Checklist for the start of your studies
Before the first day of your education, you need to take some important steps.
1.Your offer
You have been admitted. If you want to keep your place (seat), you do not have to reply to your offer.
If you do not want to keep your place you should decline your offer by logging in to 'My pages' on universityadmissions.se, and follow the instructions. You should click "I wish to decline this offer" next to the course or programme you want to decline.
If you see "Reserve" next to your course or programme in the Notification of selection results, this means that you've been placed on a waiting list for that course/programme.
2.Activate your user account and MFA
As a new student, you need to activate your user account (your UMU-id) approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
With your user account you can:
- register for courses
- access the internet in computer labs and the university's wireless network
- submit assignments and verify your study results
- access your student e-mail
If you are a new student, you will automatically receive a user account when you are admitted, but you will need to activate it for it to function properly. You will not be able to activate it until approximately two weeks prior to the start of the semester.
Exchange student or tuition fee paying student
If you are an exchange student or tuition fee paying student, you will receive an email with instructions on how to activate your account.
Install MFA for a more secure login
To increase security and reduce the risk of unauthorised access to your information or account, students must enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) to log in to various systems, such as Canvas and the Student Web.
I want to activate my user account and install MFA
Help! It´s not working
If you are having problems activating your account or logging in, please contact our Servicedesk. You will find answers to common questions, and can submit enquiries.
3.Programme registration
Introduction meeting
You start off the programme by being registered for the first course.
The first course of the programme is Foundations of Human Computer Interaction and User Experience (15 credits).
You must be registered for that course, in order to be allowed to follow the programme and to get your results recorded.
For this course, registration takes place during an introduction meeting on 31 August 2026. If you do not attend the introduction and have not notified Student Support Informatics in advance, you will not be registered and risk losing your place (seat).
Please look at the Welcome Greeting for the course Foundations of Human Computer Interaction and User Experience for more information.
4.Programme start
2026-08-31
Please see schedule
Please see schedule
Reminder!
You need to be registered for the first course in order to have access to the learning platform and be able to start the programme.
About the programme
Have you been offered a place after the second selection round?
We at the Department of Informatics kindly request you to confirm your acceptance to studentsupport.informatik@umu.se as soon as possible - but no later than 6 August 2026.
If you decide not to attend the programme, please make sure to decline your offer. You can do this at universityadmissions.se. Log in to your account, go to "Applications" and follow the instructions.
It´s important to decline your offer as soon as you know that you will not be attending. This makes the place available for students on the waiting list.
Programme information
Welcome to the Master’s Programme in Human Computer Interaction and User Experience (HCI/UX) at Umeå University!
My name is Anna Croon and I am an associate professor at the Department of Informatics and the Programme Coordinator for this programme. I am really excited to welcome you to this programme, to the Department of Informatics, to Umeå University, and to the city of Umeå in Västerbotten, Sweden!
With an emphasis on user experience this master's programme covers a vast array of topics in which Human and Computer are composed into meaningful and significant wholes shaping not only interfaces, interaction devices and screens, but also and perhaps most importantly your thoughts and ideas regarding Digitalization and the Good Life.
During this programme you will explore Human-Computer Interaction and User Experience from different perspectives starting of with a course in which we collaboratively establish a common ground within the interdisciplinary nature of the field of Human-Computer Interaction.
During the first five weeks of the programme we will familiarise ourself with basic concepts, methodologies and theories of relevance for the study of Humans and Computers and their interrelationships in the past, present and the future.
As the field of HCI are strongly related to designing interactive devices, we will also familiarise ourself with ways of thinking outside the box getting to know a bit about creative processes and methods for moving beyond conventional thinking.
In the programme you will be offered courses that touches on both practical elements of doing interaction design and courses more aligned with theoretical foundations and frameworks. I am soo looking forward to see you in September.
If you have any questions about the programme and the courses, and the difference between studying a one-year master's and a two your master please don’t hesitate to contact me at e-mail anna.croon@umu.se.
If you have any questions about the elective courses or other more practical matters entering our programme you can always reach out to our student counselor for graduate-level students, Agnetha Frick, at agnetha.frick@umu.se.
For matters related to student registration and certification please get in touch with our student support unit in the Department of Informatics at studentsupport.informatik@umu.se.
The first course during the autumn semester is Foundations of Human-Computer Interaction and User Experience 15 credits. This is a course that serve, as the titel entail, an introduction and overview of Human-Computer Interaction as an academic discipline.
The course consists of two modules. The first half of the course is an introduction to HCI in general and the second half focuses on design thinking and creativity. If you are keen on getting started and/or think you are about to enter a new area of interest, I suggest that you take a look and read through some of the resources found at the links below.
Please feel free to navigate these and other related HCI websites to prepare yourself and hopefully get inspired for upcoming studies in the field!
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/topics/ux-design
http://allaboutux.org
https://www.interaction-design.org/literature/book/the-encyclopedia-of-human-computer-interaction-2nd-ed
https://lawsofux.com
Please note that the autumn semester starts on 31 August 2026, and ends on 17 January 2027. Have in mind that due to Holiday Season there are no course activities scheduled between 23 December and 2 January.
Looking forward to seeing you all this August!
Best,
Anna
For students starting in the autum semester 2026, the duration of semesters during your time at the programme is as follows:
Year 1:
Autumn semester starts on 31 August 2026, and ends 17 January 2027.
Spring semester starts on 18 January 2027, and ends 6 June 2026.
Year 2:
Autumn semester starts on 30 August 2027, and ends 16 January 2028.
Spring semester starts on 17 January 2028, and ends 5 June 2028.
Contact information
If you have questions about the programme's content, you are welcome to contact the programme coordinator:
Anna Croon anna.croon@umu.se
Questions of an administrative nature such as queries about registration and certificates can be asked to our Student Support:
studentsupport.informatik@umu.se
We wish you a warm welcome and hope that you will enjoy your time here at the Department of Informatics!
Support and help
We support our students to create an equal learning environment.
