M.A. in Human Factors Psychology

Program Overview

Industry has become increasingly committed to improving the quality of products and services. As a result, exciting new opportunities are available for talented individuals trained in the field of human factors. The Master of Arts in Human Factors Program is designed to prepare students for positions in applied psychological research settings in several particular areas. All students will acquire training in experimental design and quantitative methods. Additionally, in the first year, students are exposed through research seminars to the work of the applied experimental faculty members and graduate students, and to research in nearby academic and nonacademic laboratories. Each student selects a minor area of concentration and conducts research within that area. Current minors are Engineering Psychology, Applied Cognitive Science, and Methodology. Research experience is gained by working in laboratories on campus or in conjunction with employers in off-campus settings. Applied psychologists can look for jobs as research and administrative consultants in corporate, industrial, and government settings. The expertise of engineering psychologists lies mostly in systems engineering and design related to the human-machine interface. Applied cognitive science minors concentrate on issues in which the information processing aspects of human performance are relevant. Finally, a minor in Methodology prepares a student to design research and analyze data in a wide variety of settings. The M.A. in Human Factors is awarded after 30 hours of coursework (including research experience), successful completion of a written comprehensive examination, and successful defense of a master's thesis. Students are required to take six credits of approved coursework in their areas of concentration.

Course Requirements

• Psy 811 Research Methods in Psychology (3)
• Psy 705 Statistics I (3)
• Psy 706 Statistics II (3)
• Psy 710 Proseminar (3)
• Four General Electives (12)
• Two Specialization Electives (6)
• Psy 990/991 Directed Research (3)
• M.A. Thesis