White background with navy text that says "Welcome: Chat with the Chair of User-Centered Design." Below, two people work on a design using sticky notes.
Thomas Screnci: Hello, and thank you for joining us here at this chat with the chair of User Center design for Brandeis Online. We're going to get started. So thank you for joining this recorded session, and let's jump right into it.
Slide switches to show two headshots: Eva Kaniasty (ekaniasty@brandeis.edu) and Tom Screnci (tscrenci@brandeis.edu).
Tom Screnci speaks: I'm Thomas Screnci. I'm the Associate Director of Admissions and Enrollment here at Brandeis Online. So anything related to program questions, application admissions, processes for any of our programs, any of our of our options. Please feel free to reach out to me directly through my email address there (tscrenci@brandeis.edu), through our general inbox at the bottom of the screen (online@brandeis.edu), as well as our phone number. Very grateful to have the chair of the program. Eva can ask to be joining us as well. I'll let Eva introduce herself, and then we'll continue on Eva.
Eva Kaniasty speaks: Yeah, thanks, Tom. So I have been chair of the program for over 5 years. And I've been actively working in the user experience field for over 15. In addition to teaching, I currently work as a consultant doing a mix of research and design. And I am a big proponent of evidence-based design using science and research to support design decisions. And I try to kind of incorporate that into our curriculum. Some of the industries that I've worked in include healthcare, education and ux for startups. I've also been relatively involved in the local UX community in Boston and New England, including serving as president of UXPA, Boston UX. Professionals Association for several years, and this year I am serving as co-chair for emerging technologies and also presenting at the UXPA International Conference, which is next month in Amsterdam.
Thomas Screnci: Excellent. Thank you. Eva, all right.
Screen changes to say "Agenda." Bullet points say: "Program overview, Marketplace information, Admissions info, Open Q&A."
Tom Screnci speaks: So, jumping into our agenda first, st before we continue on, like to 1st provide a general introduction to what brand est online is, or we offer for those who are unfamiliar with us. Then jump into the details on user center design programs. Talking about the marketplace, you know faculty as well as part of the user Center design program and then wrap it up by talking about the admissions, processes for the Master's degree master's certificate, and for our non enrolled 1st time registration, single core students as well.
Slide changes to say "About Brandeis Online."
Tom Screnci speaks: I'll begin with our general introduction to Brandeis Online. What we offer is a master's degrees and certificates. So bachelor's degrees are required for anyone who is thinking of applying the programs are 100 online and asynchronous. So they're at a self paced pace so on a weekly rotation, you are doing your classwork at your own schedule. Granted, there might be projects where you need to collaborate, coordinate times rather with classmates to do group projects or anything like that for a lot of our programs. But the programs, the classes themselves are completely asynchronous. So very flexible as 90% of our students are working. Full time makes it very adaptable to any type of life needs. So you can do your work 1st thing Wednesday morning, when classes are posted Saturday at midnight. Whenever is convenient for you, it definitely makes it very accessible in that regard.
We are offering 5 8-week-long academic sessions each year. So even working part time, which is typically one course at a time, you can complete a master's certificate in under a year, and you complete a master's degree most of our degrees in under 2 years going part time.
You can, of course, go full time. Do 2 or 3 courses or more if you wanted. On average, a student is taking 9 to 12 hours a week on coursework. So to kind of give you some context as to what type of time dedication you're needing each week. That might be very helpful. So there's that information as well.
We keep our classes small, so getting to collaborate and connect with your peers with instructors getting usage of the advisory boards, any mentors as well as very accessible. So making that connection is kind of a core piece of branded online programs is not having massive classes is having smaller, more interactive courses when we can. And, as already mentioned, you can take up to 2 courses without applying. We call that our 1st time registration form. So if you're thinking of just trying out online learning, trying out branders online for a single course. That is the best way to do that as well. So from very big engagement to a degree to a limited engagement of a single course. You can definitely engage with us as much as or as little as you want.
Slide switches to list all master's degrees and certificates at Brandeis Online, which can be found at brandeis.edu/online/academics.
This is just a full breakdown of all of our master's degrees and master's certificates, which has greatly expanded in the last year. So a lot of opportunities to to explore research educational opportunities through our programs here. So just wanted to showcase the the entire selection of our programs. Of course, if you're watching this, you're probably interested in user centered design. So we'll just keep going here and jump right into the about user center design. And here's where I let Eva start to jump in and talk about our defining features. 1st off Eva over to you, please.
Slide changes to say "Program Defining Features." Grid with four features listed: "1. Human Factors/Cognitive Psychology, 2. UX Research Methods, 3. Interaction Design/Info Architecture, 4. Leadership Skills/Design Process."
Eva Kaniasty: Sure. So, despite the fact that our program is delivered online, it is instructor facilitated. So you will be kind of proceeding through each semester with all the other students who are taking that course. And our program was structured this way from the very beginning. So we have a lot of experience in terms of implementing best practices for online instruction in the UCD program. Specifically, we're very rigorous in teaching you the human factors and cognitive psychology that you need to be an effective UX professional. But we also focus on practical skills and making sure that by the time you leave you'll have projects that you can include in your portfolio. If you are searching for your next job, since that is pretty essential to user experience.
So by the time you leave the program you will have practiced a number of ux processes and methods, and you really should be ready to start contributing at a pretty high level. Whether that's your 1st ux role, or whether you're already working in the field.
Our student body is pretty diverse. And I think that's because for most adults in this day and age. It's pretty difficult to put your life on hold to go to grad school in person. So by offering online learning. We're removing some of those barriers that might limit you otherwise. And the difference from something like an online certificate, you know, as I mentioned, is that the courses are instructor facilitated. So you do get to interact with faculty and other students in group work office hours. Some instructors may do many lectures as well, and you know, I require that all faculty are available for standing office hours every week to make sure that there's ongoing student engagement, and to make sure that you know you are motivated and getting the support that you need, especially if it's the beginning of the program and it's your 1st course.
Tom, if you could go to the next slide.
Thomas Screnci: Yeah, next, slide, absolutely.
Slide changes to say "Program Curriculum." Required courses include: RUCD 101 — User Experience Design, RUCD 120 — Human Factors Psychology, RUCD 130 — Information Architecture, RUCD 140 — Research Methods, RUCD 150 — Design Ideation and Prototyping, RUCD 170 — Design Operation and Leadership, RUCD 190 — Capstone in User-Centered Design.
Eva Kaniasty: So this is an overview of our curriculum. So this is a 30 credit program that has 7 required courses and 3 electives. And our program is continually improving. We have a relatively new internship course. That's a 4 credit internship. And that's you know, for students who are career changers so that they can get that 1st internship experience and also the mentorship through the the course which is also instructor facilitated.
And we really designed this course to assist assist career changers kind of get their foot in the door by practicing what they're learning before they graduate. We also have 2 new research courses, a contextual or field research course and a survey methods course that are both are going to be offered later this year.
I find that we have had more students coming in with an interest or previous experience in user research. So having these courses will allow you to tackle more advanced topics in the research area. And then, since AI and machine learning is something that we are all kind of grappling with and encountering, I'm also currently planning to add a course that tackles this topic and how it is changing our field. And then in the last couple of years we also have expanded the range of electives that we offer, including adding courses focused on analytics, business strategy, and ethics.
Slide changes to say "Other Electives." Electives in design, project. management, analytics, strategy, and leadership are listed.
Eva Kaniasty speaks: And this is just a selection of electives. But if you actually have a special interest in any other course that's offered through Brandeis GPS, you can apply for special permission to take it, even if it isn't on our formal list of electives.
Slide changes to list UX master's certificates in Digial Accessiblity and UX Research.
Tom Screnci speaks: So in addition to the Master's program, Master's degree program, rather, we do offer 2 master's certificates as well. These can be pathways into the degree. What I mean by that is, if you decide later on. Or maybe it's your original plan to get a Master's degree after the certificate is completed, you can stack or transfer all of these credits, all these courses into your degree progress. So as it is a 10 course degree program, these 4 certificate courses would complete. Obviously a big chunk of that, leaving you with just 6 courses to remain so. You may have noticed that all these courses are part of the curriculum of the Master's degree, so very easily transferable in. So, whether you wanted to earn 2 achievements as part of your progress through your education. You can. Or if you decided, I just need a certificate, and later on, maybe you decide to get a degree.
You will have that option. So these are definitely great ways to expand your knowledge and experience in user center design related fields, whereas the degree is obviously going to be a bigger, deeper dive with research and internship opportunities as well.
Thomas Screnci: Thank you. I think the next is, is just a little jumping into a little more depth of a required course. One of the key courses here. So if you wouldn't mind jumping into a little more detail the breakdown of our user experience design course. Please. So now we'd like to break down 2. We're gonna spotlight 2 courses. So hand it back over to Eva to give us some in more information on our 1st course, which is user experience, design. Eva.
Slide switches to say "Required Course Spotlight." RUCD 101: User Experience Design. Bullet points say, "Discover key methodologies for understanding users, including personas, stories, and storyboards; Develop foundational interactional design skills, including sketching, wireframing, and prototyping; Understand common approaches to usability evaluation, including heuristic evaluation and usability testing."
Eva Kaniasty: Sure. So user experience design is offered every session and this is a foundational course that will introduce you to the user-centered design process and its associated methods, including design, thinking, interaction, design, and usability testing.
And, as I mentioned, just like with all our courses, you will gain practical experience in creating realistic deliverables to add to your portfolio. This is something that we focus on across our curriculum so that you can create a portfolio while you're while you're learning, and it's not something that you have to leave, you know, to the end where you're looking for your 1st job opportunity.
Another thing, I'll add, is that all of our courses go through every development process every couple of years, to make sure that all the learning, materials and methods are up to date. And then, since this is a foundational course, if you are already working in the field, you can actually apply for a waiver and take a more advanced course in its place.
And then perhaps you could go to the next slide.
Slide switches to say "RUCD 120: Human Factors Psychology." Bullet points say, "Understand the historical context and future trends in fields of human factors, ergonomics, inclusive design, and user-centered design; Examine the capabilities and limitations of human perception and cognition, and their relationship to effective design."
Eva Kaniasty: So we are also offering a number of other courses, including human factor psychology. This is our most purely academic course, and I think it is one of our primary differentiators from something like a certificate or boot camp. I myself teach this course at least twice a year and even though there is a lot of advanced readings in theory in this course, the projects are still practical, so that you're applying what you're learning during a real world design challenges as opposed to just, you know, reading a textbook.
Thomas Screnci: Thank you, Ava. So now we're going to shift gears away from our courses and start talking about industry, insights, marketplace information. So Eve, would you mind jumping into this topic? Please.
Slide switches to say "Marketplace Information." Bullet points say: "10.9% industry growth over the next decade; In the past year, over 74, 839 user-centered design related jobs posted in the U.S.; Median salary: $109k; UX managers make on average $150k, user researchers $107k, designers $115k."
Eva Kaniasty: Sure, there is definitely still opportunity in the field companies continue. They're going to figure out how to build UX and research into their existing processes, and I think this will continue to be true for many years to come. At the same time people are coming into the field with very diverse backgrounds. So there are a lot of niches to find kind of based on your strengths and interests and past experience. So you could end up working exclusively, designing for healthcare or work on, let's say, mobile app design or cyber security, and what we see is usually there is, you know, every few years. There is another kind of area or domain that becomes a focus for a lot of companies. So cybersecurity currently is one of those areas.
And because Ux is still changing very quickly as a field, it's very collaborative in nature. So most of the job opportunities that you will see up there do require strategic thinking and leadership skills. And you'll see fewer, purely entry level jobs. Having said that, I'm sure that you know that the tech industry has gone through some ups and downs recently. And and what I'm hoping will happen is that eventually that will actually lead to more entry level hiring, since usually as companies kind of become leaner and more efficient, they end up having room for for new talent to come in.
Whatever happens in the future. Having a master level credential can make a big difference in getting your foot in the door or transitioning to leadership level. It was definitely the case for me when I got my master's, and we do have a required leadership course in the program to make sure that you do have developed those skills, and as well as electives that will prepare you to work on product teams applying processes like agile.
The last thing I will add here is that the pandemic definitely had a significant impact in terms of having more hybrid and remote work opportunities. Which means that I'm going forward. I don't think we're going to be as limited by geography as we have been in the past, especially in terms of UX research. Most of that is being conducted online these days, and it actually makes it easier to access target users that way. So I think that's a trend that's here to stay.
Thomas Screnci: Yeah, definitely trying to see across industries. So that's something something very noteworthy like Eva. So continue on transitioning to our faculty can give us information about that. Would you mind jumping into this? Please.
Slide switches to say "UCD Faculty Job Titles." Bullet points say: Principal UX Architect for Cox Automotive, User Experience Lead at Dell Technologies, Head of UX and Digital Accessibility at Harvard University Library, Corporate Vice President of User Experience at New York Life Insurance."
Eva Kaniasty: Sure. So, as I mentioned previously, one thing that we try to do is keep our courses and curriculum current and relevant to what's happening out there in the real world of work. And we do this in a few ways.
One of the primary ways is that our faculty do work in the field. They're not strictly academics. So they engage with us part time, and they bring their domain expertise. And we teach them how to teach online following our standards. Being online also means that we're not geographically limited in hiring faculty. So we can hire the best people for the job regardless of their location. We just hired someone to teach the information architecture course, who's actually in Canada. So what you're looking on at this slide are some of the job titles of our faculty members. And then, Tom, if you could go to the next slide.
Slide switches to say "Advisory Board."
Eva speaks: We also have a pretty engaged advisory board, as well as a team of industry mentors who are available to you for kind of ad hoc, mentoring or coaching as well as ongoing professional development. And again, here our goal is to help you build your portfolio, develop your professional network and really become prepared to advance your career to the next level, not just academically, but also in terms of the professional development. And once you complete 2 courses in the program. You're eligible to request to be connected to a mentor. And you can, you know, develop a long term relationship with that mentor, or you can get mentoring from any of the other mentors as well. If your goals or needs change.
Thomas Screnci: Awesome. Thank you, Eva. So now we're going to jump into the admission side of things. This is where I will take control from Eva. So thank Eva for all the information you shared thus far.
Slide switches to say "Application Checklist." List says: "1. Online Application, 2. Official transcripts, 3. Resume, 4. Statement of goals, 5. Letter of recommendation." NO GRE or GMAT required.
Tom Screnci speaks: So when it comes to the degree application checklist, as you can see here, it's a very straightforward application, with no application fee or standardized testing requirements as part of the application process. The application is, of course, on our website online.
We would require official transcripts from all your previous institutions, as it relates to your bachelor's degree. If you want to submit Master's Degree information, it's always great to have, although not technically required for the application process so important information. There we can review applications with a copy of a transcript, so we can make admissions decisions, but to remain a fully enrolled, approved student, we would need official transcripts by the end of your 1st session, so just keep that in mind. But official transcripts are, of course, ideal.
We need a copy of your resume, and your resume can be as long as you want it to be. It can be 3, 4 pages long, if you like, giving us a lot of detail of the projects and different works you've done on in this field or related fields, so giving us as much context as you want. We're not judging you too heavily on the layout of your resume. It's more about the content of your resume more than anything. So keep that in mind as you're working on updating, it is the concept is the most important thing.
A 500 word statement of goals is also required. Really, you just saying why you're applying to this program, maybe. Why you're picking Brandeis, which hope to gain through the program. Some people will use the statement of goals to explain. Maybe rocky aspects of undergraduate learning, experience, life changes, career changes. If this is a big career jump and your professional career, your educational background aren't exactly aligned. It's a great place for you to kind of explain or give us more detail. I should say, about that transition you're going through, so feel free for it to be 500 words, which is less than a page, or it can be 2, 3 pages long. If you want to give us a lot of more information that's totally up to you. But 500 words or more is the the minimum requirement, please.
Lastly, we require one letter of recommendation. This can be a current or former manager or supervisor ideally. If you are a younger grad, someone who's overseeing you in an internship or research project is also suitable. But a manager supervisor is the preferred person. You're more than welcome to send 2 or 3 even more letters of recommendation. It's totally up to you. One is a minimum. One satisfies the requirements, and it's perfectly acceptable. So that's also important.
I also like to note that when you're filling out the application, if you enter the letters of recommendation candidates in the application, we will email them. We'll give them prompts as to what to write, so some people might not be the most vocal or most familiar with writing essays or recommendations. We will give them prompts to go off of, so you can give them some comfort if you talk to somebody, and they're a little hesitant about writing it. We will help them out with that process. So important information.
We have our 2 fall sessions open for admission. There's a little bit of a delay as we are transitioning fully into our 8 week long session. So yeah, we have the summer off this year alone, and have our 2 next academic sessions starting this fall in late July, and then in September. So those are 2 opportunities at the current present time for applications.
When it comes to a certificate, or even just a single course, the process is much more simplified. We just require you to fill out the application for the certificate on our website, which includes submitting a resume telling us about your bachelor's degree, and from there we can review it and start the enrollment process with you.
A single course is very similar process. I don't think there's an official resume required. You can, of course, include one always great to see, but it is just for a single course that form the 1st time registration form. You can do 2 courses as a non enrolled student non enrolled, meaning you're not part of a degree or certificate program. So once you're interested in a 3rd course, you would need to apply for a certificate or the degree program. But you can do up to 2 courses, not part of any program. So it's a great way to test our program. If you just wanted some professional development. That's a great way to do that as well as through that form as well, and please feel free to reach out to to myself with any questions about any of those processes.
Slide switches to display contact information for Tom (tscrenci@brandeis.edu) and Eva (ekaniasty@brandeis.edu).
Tom speals: So we usually hold questions in a live session here. But this is our recorded session. So let's skip right to our last slide here, which is just us saying, Thank you so always a big thank you to Eva. I know how busy she can be. I ran into her in person for the 1st time in a year this past weekend, so it was great to see you in person, so I always appreciate Eva's time. So thank you very much, and thank you to you as a viewer for for joining us in this session.
Please feel free to email myself or Eva direct with questions. I'm the best contact for any admissions or program general information as well. And of course you can use our general information on the bottom to contact us, too. So with that, let me end our recording and thank you for joining us today and hoping to hear from you soon.
Eva speaks: Thank you.