Location: Moscow, Idaho
Department: Psychology
Quick links:
Directory of Graduate Programs
PROGRAM BACKGROUND
Title of program:
Experimental psychology with an emphasis in human factors
Primary department sponsoring program:
Psychology & Communication
Year human factors/ergonomics program was established:
Master's program was established in 1984; PhD was added in 2014.
Accredited by HFES?
Master's program is accredited by HFES.
Contact person for more information, including applications:
Todd Thorsteinson
University of Idaho
Department of Psychology & Communication
208-885-6324; hfactors@uidaho.edu
Web site:
https://www.uidaho.edu/class/psychcomm/graduate
Academic calendar:
Semester
Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered:
Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program:
The program stresses both theoretical research and practical application to human factors problems. We provide students with a strong background in human factors psychology to prepare them for positions in industry and academia. Current areas of faculty interest include pedestrian safety, human-computer interaction, virtual environments and simulation, navigation, interconnectedness of thought and action, neuro-ergonomics, and visual display design.
Number of degrees granted during last 3 years:
Can students attend part-time?
- No for on-campus program
- es, for online MS program
Are required courses offered through distance learning?
Students can complete a master's degree via distance. All courses are available online; each course is typically offered once a year.
Are required courses offered at night?
No
Are required courses offered during summer?
No
Does the university have an HFES student chapter?
No
APPLICATION PROCESS
Application deadlines:
February 15 for master's program; January 15 for PhD
Are separate applications required for university and department?
No
Application fees:
$50
ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Minimum requirements:
Grade point average (last 4 yrs: A = 4.0): 3.0
- GRE combined: 300
- GRE Verbal: 150
- GRE Quantitative: 150
Other: intro to statistics (recommended), research methods (recommended)
Importance of other criteria as admission factors:
- Previous research activity: high
- Relevant work experience: low
- Extracurricular activities: low
- Letters of recommendation: high
- Personal interview: N/A
Tuition and fees:
$5,274 per semester (Idaho residents and out-of-state students taking all online courses); $14,892 per semester (non-Idaho residents)
ADMISSIONS
Number of students applying to the human factors/ergonomics
program last year:
44
Number of students accepted into the program last year:
18
Number of students entering the program last year:
8
Anticipated number of openings per year for the next two years:
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance:
100% (of on-campus students)
Amount received per year:
On-campus MS & PhD students: $15,930 over academic year; all tuition waived
Types of assistance available:
- Teaching assistantship (tuition exempt)
- Research assistantship (tuition not exempt)
When should students apply for financial assistance?
All on-campus applicants are considered for assistantships.
DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Graduate degrees offered:
Number of units required:
- MS: 30 credits
- PhD: 78 credits
Exams required:
- MS: none
- PhD: oral defense of thesis; preliminary exam; and oral defense of dissertation
Language requirements:
None
Research required:
- MS: thesis (optional)
- PhD: thesis and dissertation
Practical experience required:
None
Typical number of years required to obtain degree:
Is there a non-thesis option?
Yes
CURRICULUM
Required courses (units):
Human Factors in Engineering Design (3), Engineering Psychology (3), Research Methods (3), Advanced Research Methods (3), Human-Computer Interaction (3), Ergonomics and Biomechanics (3), Advanced Human Factors (3), , Sensation and Perception (3)
All of these courses are available online.
Number of courses outside department that are required:
None
Number of courses outside department that are recommended:
1
Average or typical class size in a required course:
– 8-20
RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Research and support facilities available to students in the program:
Our laboratories span basic research in perception, cognition, and motor control to highly applied problems in transportation and human-computer interaction. The research tools available to students (3 eye-tracking systems, 3 motion tracking systems, 2 head-mounted VE systems, , a high-fidelity driving simulator, and sensors for physiological measurement) are world-class.
Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
Teaching opportunities available to students in the program: Students serve as teaching assistants for a variety of classes (e.g., intro to psychology; research methods). Following the completion of their MS, students have the opportunity to teach classes in the department.
Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students::
Virtual environments and simulation, aviation psychology, pedestrian safety, navigation, visual display design, human-computer interaction, neuro-ergonomics, decision making
STUDENT STATISTICS
Current number of active students in program, by gender:
Current number of first-year students in program:
8
Based on current graduate students in the program, the mean score on admission tests and undergraduate GPA by degree being sought are:
MS:
- Mean GRE Verbal: 155
- Mean GRE Quantitative: 156
- Mean GRE Analytical: 4.0
- Mean GRE Combined: 311
Mean undergraduate GPA: 3.40
Number of current HF/E postdocs:
0
Of the number of those graduating in the past year, what percentage gained employment in:
- Academia: 0%
- Industry: 100%
- Government: 0%
Faculty-to-student ratio:
1 to 8
FACULTY
Benjamin Barton, PhD 2005, University of Alabama at Birmingham; risk factors for unintentional injuries, injury prevention
Rajal Cohen, PhD 2008, Pennsylvania State University; cognitive and neural factors, posture and mobility, executive function in motor planning
Tianfang Han, PhD 2023, Purdue University; attention and cognitive control, alertness and temporal preparation, stimulus-response compatibility, driving behavior
Dawn Sweet, PhD 2008, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey; movement patterns / object concealment; nonverbal behaviors and aggression; use of force; deception detection
Todd Thorsteinson, PhD 1998, Bowling Green State University; judgment and decision-making, industrial-organizational psychology
Steffen Werner, PhD 1994 (emeritus), University of Göttingen; spatial cognition, visual cognition, neuro-ergonomics
[Updated February 2024]