91ÖÆƬ³§

The Master of Educational Technology and Learning Sciences (METALS | https://metals.hcii.cmu.edu/) program is a collaboration between the Human-Computer Interaction Institute (HCII) and the Department of Psychology, which brings significant value to the program. METALS not only intersects with Psychology and HCII but it is at the crossroads of cognitive science, statistics, computer science, education and design. To understand how people learn, our students are trained in applying cognitive science methods to map learning objectives to sub-objectives and finally to well-designed instructional activities. The METALS program is a one-year interdisciplinary master’s program that trains graduate students to become learning engineers and LX (learning experience) designers. In these roles our graduates apply science of learning principles, evidence-based research, qualitative and quantitative cognitive task analysis, and data-driven methods to design, create, and improve educational resources and technologies that enable students and instructors to succeed. The professional program culminates with a seven-month capstone project (https://metals.hcii.cmu.edu/capstone-project/) for an external client. Guided by industry and faculty mentors in this team-based research and development project, students experience the end-to-end process of a product cycle from idea through prototyping. Students learn to create effective solutions for formal and informal settings such as schools, workplaces, and museums. For the past several years, METALS has provided small merit scholarships for highly qualified admitted students. In addition, applicants to the METALS program who are underrepresented U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or DACA recipients can apply for the CMU Rales Fellows Program (https://www.cmu.edu/graduate/rales-fellows/), which provides graduate students with full tuition as well as a stipend to cover living expenses. The fall 2025 application is open now. If you are interested in applying for the METALS program, please follow the instructions at https://metals.hcii.cmu.edu/admissions/.