PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Contact person for more information, including applications:

Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program:

Our program is supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). We prepare trainees to contribute to the design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments, and work systems to make them compatible with the needs, abilities, and limitations of people. Reducing the burden of musculoskeletal disorders among working people is an emphasis of our program, achieved through the following objectives:

1. Train ergonomics and human factors practitioners to contribute effectively on multidisciplinary teams to improve the occupational safety and health status of an organization.
2. Train ergonomics and human factors researchers able to work beside epidemiologists, biostatisticians, medical professionals, and other occupational safety and health professionals (e.g., industrial hygienists) to advance knowledge regarding the design of jobs and work systems.
3. Conduct quality and impactful research relevant to occupational safety and health.

---

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application deadline:

For admission to OEH:

• May 1 (for Fall enrollment)

For admission to ISE: April 1

• April 1 (for Fall enrollment)
• December 1 (for Spring enrollment)

Application fees:

• OEH: $75
• ISE: $60

---

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum requirements:

For admission to OEH:

• MS: GPA ≥ 3.00
• PhD: GPA ≥ 3.25

For admission to ISE:

• MS and PhD: GPA ≥ 3.00
• GRE is recommended but not required

Importance of other criteria as admission factors:

• Research: medium
• Work experience: medium
• Letters: high
• Interview: medium

Tuition and fees:

• Resident: $13,472/year
• Nonresident: $32,418/year

Tuition is covered for eligible trainees supported by program funding. Eligibility is restricted to US citizens, noncitizen US nationals, or those lawfully admitted for permanent US residence at the time of appointment.

---

ADMISSIONS

---

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

When should students apply for financial assistance?

There is no formal application for financial assistance through the training grant. Those interested should contact the Heartland Center’s Associate Director for Student Affairs, Brianne Schwarz, prior to applying for admission to either OEH or ISE.

---

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

---

CURRICULUM

Required courses (units):

All trainees are required to take: Occupational Health (3), Occupational Ergonomics: Principles (3), and Human Factors (3). Trainees based in OEH must also take: Methods in Exposure Science (3), Occupational Safety (3), Quantitative Exposure Assessment (1 for MS, 3 for PhD), and Principles of Scholarly Integrity (1). Trainees based in ISE must also take: Cognitive Engineering (3), Introduction to Six Sigma (3), Human Factors in Healthcare Systems (3), and Engineering Ethics (1).

In addition, all PhD-level trainees are required to take: Biomedical Instrumentation (3), Design of Experiments (3), Quantitative Exposure Assessment (3), and Research Design in OEH (3). PhD-level trainees based in OEH must also take Interpreting OEH Research (3), while PhD-level trainees based in ISE must also take Research Methods in Human Factors Engineering (3).

In general, the courses required for the training program will satisfy numerous departmental degree requirements (including electives).

---

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

Research and support facilities available to students in the program:

An extensive network of ergonomics and human factors researchers at the University of Iowa affords our trainees numerous options for research experiences and topics. Trainees based in OEH typically engage in research projects aligned with physical ergonomics, and those based in ISE typically engage in research projects more closely aligned with cognitive ergonomics or human factors engineering. In addition to the Heartland Center, the University of Iowa is home to the following centers and facilities that frequently support HF/E research:

• The NIOSH-funded Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health
• The NIOSH-funded Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest
• A CDC-funded Injury Prevention Research Center
• The Driving Safety Research Institute, including the National Advanced Driving Simulator
• The Iowa Technology Institute, including the Virtual Soldier Research Program and the Operator Performance Laboratory

Each of our centers also administers a pilot grant program, providing our trainees (particularly at the PhD level) numerous opportunities to secure funding for their independent research.

Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:

Teaching assistantships may be available outside the training program.

Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:

Current research activities include: whole-body vibration among agricultural machine operators; computer vision-based measurement of worker kinematics; continuous measurement of pushing and pulling exposures in material handling; examining the effect of multiple jobs on measures of health, safety, and well-being; validation of inertial measurement units for ergonomics and biomechanics applications; fatigue among workers in large-herd dairy parlors.

---

STUDENT STATISTICS

---

FACULTY:

Nathan Fethke, PhD, CPE; ergonomics, biomechanics, epidemiology, musculoskeletal disorders

Daniel McGehee, PhD; human factors engineering, driver attention and response, crash avoidance, automation

Laura Frey Law, PhD; rehabilitation science, fatigue modeling and assessment, pain mechanisms, physical activity

[Updated March, 2024]