The Master of Science in Information Experience Design (IXD) program is an innovative blend of the information science (IS), human-computer interaction (HCI), and user experience (UX) disciplines. The IXD program educates students and prepares them for careers in the rapidly growing UX profession, which includes UX designers, information architects, interaction designers, UX researchers, usability analysts, and content strategists.
With its empathetic, research-based, and human-centered approach to technology design, the IXD program teaches students to be well-rounded UX professionals who are not just strong designers but also skilled researchers, communicators, and strategists.
The IXD program teaches students how to design understandable, useful, and engaging digital interfaces and become well-rounded UX professionals. The program is designed for people from any background; previous design or technical knowledge/experience is not a prerequisite.
The IXD program is not a UX boot camp. It is an intensive two-year graduate program where students will not only learn the knowledge and skills needed to be a UX professional, but also engage with creative, critical, and ethical challenges. Throughout their time in the program, students will create a unique and strong UX portfolio that is essential for a career as a UX professional.
For international students, please note that the IXD program is designated as a STEM program by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and thus qualifies for the STEM optional practical training (OPT) extension for F-1 students.
What will you do?
Recent job titles obtained by program graduates include:
UX/UI Designer
UX Researcher
Product Designer
UX Specialist
Information Architect
Design Researcher
Where will you work?
A selection of organizations where these graduates work:
Throughout the IXD program, students will create a digital portfolio to highlight the work they have completed and demonstrate they have met the program’s five student learning outcomes:
Research – Apply appropriate research methods to identify meaningful insights about people’s needs, behaviors, and experiences
Communication – Compose compelling narratives and convey information to diverse stakeholders using appropriate communication styles (visual, written, and/or oral)
Tools – Choose and effectively employ industry-standard software associated with all phases of the user-centered design process
Experience Design – Create quality digital interfaces through an iterative and purposeful user-centered process that incorporates relevant technical, social, and cultural factors
Ethical Practice – Construct a strong professional identity that reflects a commitment to the ethical application of design and research and critically considers their impact on individuals, communities, or ecosystems.
School of Information courses are small (average class size is 12 students) and are held at 11:30 AM, 3 PM, and 6:30 PM, with the evening session offering the most options to help accommodate students who are working during the day. 80-90% of courses are held in-person at Pratt Manhattan Center, and 10-20% are held online. Select required courses in the IXD program include:
INFO 643 Information Architecture and Interaction Design This course provides students with practical knowledge and hands-on experience designing digital interfaces from a user-centered perspective through an exploration of the dual practices of information architecture and interaction design.
INFO 644 Usability Theory and Practice Students will learn and apply usability principles and gain hands-on experience with several common usability evaluation methods, including traditional user testing and inspection- and field-based methods.
The IXD program also offers a wide-variety of elective courses. A selection of them includes:
Selecting a program concentration allows IXD students to focus their studies and build a cohesive set of knowledge and skills targeted to a specific career pathway within the User Experience (UX) profession. Students are encouraged to select a concentration early in their studies, but are also free to create their own customized study plan based on their career interests and academic goals.
Two program concentrations are available:
The Design concentration is for students interested in designing engaging and understandable digital interfaces and services. Coursework in this concentration emphasizes the full user-centered design lifecycle, from discovery research and content architecture to ideation and prototyping.
This concentration prepares students for the following types of roles:
The Research and Evaluation concentration is for students interested in understanding user needs, identifying insights to inform design decisions, and evaluating digital products. Coursework covers both qualitative and quantitative methods for gathering user feedback, assessing design quality, and measuring user engagement.
This concentration prepares students for the following types of roles:
Our faculty consists of full-time faculty, who are researchers and scholars holding doctoral degrees, and our part-time faculty, who are accomplished professionals holding a range of roles in New York City institutions and companies. Full-time faculty members act as advisors to students, help connect career goals with the program curriculum, and teach over half of the courses.
All applicants are considered for merit scholarships during review of applications; a separate scholarship application is not required. Scholarships are significant and can cover up to 80% of the cost of tuition. For students in good academic standing (i.e., if the student maintains a minimum 3.0 GPA), merit scholarships are automatically renewed for the second year of study.
Fellowships
Second-year students in the program can apply for a nine-month fellowship with a leading NYC organization. IXD students have completed fellowships at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian Design Museum, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and the Museum of Modern Art.
Other Support
Support for research-based scholarly and/or creative projects that enhance students’ professional development—individually or through small student teams—is available through the Graduate Student Engagement Fund (GSEF). Students can also take advantage of research opportunities working closely with individual faculty or with the team through graduate assistant funding, including at the Center for Digital Experiences.
In addition to support from the School of Information office, all students are assigned a faculty advisor upon entry, and can access a variety of services from Pratt’s Student Services division.
The School of Information meetup at the Whitney Museum of American Art (photo by Carol Choi)
The School of Information has five student groups that enrich the academic experience by organizing guest lectures, workshops, tours, site visits, and other events that will help deepen and expand your professional network. IXD students created the first student chapter of the User Experience Professionals Association (UXPA): UXPA@Pratt. Students can also form new organizations through Pratt’s Office of Student Involvement.
IXD students also participate in School of Information activities, such as the annual showcase of student work (Infoshow).
Located at the crossroads of the Greenwich Village and Chelsea neighborhoods, our home at Pratt Manhattan Center offers an excellent environment that provides easy access to all that New York City has to offer. Our specialized facilities facilitate our hands-on curriculum: from usability eye-tracking studies to archival reformatting projects and beyond. Specialized facilities designed specifically to support our IXD program include:
The User Experience Lab Participant Room is a space designed for bringing in participants for testing various interfaces, such as desktop and mobile interfaces, as well as eye-tracking studies.
Designed as a space for researchers to observe the testing activities happening in the Participant room, the Observation room is a comfortable space for IXD student researchers.
Join us this coming Tuesday at 6pm ET for an information session for prospective students held in-person and online. Learn about our Masters programs and more! RSVP via the link in our bio.
What is the future of the School of Information? We are requesting your feedback on our 2026-20230 Strategic Plan and much more in our February '24 newsletter; link available in our bio.
The School of Information is pleased to receive a $1.28 million grant from the Mellon Foundation to support the Digital Preservation Outreach and Education Network (DPOE-N)! Read all about it in the Pratt.edu news article linked in our bio.
The School of Information is pleased to offer programming for Green Week 2025 (February 3 to February 7).
Anytime during the week, drop off your eWaste or old batteries in the designated box in the InfoLounge (Pratt Manhattan Center PMC 6th floor lobby).
On Thursday, February 6th at 2pm-3pm, we will be screening the documentary film “The Internet’s Unseen Carbon Footprint: How Can We Reduce It? | Greening The ‘Net” from CNA Documentaries in PMC 610.
See the link in our bio for more details!
Happy New Year from Pratt's School of Information. We have new faculty and staff joining us, as well as new wellness resources: yes, we have a massage chair! This news and more in our January '25 newsletter; link available in our bio.
In the years following the onset of the pandemic, @prattischool has committed itself to incorporating wellness into its thinking, culminating in the formation of a Wellness committee this school year. Part of this work is the creation of a Wellness webpage, that includes information on some of the resources available to the community, such as a new massage chair installed in Pratt Manhattan Center room 608b. Check it out! Link available in our bio.
While classes have wrapped-up for the fall, work has started on preparing for the spring, like setting up this driving simulator for INFO 697 Automotive UX with Prof. Lopatovska.
