Location: Houston, Texas
Department: Psychology Program
Quick links:
Directory of Graduate Programs
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Title of program:
Human Factors Psychology concentration within the Psychology Program
Year human factors/ergonomics program was established:
2008
Accredited by HFES?
Yes
Contact person for more information, including applications:
Steven Sutherland,
University of Houston-Clear Lake
2700 Bay Area Blvd
Houston, TX 77058
281/283-3474
sutherland@uhcl.edu
Catalog (free):
Office of Admissions
2700 Bay Area Blvd, Box 13
Houston, TX 77058
Website:
https://www.uhcl.edu/academics/degrees/psychology-ms-human-factors-concentration
Academic calendar:
Semester
Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered:
MS
Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program:
Through a two-year integrated sequence of coursework, practicum, research, and hands-on activities, UHCL'S Human Factors Psychology Sub-plan is designed to focus provides students with a well-rounded foundation in: psychology, the user-centered design process, and methods used to evaluate human-machine interfaces. Students will obtain basic competency in perception, cognition, judgment/decision making, and information processing systems as well as how to apply this knowledge to the design of the Human-Machine interface. Practicum and research experiences will be provided in laboratory and industrial settings. UHCL has one of the few Master's centered programs explicitly designed to prepare people to work in industry upon graduation. The UHCL program is also well situated in the City of Houston to provide excellent internship opportunities with NASA-Johnson Space Center as well as energy and computing industries.
Can students attend part-time?
Yes
Are required courses offered through distance learning?
No
Are required courses offered at night?
Typically; 4:00–6:50 p.m. or 7:00–9:50 p.m.
Are required courses offered during summer?
Yes
Does the university have an HFES student chapter?
Yes
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application deadline:
Fall admissions only
- February 1 (early review)
- May 1 (final review)
Application fees:
- $35 for domestic applicants
- $75 for international applicants
Are separate applications required for the university and the department?
No
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Grade point average (last 4 years: A = 4.0):
3.0
GRE:
GRE not required
Minimum requirements:
- Introduction to Psychology
- Introduction to Statistics
Importance of other criteria as admission factors:
- Research: Medium
- Work experience: medium
- Extracurricular activities: low
- Letters of recommendation: high
- Interview: N/A
Tuition and fees:
- Resident: $4,710 per semester
- Nonresident: $9,408 per semester
ADMISSIONS
Number of students applying to the human factors/ergonomics program last year:
20
Number of students accepted into the program last year:
10
Number of students entering the program last year:
10
Anticipated number of openings per year for the next two years:
15
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance:
25%
Amount received per year:
Variant depending on type
Types of assistance available:
Teaching assistantship, research assistantship (sometimes tuition reducing), and traineeships with industry partners
When should students apply for financial assistance?
After being accepted into the program.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Graduate degrees offered:
Master's of Science in Psychology
Number of units required:
42
Exams required:
None
Language requirements:
None
Research required:
Master's thesis or 500-hour internship required
Typical number of years required to obtain degree:
2
Is there a non-thesis option?
Internship option
CURRICULUM
Required Courses:
Experimental and Non Experimental Design and Statistics (2 courses req), Sensation and Perception (req), Advanced Cognitive and Affective Psychology (req), Learning Principles/Advanced Social Psychology/Biological Basis (2 of 3 req), Human Factors Engineering (req), Research Topics in Applied Cognitive Psychology (2 courses req), User-Centered Design (req), Practicum in Human Factors Psychology (req)
Elective Courses:
Training and Development, Programming with Visual Basic, Ergonomics and Workplace Design, Ergonomics Methods and Analysis, Web Design, Technical Foundation of Digital Media, Game Design and Development, Qualitative Research Methods (1 req)
Number of courses outside the department that are required:
None
Number of courses outside the department that are recommended:
1
RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Research and support facilities available to students in the program:
Research facilities in the UHCL Human Factors Program allow for expansive research and training opportunities. A full usability lab allows for product testing, focus groups, and interviews. Game development space provides the capacity to build and test testing software, experimental games, and serious games/simulations. The program also runs a VR/AR testing suite, physiological testing including sEMG, GSR, and HRV, motion capture systems, and multiple computer testing stations.
Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
Teaching assistant positions
Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:
Development, implementation, and testing of VR and AR systems for psychomotor and cognitive task training and informal learning in museum/education environments. Serious game research includes investigations of the impact of games on judgement and decision making and in the education of university-level students.
STUDENT STATISTICS
Current number of active students in program, by gender:
- Men: 3
- Women: 7
- Prefer to not self identify: 2
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:
Percentage of graduates gaining employment in:
- Academia 0%
- Industry 5%
- Government: 1%
FACULTY
Nicholas Kelling, PhD, 2009 Georgia Institute of Technology. HFES Member
Specializations: VR/AR/XR perceptual interactions, VR Training, and use of technology in environments where education and entertainment goals coexist.
Steven Sutherland, PhD, 2012 Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. HFES Member
Specializations: Judgement and decision making, human-automation interaction, and Serious games and simulation.
[Updated March 2024]