本文將介紹 University of Michigan, UX Research & Design 的課程提供對 UMSI 有興趣的人參考！內容涵蓋 UMSI 必修課、選修課、實習課的課程簡介及相關規範、課程心得，以及建議的課程規劃。以下內容皆僅為自身經驗，由於課程設計持續有在更新，詳細資訊請以官方資訊為準（MHI and MSI Student Handbook）。
內容大綱
UMSI 基礎修課規定
以下整理出 UMSI 的基礎修課規定，詳細請查閱公開的 MHI and MSI Student Handbook。
1. 畢業門檻 48 學分
UMSI 的畢業門檻為 48 學分，其中需有 39 學分為 SI 系上開的課，包含 7 門必修課、2 門自選必修、1 門 Mastery course，並且平均 GPA 高於 3.0。
2. 最多 3 學分 S/U 課程
除了 letter-graded courses，還有另一種叫做 S/U (satisfactory or unsatisfactory) 的課，只要超過 80 分就算 pass，成績單上不會出現等第。
依 UMSI 的規定，所有畢業學分中最多可以有 3 學分的 S/U 的課，而 MSI S/U Allowable Courses 不在此限，請參考下圖中列出的 S/U courses，舉例來說：如果修了 SI 505、SI 690，還可以再修 3 學分的 S/U 課。
3. 最多 9 學分的 Internship course
UMSI 開放實習抵學分，計算方式為 60 小時 1 學分、120 小時 2 學分，以此類推。UMSI Internship Team 會在五月底寄信通知 Internship Registration 的開始日期以及流程，大致上的流程是在 CarrerLink 上提交 offer letter、supervisor 聯絡資訊後由 CDO 進行審核，通過審核後即能在課程網上看到 Internship course，過程中會有 3-4 次的小作業需要寫，和 CDO 回報實習進度。
Internship Registration 會一路開放到六月底，但考量到身為國際學生申請之後還要處理 CPT、SSN 等等雜事，還是建議一拿到 offer 就馬上申請會從容一些。
值得注意的是暑期實習最多只能抵 6 學分，而總共的實習學分最多能抵 9 學分，因此如果想抵滿 9 學分，除了需要暑期實習之外，還需要在學期間有另外一份實習。
MSI 自 Fall 2022 將實習學分改為 not required，也就是說即使沒有修實習學分也能畢業，但並沒有降低 48 學分的畢業門檻，所以如果沒有抵實習學分就需要每個學期都修滿 12 學分，關於 Internship course 的詳情請見：MSI and MHI Internship Handbook。
UMSI UX Research & Design 必修課列表
以下的 workload 數值取自 UM 的課程網 Atlas（需用 UM 登入查看），不過每年開課的老師可能不同、課程設計也有可能更改，僅供參考。
SI 501 – Contextual Inquiry and Consulting Foundations
- 3 學分，35% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
This course builds skills in user-centered qualitative research methods and professional consulting. Students will work in teams of 3-5 people, working with a real-world client who poses a problem involving information, technology, and/or human processes in the context of a work environment or product/service delivery.（截取自官網）
SI 506 – Programming I
- 3 學分，33% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我把這門課 waive 了 👉🏻 UMSI 必修課 COURSE WAIVER 經驗分享
Introduction to programming with a focus on applications informatics. Covers the fundamental elements of a modern programming language and how to access data on the internet. Explores how humans and technology complement one another, including techniques used to coordinate groups of people working together on software development.（截取自官網）
SI 520 – Graphic Design and Visual Communications
- 3 學分，79% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
The conceptual part of the course covers the graphic design theory discourse. Students will reinforce the practical application of critical thinking, analyze and process of making and conceptualizing, learn how to “read” designs and how to apply them into a broader cultural, technological, and social context. In the hands-on part of the course, students will gain necessary software skills, learn how to follow or establish brand/identity guidelines, prepare work for print or web production, and select the right tools, media, and budget for their projects.（截取自官網）
SI 539 – Web Design: Responsiveness & Accessibility
- 3 學分，27% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我把這門課 waive 了 👉🏻 UMSI 必修課 COURSE WAIVER 經驗分享
The purpose of this course is to provide students with all necessary frontend development skills for designing and building responsive and accessible websites. Topics include recent changes to HTML, CSS and WCAG standards, media-queries, responsive frameworks, and manual and automated testing.（截取自官網）
SI 582 – Introduction to Interaction Design
- 3 學分，53% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
This course will provide students with a hands-on introduction to interaction design. The course will focus on design methods and design thinking, and will allow students to develop their design sensibilities and practical skills through a series of design exercises.（截取自官網）
SI 588 – Fundamentals of Human Behavior
- 3 學分，17% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
Surveys basic principles of cognitive and social psychology relevant to the design and use of information systems. Focuses on important findings in psychological science and their implications for the design and use of information systems. Topics include the basics of human perception, memory capacity and organization, the development of skill and expertise, and the characteristics of everyday reasoning and decision making.（截取自官網）
SI 622 – Needs Assessment and Usability Evaluation
- 3 學分，79% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
Covers the key concepts of evaluation and a variety of methods used to determine the goals of a system or service, performs organizational analysis, assesses task/technology or service fit, determines ease of learning of new or existing services or systems, determines ease of use, assesses aspects of performance (including information retrieval), and evaluates the success in accomplishing the user/organizational goals. Methods include observation, survey, interviews, performance analysis, evaluation in the design/iteration cycle, usability tests, and assessment of systems in use.（截取自官網）
兩門自選必修 (choose two)
從以下的課程中任選 2 門修，要特別注意的是不是每節課 Fall 或 Winter 都有開。
SI 529 – Online Communities
- 3 學分，18% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
This course is intended to give students a background in theory and practice surrounding online interaction environments. For the purpose of the course, a community is defined as a group of people who sustain interaction over time. The group may be held together by a common identity, a collective purpose, or merely by the individual utility gained from the interactions.（截取自官網）
SI 552 – Introduction to Accessibility
- 3 學分，18% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
This class is an introduction to accessibility. Students will engage in discourse on several models of disability, be exposed to different types of assistive technologies, and apply what they learn to real-world accessibility and technology challenges.（截取自官網）
SI 559 – Introduction to AR/VR Application Design
- 3 學分，24% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
This course will provide a lens for betterThis course will introduce students to Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) interfaces. This course covers basic concepts; students will create two mini-projects, one focused on AR and one on VR, using prototyping tools. The course requires neither special background nor programming experience.（截取自官網）
SI 612 – Pervasive Interaction Design
- 3 學分，62% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
This course is advanced interaction design course the focuses on designing interactive applications for emerging mobile and context-aware technologies. It follows a similar format to 582 (Interaction Design) in that course is studio-based, consists largely of a seminar-long group project with multiple milestones, and is supplemented by readings and discussion relevant to the topic.（截取自官網）
SI 616 – Advanced Topics in Graphic Design and Communication
- 3 學分，79% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
This multidisciplinary, hybrid course is for those students who want/need to deepen and broaden their graphic communication skills developed in SI 520: Graphic Design. This course supports students’ further professional development by enhancing their conceptual problem solving skills and technical proficiency through a set of projects.（截取自官網）
SI 658 – Info Architecture
- 3 學分
- 我的修課心得
This course will examine the progression of IA theory and expand students’ familiarity with architecture, architects, and architectural and critical theory. In this class you’ll engage in a peculiar and spirited examination of arguments for why it ought to be. You’ll learn how to apply architectural thinking and practices in complex information spaces, and how to design structures that make the complex clear.（截取自官網）
SI 659 – Developing AR/VR Experiences
- 3 學分，47% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
This course will focus on creating augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) interfaces that blend or substitute elements of the physical world with digital content. Given that AR/VR technologies have a high technical barrier of entry and are rapidly evolving, the course will cover methods and tools to mitigate these issues. Students will learn how to approach technical problems in interaction design, to systematically study requirements, and balance technological limitations.（截取自官網）
SI 684 – Designing Consumer-Health Technologies
- 3 學分
The course focuses on the process of designing consumer-health technologies that are based on constructs from theories about human behavior and behavior change. Using commonly-used theories (e.g., self-monitoring, goal-setting) as examples, students will learn how to generate ideas for possible feature designs, delineate their tradeoffs, and make principled implementation decisions.（截取自官網）
MSI Mastery Courses
要修完必修課以及以下課程當中的任兩門之後才能修 Mastery course。
SI 699 – MSI Mastery Courses (UX Research and Design)
- 3 學分，37% of respondents perceived the workload for this course as heavier than other courses
- 我的修課心得
As the capstone of the MSI program, these courses require a high level of independence from students to demonstrate synthesis of the major theories, methods, and approaches to inquiry and/or schools of practice necessary for entry into a particular career in the information professions.（截取自官網）
UMSI 甜涼選修課推薦清單
第二學期開始找實習會瓜分掉能花費在課業上的時間，提供一些我私藏的甜涼選修課提供給需要的人XD 以下是我修過覺得可以稍微學到東西 & 又 loading 很輕的課（完全學不到東西的就不放了）。除此之外也有同學推薦瑜伽課 WELLNESS 512，以及一些 Ross 的課（聽說只要去上課聊天沒有作業），但因為我沒有修過所以詳情並不清楚，留給大家可以自行發掘哈哈哈哈
- SI 538 – Citizen Interaction Design（4 學分）：我的修課心得
- SI 505 – Career and Internship Studio: Design Your Success（1 學分 S/U）：我的修課心得
- SI 548 – Principles of Software Design for Learning（3 學分）：我的修課心得
- EDUC 618 – XR for Learning（1 學分 S/U）：我的修課心得
- ELI 601 – Speaking in Research Contexts（2 學分 S/U）：我的修課心得
UMSI 課程安排建議
1. 先修能產出作品集的課
建議缺作品集的人在第一學期選能產出作品集的課，例如 SI 582、SI 684。
2. 把握可以 waive 的課
SI 的必修不算少，如果沒有把課 waive 掉，基本上第一、二學期光是必修課就滿了，個人很建議盡量把能 waive 的課都 waive 掉！詳細的 SI 必修 waive 流程、開放 waive 的課程列表請見這篇文 👉🏻 UMSI 必修課 COURSE WAIVER 經驗分享
3. 平均一學期 4-5 門課
大多數人一學期會修 4-5 門課、12-15 學分，我覺得以必修來說這樣的 loading 就蠻大的了！不過也有超人同學一學期修 18 學分，一切還是很看個人。
4. 最後一學期只留一門課
考量到要找工作 & 學費，大多數人會只留一門課在最後一學期（通常是 SI 699），只要寄信申請低修就可以了！以下是各學分對應的學費表格，以 2023-2024 來說，3 學分的學費是 9,383，是 full-time 的三分之一，由於學費也是會跟著通膨漲的，最新資訊請以官網為準。
5. 系上建議的 course plan
以下表格為 SI 提供的 Sample course plan，個人認為參考前兩個學期即可。
UMSI 三學期可以畢業嗎？
可以！我肉身實測過了！
雖然當初只申請了一年半以上的 program，但不知道為什麼實際開始唸之後上之後覺得兩年對我來說太久了，所以我從第二學期開始規劃了可以三學期畢業可課表，基本上只要在第一二個學期把全部必修修完就能做到（包含 choose two，這樣才能在第三個學期修 mastery course），因為搭配了很多甜涼課加上實習抵了 9 學分，所以實際上並不會太難！雖然不能跟同學一起參加畢業典禮有點可惜，但做到之後還是蠻有成就感的。
關於我每學期的選課可以參考這幾篇文：University of Michigan MSI (UMSI) 第一學期課程心得、University of Michigan MSI (UMSI) 第二學期課程心得、University of Michigan MSI (UMSI) 第三學期課程心得。
當初在申請學校時覺得課程資訊好難找，花了許多時間聯繫各個 program 的學長姐詢問修課建議以及推薦課程，以上分享希望可以幫助到需要的人，祝大家一切順利。