The new degree prepares students to work and build alongside emerging technologies, equipping them with full-stack technical skills, human-centered design, and the cross-functional leadership abilities needed to lead real innovation in an AI-driven world.
Contact: USC Media Relations, uscnews@usc.edu; Paul McQuiston, paulmcq@usc.edu
The USC Iovine and Young Academy today announced a new Bachelor of Science in Human Technology Interaction (HTI)—the first undergraduate program of its kind in the country. The HTI degree gives students deep, hands-on training with frontier technologies, teaching them not just how these tools work, but how to build and apply them in real-world, human-centered contexts.
As artificial intelligence, extended reality, and other emerging technologies rapidly reshape entire industries, organizations face an urgent challenge: bridging the gap between disciplines and building teams that can deliver innovation across technical, product, and human domains. Yet, just 21% of employees report effective cross-team collaboration, according to data from Asana’s Work Innovation Lab. A Boston Consulting Group study also found that 66% of executives are ambivalent or dissatisfied with their company’s AI progress, citing a lack of skilled talent as a primary reason. This data signals a critical shortage of tech-literate talent equipped to drive cross-functional innovation in today’s complex, AI-driven world.
The HTI program stands apart by combining full-stack technical training, human-centered design, communication, and applied product management, delivered in part through IYA’s Challenge-Based Reflective Learning (CBRL) model, where students learn by taking a hands-on approach, tackling real-world challenges, collaborating across disciplines, and reflecting on their process to develop effective, human-centered solutions.
“This is an exciting addition to the Academy experience– the HTI program won’t merely prepare students for a workforce being transformed by AI, it will train them to actively shape and imagine it with their own unique skills and critical knowledge,” said Josh Kun, interim Dean of the Iovine and Young Academy. “The program further establishes the academy as a hub of experimentation in higher education, a place where students are not merely reacting to change but creating ahead of it.”
After graduating from the program, HTI students will be equipped and empowered to lead teams and deliver products that transcend the traditional “human vs. technology” divide—advancing solutions where people and technology thrive together.
“The Human Technology Frontier is one of the core challenges of contemporary industry and society,” said IYA Professor Thanassis Rikakis. “But, the current education infrastructure isn’t designed to keep pace with the rapid evolution of technology or to teach students how to work with these new tools to solve real-world problems. We’ve purpose built a program for the kind of leaders that industry – and society at large – are desperately seeking, those who don’t just adapt to new tools, but shape how technology and people work together to create meaningful impact.”
The curriculum of the new degree includes a number of courses from the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, the Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, and the Keck School of Medicine of USC, ensuring students benefit from a true cross-disciplinary education.
“Businesses urgently require talent who not only understand technology but can translate it into meaningful value. That combination of expertise is rare, and it is exactly what this program is designed to deliver,” added Adrian Percia, Academy Board Member. “This degree will produce graduates ready to lead across teams and capable of building technologies that enhance, rather than replace, human creativity and capability.”
By launching the HTI degree, USC and the Iovine and Young Academy continue to reimagine what higher education can—and must—be in an era where the boundaries between technology and humanity are constantly redrawn.
Applications for the Human Technology Interaction degree close on January 10. Learn more about the degree program here.
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