Linguistic Diversity in Human Computer Interaction Graduate Credit Certificate Program

The 12-credit graduate certificate program Linguistic Diversity in Human-Computer Interaction is designed to provide students with the knowledge and skills to improve the accessibility and use of human technology. Students will develop an understanding of design issues and transdisciplinary team science perspectives needed to create technological innovations that benefit a broad range of users of different language varieties, ages, and abilities. 

Effective Semester: Fall 2026
Expiration Semester: Fall 2031

Admission Requirements

Applicants apply for admission to the program via the Graduate School application for admission. Requirements listed here are in addition to Graduate Council policies listed under GCAC-300 Admissions Policies. International applicants may be required to satisfy an English proficiency requirement; see GCAC-305 Admission Requirements for International Students for more information.

Students should have been accepted into the NRT LinDiv program (for detailed information about the admission procedure, see https://lindiv.la.psu.edu/apply-now/). Individuals are eligible to apply for the LinDiv program if they are first or second graduate students (or have been accepted admission into) one of the following  Penn State UP programs:  Information Sciences and Technology, Computer Science and Engineering, Communication Science and Disorders, Learning Design and Technology, Psychology, German, Spanish, Applied Linguistics, and related disciplines; students who have been accepted into the programs are eligible to apply up until their second year in the graduate program. 

Certificate Requirements

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in Graduate Council policy GCAC-212 Postbaccalaureate Credit Certificate Programs.

A minimum of 12 credits (i.e. four 3-credit courses) is required for completion:

All students take the following two 3-credit courses: 

LING 823 Proseminar in Professional Issues in Language and Human Technology

LING 824 Transdisciplinary Team Science in Linguistic Diversity and Human Technology Interaction

In addition to LING 823 and LING 824, students take two 3-credit courses (i.e., a Basic Course and an Advanced Course) in a discipline other than their home graduate program, to support cross-disciplinary conversations and collaborations with peers and faculty. Both courses train students in knowledge and skills relevant for the integration of linguistic diversity in the design of human-centered technology. Selection of the Basic Course and the Advanced Course is based on the student’s prior knowledge and specific training goals, as documented in their Individual Development Plan. Students discuss the selection of these two courses with the faculty coordinator of the graduate certificate program and their home graduate program advisor. 

Students who do not have a strong background in linguistics and language science (typically graduate students in Information Sciences and Technology, Computer Science and Engineering, Learning Design and Technology, or Psychology) take LING 512 Linguistics and Language Science (as their Basic Course), followed by a more specialized course in linguistics and language science as their Advanced Course (e.g., LING 500 Syntax II; LING 504 Phonology; LING 519 Current Statistical Practice in Language Science; LING 520 Seminar in Psycholinguistics). 

Students who do not have a strong background in computer science (typically graduate students in Spanish, German, Applied Linguistics, Communication Sciences and Disorders) take as their Basic Course a graduate course in IST, CSE, or LDT (e.g., IST 504 Foundations of Theories and Method of Information Sciences and Technology Research; IST 505 Interdisciplinary Research Design for Information Sciences and Technology; CSE 582 Natural Language Processing; LDT 577 Computer Supported Collaborative Learning) followed by an Advanced Course (e.g.,IST 520 Foundations in Human-Centered Design;IST 521 Human-Computer Interface: The user and Technology; CSE 587 Deep Learning for Natural Language Processing; LDT 581 Theoretical Foundations of Learning Design and Technology). 

Courses

Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 699 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.

Learning Outcomes

1. Cross-disciplinary ability: Students will develop knowledge and skills in a discipline other than their primary discipline and apply their cross-disciplinary knowledge and skills to advance human technology.
2. Team-based transdisciplinary science thinking: Students will be able to apply team-science to jointly design and implement research and co-create solutions that integrate and merge different scientific perspectives and social actors.
3. Innovation: Students will be able to identify barriers in the use of human technology, create original solutions by framing a problem from different perspectives, and evaluate alternative and unconventional approaches.
4. Communication skills: Students will be able to effectively explain, discuss, and communicate with cross-disciplinary scientific audiences, societal partners, and the broader community.
5. Ethics, integrity, and diversity: Students will be able to relate and value diverse voices, maximize inclusive discourse, and recognize the importance of different value systems in multiple societal contexts.