Technology, Culture and Society Department & Technology Management and Innovation Department
Program Description
Innovations in technologies redefine and reshape people's lives, changing social and cultural practices, norms and values, institutional processes, and economies and infrastructures. Working to develop new applications for existing and emerging human-centered technologies informed through rigorous, interdisciplinary research and managing socio-technical transitions is a fast-growing and highly important area of research across a number of fields and disciplines. The mission of the Tandon School of Engineering's Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design (HCTID) PhD program is to educate and train scholars who will produce pioneering research and scholarship at the vanguard of technological practice and theory.
This program fosters student research through its focus on high-quality supervision and training by faculty members with significant research strengths in a diverse range of technology-related fields, including: digital media and creative practice, design and human-computer interaction, science and technology studies, urban and environmental studies, sociotechnical complex systems, and technology management and innovation. Students in the program typically follow an individualized path based in one of four main areas of focus:
- Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)
- Design Research & Practice
- Management Science
- Computational Social Science
The Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design program is a unique interdisciplinary PhD program, offering a rigorous and flexible course of study that unites the strengths of the Departments of Technology Management and Innovation and Technology Culture & Society at the NYU Tandon School of Engineering. It is ideal for students who are primarily interested in pursuing teaching and/or research-based careers at higher education institutions. Universities with undergraduate and graduate programs that emphasize the integration of design and technology development with the critical study of society and technology or the management sciences are a primary source of career opportunities for our graduates. Similarly, government agencies, not-for-profit research organization, think tanks, corporate research centers, and research-based design and consulting firms also seek our graduates.
Admissions
To apply for admission to any Tandon graduate program, please contact the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Requirements
Admission to the Doctor of Philosophy in Human-Centered Technology, Innovation & Design program is based on an in-depth evaluation of the applicant’s academic record, professional experience, research potential, interest in doctoral study, and overall intellectual and professional qualifications. The GRE is optional, while proof of english language proficiency is required for international students.
Program Requirements
Course List
| Course |
Title |
Credits |
| 6 |
| MS Pre-Thesis in Digital Media: Research Methods | |
MG-GY 9413 | | |
MG-GY 9433 | | |
| 1 | 18 |
| Theories and Cultural Impact of Media & Technology | |
| Creative Coding | |
| Interaction Design Studio | |
| Media Law | |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL MEDIA (Developing Assistive Technology) | |
| SPECIAL TOPICS IN DIGITAL MEDIA (User Experience Design) | |
MG-GY 6313 | | |
MG-GY 6603 | | |
| Design Thinking for Creative Problem Solving | |
| SELECTED TOPICS IN MANAGEMENT (Design for Innovation with AI and ML) | |
| SELECTED TOPICS IN MANAGEMENT (Digital Civics for Social Innovation) | |
| 2 | 12 |
| Doctoral Seminar in Technology, Culture, and Society | |
| 15 |
| INDEPENDENT RESEARCH 3 | |
| |
| RE-GY 9990 | PHD QUALIFYING EXAM | 0 |
| 24 |
| PHD DISSERTATION IN TECHNOLOGY MANAGEMENT 4 | |
| Total Credits | 75 |
Qualifying Exam
Students must successfully pass the qualifying exam (QE) before starting the dissertation. The exam is given in two parts:
- Part One: This examination includes material covered in the methodology courses. It can be taken after completing 30 graduate credits.
- Part Two: This examination includes material from the thematic elective and associated thematic research courses, doctoral seminars and research methods courses. It can be taken after completing required course work.
Students can take both parts of the QE together. Results are provided within one month of the examination. Students have only two chances to pass each part of the exam, and we recommend they start during their second year.
Research Training and Interaction With Faculty
Students are expected to work actively with one or more faculty each year, and focus on completing research. Students are strongly encouraged to present research in progress once a year and work towards publishable papers, usually with a faculty as co-author.
Every student participates in formal research seminars with departmental faculty and visitors.
Advising and Evaluating
The HCTID doctoral program faculty director advises all first-year doctoral students. During their first-year students have many opportunities to get to know the research interests of all departmental faculty. By the beginning of the second year, students have selected an intermediary adviser who will guide them through the comprehensive exam process and up to the dissertation stage. By the middle of the third-year students will have selected a dissertation adviser. Each year every student submits a statement of intellectual progress to their adviser.
All faculty meet to review the progress of all students in a day-long meeting each year. At this time, the student’s intellectual progress is reviewed and plans for the following year are considered. The results of this review include a formal letter to the student assessing the previous year’s work and offering guidance for the following year’s work.
Students who have a master’s degree or who are transferring from other institutions (or other departments within Tandon) are admitted based on the same qualification standards that apply to new students. For each required MS or PhD level course, if students have taken a similar course, they may transfer credits for the course. However, students still have to take and pass both qualifying exams. A minimum of 30 credits, including all dissertation credit, must be taken at Tandon. No dissertation credits from other institutions can be transferred.
All students must take the required coursework as assigned and follow the stipulated curriculum. The course work must be finished within the first three years and the dissertation thesis within the next three years, so all students complete the doctorate within six years.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will:
- Be exposed to advanced design skills modulated by understanding of the ways in which society and technology deeply influence design and development.
- Develop advanced qualitative and quantitative research skills in the social sciences, as a basis for designing, making, and evaluating new technologies in the service of society.
- Gain in-depth knowledge in a focused thematic area related to designing and making in domains including Human-Computer Interaction, disability, media, and governance based on grassroots input, as well as a deep intersectional understanding of the interplay between technology, race, class, gender, and ability.
Policies
NYU Policies
University-wide policies can be found on the New York University Policy pages.
Tandon Policies
Additional academic policies can be found on the Tandon academic policy page.