Location: Medford, Massachusetts
Department: Department of Mechanical Engineering
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PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Title of program
Human Factors (MS, PhD)
Year human factors/ergonomics program was established
1969
Accredited by HFES?
No
Contact person for more information, including applications
Caroline Cao, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02115; 617/627-3239; caroline.cao@tufts.edu
Catalog (free)
Graduate Application Office, 120 Packard Ave., Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155;
http://sites.tufts.edu/hfes
Academic calendar
Semester
Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered
MS and PhD
Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program
Engineering and research oriented, with emphasis on medical product and interface design, complex human-machine systems. Design or design research dissertation.
Number of degrees granted during last 3 years
MS 8
Can students attend part-time?
Yes
Are required courses offered through distance learning?
No
Are required courses offered during summer?
Infrequently
Does the university have an HFES student chapter?
Yes
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application deadlines
October 15 (spring), February 15 (fall)
Application fee
$50
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Minimum requirements
- GPA: MS 3.5
- GRE: recommended
- Other: undergraduate degree in engineering or computer science, PhD students must be engineering undergraduates
Importance of other criteria as admission factors
- Research:high
- Work experience: medium
- Letters: high
- Interview: high
Tuition and fee
Resident/nonresident: $3,400/year
Part-time: $2,700/course
ADMISSIONS
Number of students applying to the human factors/ergonomics program last year
5
Number of students accepted into the program last year
2
Anticipated number of openings per year
Varies
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance
100%
Amount received per year
Tuition remission + stipend (minimum $1,556/month)
Types of assistance available
fellowship, TA, RA, scholarship, plus tuition exempt
When should students apply for financial assistance?
With application
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Graduate degrees offered
MS and PhD
Number of units required
MS: 10 units including 8 courses, seminar attendance, proposal, research (2 units), and oral defense of thesis
PhD: 20 units including 5 courses, seminar attendance, oral qualifying exam, 2 seminars, research, and oral defense of dissertation
Exams required
MS: oral defense of thesis
PhD: oral qualifying exam, oral defense of dissertation
Language requirements
None
Research required
MS: 2 units
PhD: yes
Practical experience required
None
Typical number of years required to obtain degree
MS: maximum 5 years
PhD: maximum 7 years
Is there a non-thesis option?
No
CURRICULUM
Required courses (units)
MS: (programs and courses are ordinarily determined after interview with student): HF in Product Design, Human-Machine System Design, Research & Analytical Methods in HF, Advanced Probability and Statistics I & II, User Interface Design
PhD: courses determined by background and dissertation topic, with breadth in 2 subdisciplines and mathematical preparation
Number of courses outside department that are required
4
Number of courses outside department that are recommended
0
Average or typical class size in a required course
less than 10
RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Research and support facilities available to students in the program:
Software, hardware, computational labs, machine shops
Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
TA/RA sometimes available; human factors courses
Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:
HF in medical systems with focus on endoscopic applications, spatial visualization and control in remote environments, information visualization, decision making in the OR
STUDENT STATISTICS
Current number of active students in program, by gender
1 man, 6 women
Current number of first-year students in program
1
Based on current graduate students in the program, the
mean score on admission tests and undergraduate GPA
by degree being sought are
MS: GRE n/a, GPA 4.0
FACULTY
Caroline Cao, PhD 2002, U. Toronto; mechanical and industrial engineering, HF
[Updated Winter 2007]