Location: West Lafayette, Indiana
Department: School of Industrial Engineering
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PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Title of program
Human Factors Engineering Option (MS, PhD)
Joint program
Department of Psychological Sciences
Year human factors/ergonomics program was established
1956
Accredited by HFES?
No
Contact person for more information, including applications
Patrick Brunese, Assistant Head
School of Industrial Engineering
315 N. Grant St.
West Lafayette, IN 47907-2023
765-494-6256
iego@purdue.edu
http://www.engineering.purdue.edu/IE
Catalog (free)
https://engineering.purdue.edu/IE/academics/graduate/future/courses
Academic calendar
Semester
Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered
Traditional Master’s (with Thesis)
Non-Thesis Master’s,
Residential non-thesis Master’s
Online Master’s
Professional Master’s
PhD
Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program
Physiological, psychological, and sociological aspects of the design of tasks, equipment, systems, and the work environment. Study of human-machine computer information and control systems. Instrumentation and analytic methods for the design and execution of human factors studies. Job design, training, safety engineering, and cognitive engineering.
Number of degrees granted during last 3 years
MS 11, PhD 17
Can students attend part-time?
Yes
Are required courses offered through distance learning?
Yes. Our online program features the same courses and the same professors as our residential courses.
Does the university have an HFES student chapter?
Yes
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application deadlines
December 15 (fall), September 1 (spring)
Application fee
$60, domestic applicants
$75, international applicants
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Minimum requirements
Highly recommended GPA of:
- 3.2/4.0 or better during undergraduate studies (MS programs)
- 3.4/4.0 or better during their previous graduate work (PhD program);
- Verbal: 151
- Qualitative: 155
- Analytical: 3.5
- TOEFL: Internet-Based Test (IBT) minimum scores:
- Overall: 88
- Reading: 20
- Listening: 20
- Speaking: 20
- Writing: 20
- IELTS (Academic Module): minimum scores:
- Overall: 7.5
- Reading: 6.5
- Listening: 6.0
- Speaking: 6.0
- Writing: 6.0
Mathematics through multivariate calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra; calculus-based probability and applied statistics; and proficiency in computer programming. Preference given to students with undergraduate degrees in engineering, science, and psychology.
Importance of other criteria as admission factors
Research: high
Work experience: medium
Letters: high
Interview: low
Tuition and fees
In-state: $5,558/semester
Out-of-state: $14,959/semester
International: $15,114/semester
ADMISSIONS
Number of students applying to the human factors/ergonomics program last year
412 (MS and PhD, all areas of Industrial Engineering)
Number of students accepted into the program last year
80
Number of students entering the program last year
11 in HF
Anticipated number of openings per year for the next two years
5–8 in HF
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance
100
Amount received per year
$12,000/$16,000
Types of assistance available
Fellowships, TA, RA, - all tuition exempt
When should students apply for financial assistance?
With application
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Graduate degrees offered
MS (thesis), MS (nonthesis option), and PhD
Number of units required
MS (thesis): 21 units
MS (nonthesis option): 30 units
PhD: 18–24 units beyond MS
Exams required
MS (thesis): oral defense of thesis
MS (nonthesis option): none
PhD: preliminary defense of proposal and defense of thesis required
Language requirements
None
Research required
MS (thesis): yes
MS (nonthesis option): no
PhD: yes
Practical experience required
None
Typical number of years required to obtain degree
MS (thesis): 2 years
MS (nonthesis option): ~1.5 years
PhD: 3–5 years
Is there a non-thesis option?
Yes
CURRICULUM
Required courses (units)
Design of Experiments (3)*, Human Factors in Engineering (3)*, Research Seminar in Human Factors (3)
* Course available by distance learning through Purdue Engineering Professional Education
Electives (units)
Job Design (3), Safety Engineering (3)*, Cognitive Engineering of Interactive Software (3), Human Aspects of Computing (3), Applied Ergonomics (3)*, Decision Theory in Engineering (3)*, Knowledge-Based Systems (3), Systems Simulation (3)*, Simulation Design and Analysis (3), Applied Regression Analysis (3), Sampling and Survey Techniques (3), Applied Multivariate Analysis (3)*, Psychology of Industrial Training (3), Occupational Analysis (3)
* Course available by distance learning through Purdue Engineering Professional Education
Number of courses outside department that are required
0
Number of courses outside department that are recommended
2
Average or typical class size in a required course
10–30
RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Research and support facilities available to students in the program:
Research is conducted in both field settings and laboratories. Three laboratory facilities are available for the development of software for experimentations and for the development of experimental apparatus. Six laboratories exist for conducting experimentations, one of which is climatically controlled. The laboratories are networked, linked to the Internet and Internet2, and equipped with appropriate computing systems and a comprehensive set of cognitive tests and measures.
Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
Teaching assistantships are available in a variety of undergraduate and graduate courses that match the student's background and interests. Research assistantships are available as University Fellowships and opportunities to work on a variety of externally funded projects.
Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:
Studies emphasize the cognitive and social aspects of designing and operating advanced technologies. These include designing human-centered technologies. Other currently active areas include cognitive task analysis, usability testing, design for special populations, digital human modeling, engineering of socio-technical systems, modeling human performance of multiple tasks, aging, healthcare, risk communications, design of alerting and warning systems, patient safety, human robot interaction, and information visualization.
STUDENT STATISTICS
Current number of active students in program, by gender
170 men, 80 women
Current number of first-year students in program
6
Based on current graduate students in the program, the mean score on admission tests and undergraduate GPA by degree being sought are
MS: GRE 410 v, 750 q, 4.2 a, GPA 3.4
PhD: GRE 670 v, 800 q, 4.0 a, GPA 3.4
FACULTY
Barrett S. Caldwell, PhD 1990, UC Davis; information technology
Brad Duerstock, PhD 1999, Purdue U.; Assistive technology, rehabilitation engineering
Vincent Duffy, PhD 1996, Purdue U.; digital human modeling
Joaquín Goñi Cortes, PhD 2008, Navarra, Spain; cognitive modeling, brain connectomics
Zachary Hass, PhD. 2017, Purdue U.; health outcomes, program evaluation for older adult healthcare
David Johnson, PhD 2013, Pardee RAND Graduate School; decision making, climate adaptation, risk communication, sustainable agriculture
Mark R. Lehto, PhD 1985, U. Michigan; safety engineering
Brandon Pitts, PhD 2016 U. Michigan; Cognitive ergonomics, adaptive technology, aging.
Robert W. Proctor, PhD 1975, U. Texas-Arlington; human performance
Md Mahmudur Rahman, PhD 2016 Mississippi State; human interaction, autonomic vehicles, occupational safety
Juan Wachs, PhD 2008, Ben-Gurion U.; human-robot interaction and assistive technology
Denny Yu, PhD 2014, U. Michigan; healthcare workloads and device usability, intelligent systems
[Updated February 2022]