<p>Does the Certificate Program fulfill the prerequisites you need for an MS program? If so, then there is no reason not to get it.</p>
<p>A piece of paper can’t hurt, unless it takes a lot more classes. If it does, then look at the additional classes and see if they are beneficial to you. 18 credits is 3 classes? If so, that should not be that difficult. If you are a class or two away from the 30 credits, your first class or two in the MS program may be able to fill that requirement.</p>
<p>HCI? If that is your interest, then why not? If you want to develop software for space exploration, work on Operating System development, or micro-coding processors, then it is probably not a good choice.</p>