Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) for MSc Interaction Design

(​http://www.idmaster.eu/​)
Application issues
1. How can I apply for the MSc in Interaction Design ?
2. Who is eligible to apply for Master programme in Interaction Design?
3. What are the required documents to apply for the master?
4. What is the required proof of English proficiency ? Do i needs such a proof If my
BA/Bsc was taken in English?
5. What are the exact English proficiency requirements ?
6. Is there a possibility to provide my English language proficiency certificates after the
application deadline?

General issues
7. Do you have entrance options for autumn entrance, or only for spring entrance?
8. When is the next course delivery starting?
9. How long does the Master's take to complete ?
10. Is this a 100% online Master Degree?
11. Will students have a supervisor for their thesis project?
12. What about programming/coding?
13. When (what time) are classes offered?
14. Is there a requirement for credits in technology-related courses?
15. Does the MSc Interaction Design Question adhere to the European Higher
Education Area? Do students get an official MSc titulation?
16. When did the MSc Interaction Design started been offered?
17. How are tuition/fees paid ?
18. Are there any bursary or fee assistance possibilities, scholarships or internship?
19. Are there compulsory professional bodies to be joined (before or after graduation)?

Course delivery issues

20. How is this programme assessed? Will there be exams?
21. Is it also possible to follow the master in a regular manner at the university, by which
I mean with the possibility to follow the classes in real life?
22. Are there any compulsory meet ups in Estonia or Cyprus?
23. Is it possible to study part-time and how does this work?
24. What type of technology is needed for the master?

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 25. How can I have access to online resources (e.g. online journals, libraries)?

Application issues

1. How can I apply for the MSc in Interaction Design ?

You need to follow the instructions listed here ​http://idmaster.eu/applications-fees/​ and submit the
required documents as attachments to ​apply@idmaster.eu

2. Who is eligible to apply for Master programme in Interaction Design?

The MSc in Interaction Design is open to all students, irrespective of discipline, who are in possession of
a Bachelor’s degree with a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 6.5/10, or equivalent, from a
recognized and accredited university. Please read the complete list of ​entrance criteria​ before applying.

3. What are the required documents to apply for the master?

A complete application should include the following:

- A copy of a valid passport or Civil ID

- A Curriculum vitae (C.V)
- A Copy of all earned Degrees (or a confirmation stating that the candidate is expected to
graduate before next start day)
- A Copy of academic transcripts
- A statement of interest (approximately 500 words) in which the candidate explains why he/she
wishes to pursue this graduate program as well as indicating specific areas of academic and
research interests
- Evidence of English proficiency

You can also include any additional documents such as relevant academic or professional work
(publications, articles, portfolio etc), that can help us evaluate better your application.

4. What is the required proof of English proficiency ? Do i needs such a proof If my

BA/Bsc was taken in English?
If you received your Bachelor degree in an English-speaking university, then you don't need an other
proof of English proficiency.
International applicants whom English is not native language and their BSc/BA was obtained from a
course offered in another language than English, are required to provide a proof of their English
language proficiency. One of the following is accepted:
● GCE/ IGCSE Ο level: C;
● FCE (First Certificate in English): A;
● CAE (Certificate in Advanced English): C;

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 ● CPE (Certificate of Proficiency in English): C;
● IELTS (International English Language Testing System): 5.5;
● TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign language) paper version: 525, internet based: 70,
computer-based: 196;
● CEF (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages: learning, teaching, and
assessment): B2. Exemptions from submitting the English proficiency test scores may be
given if the applicants fill one of the following conditions: English is their mother tongue, or
they have completed a certifiable English taught degree

Most exams are taken at national centers. Some exams offer test through the internet e.g. the internet
TOEFL exams (​https://www.ets.org/toefl/ibt/about​)

5. What are the exact English proficiency requirements ?

The minimum exam scores for English language proficiency can be found at the end of the ​Entrance
Criteria​ page.

6. Is there a possibility to provide my English language proficiency certificates after the

application deadline?
Yes, you can apply and send us the English language certification after the application deadline. If your
application satisfies all other requirements, you will then be given a conditional acceptance until you
satisfy the English language proficiency requirement prior to the start of term.

General issues

7. Do you have entrance options for autumn entrance, or only for spring entrance?
Students can start in September or in January. We recruit twice a year for either September or January
start day.

8. When is the next course delivery starting?

The semester starts 1st week of September (autumn entrance) or around 15 January (spring entrance).
More information will be provided to you closer to the start day for your cohort. For the schedule of
classes see here: ​http://idmaster.eu/course-structure/​. If you are taking the course full time you need to
take all 6 courses per semester, If part time you need to take at least 3 courses.

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9. How long does the Master's take to complete ?
The duration of the master is 2 years if taken full time. It will take a bit longer (3 to 3.5 years depending
on the course load you take) if taken part time.

10. Is this a 100% online Master Degree?

Yes this is an 100% online Master Degree.

11. Will students have a supervisor for their thesis project?

Yes of course.

12. What about programming/coding?

Coding is very limited in this course. If you have any concerns during the master ​you can discuss it with
our academics who will guide you appropriately.

13. When (what time) are classes offered?

Lessons are mostly offered in an asynchronous mode. When we have synchronous communication we
will arrange them taking into account your availability.

14. Is there a requirement for credits in technology-related courses?

No, we don't have a requirement for technology-related courses.

15. Does the MSc Interaction Design Question adhere to the European Higher
Education Area? Do students get an official MSc titulation?
The program is jointly offered by Cyprus University of Technology and Tallinn University, both two state
universities from Estonia and Cyprus. Both countries are members of EU and their education system
follows closely and is monitored by the European Higher Education regulations.

Students who graduate from this program are given a degree by Cyprus University of Technology and
Tallinn University.

16. When did the MSc Interaction Design started been offered?
The course started with its first students in January 2016.

17. How are tuition/fees paid ?

The tuition for this course is 4,100 euro. Tuition is paid through bank transfers or credit card payment.
The payment is in installments at the start of each semester.

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18. Are there any bursary or fee assistance possibilities, scholarships or internship?
The fees for our master are kept low on purpose through generous support from the program itself. For
that reason there are no scholarships or internships offered. However, you can try to find opportunities
for scholarship from your country or other sponsors.

19. Are there compulsory professional bodies to be joined (before or after graduation)?
There are no compulsory professional bodies you need to join. But the most relevant such bodies (up to
you to join or not) are ACM SIGCHI - ​www.sigchi.org/​ and User Experience Professionals Association -
https://uxpa.org/

Course delivery issues

20. How is this programme assessed? Will there be exams?

The course delivery is mainly based on project work. Other forms of assessment (peer reviewing, verbal
examinations and presentations etc. complement the project work). The program is separated into four
terms in which you should complete 120 ECTS to graduate. The master follows a problem based learning
approach, focusing on semester long assignments per module that are broken into smaller 2-week long
cycles.

At the beginning of the each 2-week cycle the assignment is released, students work on it and submit
their work at the end of the 2-week cycle having various forms (synchronous and asynchronous)
mentoring sessions in between. At the end of the semester students have to present their project work
and engage in a verbal examination session. Classic written examinations are not usual in this master
program.

All course modules are provided with an emphasis on practice-based learning through research, design
and implementation for different projects, both individually and collaboratively.

More information: ​http://idmaster.eu/course-structure/

21. Is it also possible to follow the master in a regular manner at the university, by which
I mean with the possibility to follow the classes in real life?
The MSc in Interaction Design is offered purely online.

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22. Are there any compulsory meet ups in Estonia or Cyprus?
We don't have a compulsory face-to-face meeting in Estonia, Cyprus or elsewhere. Despite this we do
give options to our students who want to attend short summer schools we organize at our locations or
for visiting us.

23. Is it possible to study part-time and how does this work?

The MSc programme in Interaction Design is offered fully online part time and full time, depending on
your personal circumstances. Most of our students take the course part-time, taking at least 3 out of 6
modules per semester. This of course means that completing the course takes longer than the 2 years
to complete(3 to 3.5 years depending on the course load you take).

24. What type of technology is needed for the master?

A new laptop and a good internet connection will be sufficient. The course uses google apps for
education and google classroom for delivering the course. More about google classroom here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTWYf4PTLPw

25. How can I have access to online resources (e.g. online journals, libraries)?
You can access those if needed through your credentials - Cyprus University of Technology (CUT) email
address and password - ​which the university will provide to you upon your acceptance in the master.

The format of the email address is ​your_username@edu.cut.ac.cy​. ​Us​ing those details you can then
login through VPN (either through a client or even easier through a web-browser). Through a
web-browser you can do it by going to this url ​https://vpn.cut.ac.cy/+CSCOE+/logon.html​ and entering
the login details as describe above.

Let’s assume you found a journal paper from a journal that you don't have free access. You login using
your credentials through ​https://vpn.cut.ac.cy/+CSCOE+/logon.html​ you come to a page and paste the
url in the http field and press browse. If CUT has subscription to that journal you should now be able to
access it. Similarly you can go to ​google.com​ through the http field and search for things through that
and whatever resources CUT has access to will be available to you from that interface.

You can find more information about connecting to VPN and on searching for online book resources of
the CUT library here:
● VPN connection tutorial
● Safari ebooks tutorial