MAD UX (UX Capstone Certificate)

Prepare for a Career in User Experience Design with the MAD UX Certificate Program

User experience design is the process of making information systems more people-friendly. Reports show high market demand for skills in user experience design across commercial, nonprofit, educational, government, and other sectors, with 30+% or more job growth, anticipated. A master’s degree is not required to enter the field, but relevant, project-based expertise is.

The University of Wisconsin-Madison User Experience Design Capstone Certificate, or “Mad UX,” teaches you what you need to know to develop as a UX professional. Mad UX combines expertise from two highly ranked UW-Madison academic departments: the Department of Computer Science and its HCI Lab and the UW-Madison iSchool.

MAD UX: The Basics

• 10 graduate credits;
• Entirely online- no travel to campus required to complete the program;
• 1 calendar year (fall, spring, summer);
• $1200 per credit.

How are your classes delivered?

All classes are completely online and taught by experienced and engaged instructors from UW-Madison’s computer sciences and iSchool programs, combining knowledge and networks from both the computing and information fields.

How long does it take?

One calendar year (fall, spring, summer). You are part of a cohort of learners who complete project-based activities and learn to work effectively as part of a virtual team. You must successfully complete each course in succession to earn your certificate.

What will you learn?

Build the expertise to plan, design, and assess innovative, enjoyable, and successful digital user experiences.

How will you learn?

Our program is high-tech and high-touch. You work on conceptual designs and prototypes with your cohort, with the constant guidance and involvement of your instructors. Form teams around project-based ideas, envision products, design, test, critique, and revise as you learn the tools and techniques of user experience design.

Why UW-Madison?

We are a catalyst for the extraordinary, where students and faculty partake in a world-class education and solve real-world problems. Forbes and U.S. News & World Report have rated UW-Madison in the top 10 public universities in the United States, and we are also among the top 10 colleges producing the most Fortune 500 CEOs.

The mission of the Information School of the University of Wisconsin‑Madison is to:

• Educate responsible leaders, critical thinkers, and creative innovators in the information professions who are adept in the creation, retrieval, use, and curation of information in all its forms and who are able to provide access to and understanding of information for all those who need or seek it, and who contribute to individual and collective knowledge, productivity, and well-being;
• Create and disseminate research about past, present, and future information users and uses, the processes and technologies vital for information management and use, and the economies, cultures, and policies that affect information and access to it;
• Contribute to the development of the faculties of information schools through a doctoral program built on interdisciplinary research and teaching excellence; and provide useful service to information professionals, the people of Wisconsin, and all information users.

Education & Teaching

• Continue to grow faculty and staff teaching excellence.
• Expand educational programming in areas of high student demand while maintaining the broad-based strength of our educational enterprise.
• Expand access to a UW–Madison education, leveraging new modes of delivery to engage with students throughout their lives.
• Strengthen educational outcomes, career development, and the college experience for all students.
• Ensure the continued vitality, competitiveness, and strength of our graduate and professional programs.

Research & Scholarship

• Provide a modern research support structure that fosters innovation, promotes interdisciplinary collaboration, and drives discovery on future research challenges.
• Continue to grow faculty and staff research excellence.
• Grow UW–Madison’s research enterprise and expand its global impact, supporting the scholarship of faculty, staff, and students.

Wisconsin Idea

• Engage with the community to provide positive social, cultural, and economic impact in Wisconsin and beyond.
• Promote social entrepreneurship, innovation, and economic development in Wisconsin and beyond.
• Share the benefits of a world-class teaching and research university throughout Wisconsin and beyond our borders.

Organizational Excellence

• Practice sustainability principles in the stewardship of campus resources, recognizing our environmental responsibility to people and the planet.
• Build upon and further support our high-quality and committed workforce that advances our mission and reflects our values.
• Strengthen the financial sustainability of the iSchool, while maintaining a commitment to iSchool values.