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Pratt Institute (UX Certificate)
The advanced certificate in UX from Pratt Institute teaches students to design and evaluate digital interfaces from a user-centered perspective. This on-campus program can either be taken as part of a master’s program, or as a standalone post-master’s certificate.
Electives cover digital accessibility, practical ethnography for user experience, community building, and content strategy. Through completing the coursework, students will build their own digital portfolios.
UC Berkeley Extension (Professional Program in UX Design)
The professional program in UX design at UC Berkeley Extension can be completed entirely online. Students will gain hands-on experience in a studio-style format that prioritizes collaborative discussion and key job skills.
The curriculum covers UX design concepts, research methods, product development cycles, content strategy, wireframes, prototypes, testing, iteration, coding skills, and more. The program consists of six required courses and two units of electives.
California Institute of the Arts
The UI/UX design specialization offered by CalArts through Coursera teaches students to design high-impact user experiences via practical, skill-based instruction. The curriculum consists of four courses: visual elements of user interface design; UX design fundamentals; strategy and information architecture in web design; and wireframing and prototyping in web design.
Students will complete several short exercises throughout the program, culminating in a mid-level digital prototype with simulated functionality and a comprehensive plan for a complex website.
CareerFoundry (UX Design Bootcamp)
The UX design bootcamp by CareerFoundry gives students all the skills, tools, and processes they need to become UX designers. Each student will have both a tutor and a mentor to provide evaluations, feedback, and support.
Graduates will leave with a portfolio of completed real-world projects. A full job preparation course and career coaching are offered through a career services team.
Flatiron School (UX/UI Product Design Bootcamp)
The Flatiron School’s UX/UI product design bootcamp can be taken either full-time or part-time, and either online or in-person. Its application process is slightly more rigorous than other bootcamps: it includes an interview, an assessment, and 40 hours of pre-work. The curriculum includes both collaborative and solo learning, and provides comprehensive coverage of both the UX process and the UI process.
Students will also complete two studios and one case study for their portfolio. The program includes individual career coaching and a proven job-search framework that connects graduates to a large employer network.
General Assembly (UX Design Immersive)
A group of executives from top UX design employers created General Assembly’s UX design immersive curriculum. Students will gain experience wireframing, prototyping, researching, and usability testing. As a holistic program, there are cross-functional opportunities to work with business stakeholders, product managers, and web development teams.
For those who truly wish to dig in, General Assembly offers an optional 22 hours of additional, self-paced content. Dedicated coaching helps graduates network toward a job placement at the end of the course.
Google (UX Design Professional Certificate)
Google offers its UX design professional certificate program through Coursera. Applicants need no prior experience or degree. Students will learn how to follow the design process from start to finish: empathizing with users, finding pain points, identifying solutions, creating wireframes and prototypes, and testing and iterating on designs.
The curriculum covers the basics of UX research and design, and by the end students will have a UX portfolio that contains three end-to-end products: a mobile app, a responsive website, and a cross-platform experience. Google’s bootcamp is also extremely affordable. The company generates no revenue from the program; most students can complete it for under $400.
Ironhack (UX/UI Design Bootcamp)
Ironhack offers a rigorous and immersive UX/UI design bootcamp that gives students the hands-on skills they need to secure a job in the tech industry. Students will start by completing 40 hours of online pre-work covering the basics of design thinking, interaction design, and design software; they’ll already be performing usability evaluations and site redesigns.
By the end of the course, graduates will have completed a responsive one-page website and developed a digital product that solves a real-world problem. Courses can be taken online or at one of ten major cities worldwide.
Memorisely (UX/UI Design Bootcamp)
Memorisely’s UX/UI design bootcamp offers learners a synchronous online class of around 20 participants, with one-on-one support from instructors and teaching assistants. The bootcamp prides itself on a zero PowerPoint policy, and focuses instead on learning through doing.
The curriculum is constantly updated, with instructors making sure to include the latest tools, workflows, and best practices. Students will also gain access to career guidance, group mentoring, and live meditation sessions; they’ll leave with a job-ready portfolio.
Springboard (UI/UX Design Bootcamp)
Springboard’s UI/UX design bootcamp teaches students UI/UX design from scratch. It includes a career-focused curriculum and boasts of a job guarantee for all graduates. Students will have access to its career coaching, mock interviews, and other career support services for six months after graduation.
During the bootcamp, students will be matched with a company to complete a 40-hour industry design project that solves a real-world business problem. Before being accepted into the program, students must take a basic assessment to ensure their technical readiness.
Matt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about a wide range of engineering disciplines, with a particular focus on the potential impacts of major technological breakthroughs. His work largely centers around conversations with engineering faculty at top universities, highlighting their research in areas such as nuclear power, artificial intelligence, soft robotics, and semiconductor design. He’s also worked with leaders and subject matter experts at the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the California Department of Water Resources (DWR), the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE), and the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
Human-centered design, sometimes also called human-computer interaction or engineering psychology, teaches the importance of prioritizing the needs, desires, and behaviors of people when building technology. Professionals in this discipline are usually called user experience (UX) practitioners.
We often take for granted how intuitive the best-designed machines are. From unlocking your phone screen to all the gestures that allow you to use technology without reading a user manual, we have user experience (UX) designers to thank.
User experience refers to how a person feels and behaves when using a system, service, or product. The UX discipline is vast, including a variety of professionals who focus on making experiences that are valuable and accessible to people.
