SJSU Catalog

Industrial and Systems Engineering

MS - Human Factor/Ergonomics

The ISE Department also administers the MS degree program in Human Factors/Ergonomics. This program is a cooperative program involving the Departments of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Psychology, Industrial Design and Kinesiology. Additional information can be found at www.engr.sjsu.edu/hfe.

Human Factors/Ergonomics

Human factors/ergonomics is the discipline concerned with the development and application of human-system interface technology to systems analysis, design and evaluation. This technology encompasses human-machine (hardware ergonomics), human-task (workplace ergonomics), human-environment (environmental ergonomics), human-software (cognitive ergonomics) and organizational-machine (macro-ergonomics) interfaces. Practitioners are engaged in developing design specifications, guidelines, methods and tools. They also apply human-system interface technology to ensure that work systems are compatible with the characteristics of the humans who operate, maintain or otherwise interact with them. Their efforts include improving the operability, maintainability, usability, comfort, safety and health characteristics of systems to improve human and system effectiveness and to reproduce the potential of injury and error (adapted from remarks published by H. Holbrook, 1995-96 President, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, HFES Bulletin, January, 1996).

This program prepares students for practice in this emerging profession through an interdisciplinary course sequence that emphasizes theory, practical applications and research. Hf/E students take a group of five core courses from several different SJSU departments and elective courses in topics of their choosing. A bi-weekly seminar is required of all students each semester. The program culminates in a thesis or creative project.

Requirements for Admission to Classified Standing

Applicants for classified standing must have completed a BS degree in Psychology, Industrial Engineering, Occupational Therapy, Industrial Design, Kinesiology, or other related field at an accredited institution. A grade point average of 3.0 (B) or better in the last two years of academic work and the GRE exam with a minimum combined score of 1000 (verbal + quantitative) are preferred. Applicants for classified standing will also be expected to have completed an upper division course in statistics, including an introduction to analysis of variance.

Those who do not meet the requirements for classified status may be admitted with specific conditions as conditionally classified; any conditions stated upon admission in this status must be fulfilled before the student can be admitted to candidacy for the degree. If the conditions are not fulfilled, the program reserves the right to dismiss the student from the program by a process known as administrative academic disqualification (see Section 41300.1, Title 5, California Code of Regulations).

See the program web site www.engr.sjsu.edu/hfe or contact the program Director for details regarding application deadlines.

Requirements for Admission to Candidacy for the MS - Human Factors/Ergonomics

Students seeking the Master of Science degree in Human Factors/Ergonomics must meet the general all-university requirements for candidacy as outlined in the Academic Requirements section of this catalog. The University requires that all graduate students demonstrate competency in written English as a condition for advancement to candidacy. Please refer to the SJSU catalog section titled “Competency in Written English” for details. For graduate courses that meet the competency in written English requirement, please refer to the Graduate Studies and Research website at www.sjsu.edu/gradstudies. In addition, the applicant must demonstrate aptitude for advanced professional work in human factors/ergonomics, as measured by instructor appraisals, analysis of previous academic work or other appropriate means. Admission to candidacy and approval of programs will be handled by a faculty committee and the student's program advisor.

Course Requirements

Students must maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above in all courses taken in fulfilling prerequisites and the 30 graduate units required for completion of the program. The general requirements for the course completion are as follows:

Course Requirements
Core Courses			8
ISE 210; ISE 135, ISE 202 or PSYC 235; ISE 290
Psychology			3
PSYC 273
Kinesiology			3
KIN 266
Industrial Design			3
DSID 226 or DSID 131
Electives			9
Thesis or Creative Project			4
Total Units:			30

The decision as to whether to embark on the project (Option B) or Thesis (Option A) path for the culminating experience will be made by the student in consultation with the program's assigned advisor based on the student's current and long term interests and resource requirements.

Course descriptions can be found under the listings for the respective departments elsewhere in this catalog. Electives may be selected from a wide range of graduate courses offered on the SJSU campus in industrial engineering, psychology, kinesiology and other departments. The program develops and offers its own elective courses from time to time in topics such as usability testing, human-computer interaction, safety and others. Please see the program web site for further details.