opportunities to complete an internship and collaborate on projects with partners such as Ralph Lauren and The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met). Parsons graduates have been hired at places such as Google, Microsoft, Capital One, McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, American Express, Nike, Louis Vuitton, Nokia, Vogue, and Banana Republic.
4. School of Visual Arts, New York, New York
The School of Visual Arts (SVA) is home to one of the nation’s only design programs with comprehensive digital accessibility and inclusive design course work. Known as ixD (MFA Interaction Design), the program houses its very own Creative Technologist in residence, who mentors students and shares their professional practice. Students also have access to SVA’s Visual Futures Lab. Graduates of this collaborative, studio-based program are prepared to pursue leadership roles across industries. ixD alums work at places such as Microsoft, Google, Reddit, Goldman Sacks, NYU Langone Health, Instacart, and NBC.
5. Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts
Northeastern University’s (Northeastern) College of Arts, Media and Design (CAMD) and Khoury College of Computer Sciences (Khoury College) provide several paths to study UX/UI/HCI at the graduate level. Options include the CAMD Experience Design MS and graduate certificate, and the Khoury College Computer Science MS (MSCS) with a concentration in Human-Computer Interaction. Across programs, students benefit from workshops; guest lectures; and labs that support UI/UX/HCI, extended reality (XR), and augmented and virtual reality (AR/VR) studies. Graduates have gone on to land leadership roles with the U.S. Air Force, Lockheed Martin, and NASA, and places such as Microsoft, Google, Amazon, NBC, Apple, Goldman Sachs, Disney, Oracle, Nickelodeon, AMC Networks, and Meta.