ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Tempe, Arizona
College of Design, MSD Program

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BACKGROUND:
Title: MSD in Design, area of study Human Factors
Est: 1988
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MSD 6
Part-time: yes
Distance learning available: no
HFES student chapter: no
Program: The area of study identifies the problems, establishes the strategies, and develops the design solutions needed for issues surrounding the human-machine interface. The human-machine interface is the focus, although the principles have wider applications to other systems and environments. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between the human and task performance factors. Areas of emphasis include the qualities of function, methods of forming organizational relationships, and/or factors of environmental control systems and human factors in product and interior design. Subject matter also includes the design of equipment, machines, and spaces, ergonometrics and forms of ergonomic documentation, analysis of relationships among spaces, objects, and people as simulated through computer animation, imaging, and traditional modeling techniques. Because of the significant impact of human factors on the work environment, this concentration shares courses and faculty with Facilities Planning and Management.
Contact: Jacques Giard, Graduate Program Director, Arizona State University, School of Design, Tempe, AZ 85287-2105; 480/965-1373; jgiard@exchange.asu.edu.
Catalog: (free) Jacques Giard, ASU College of Design, Box 872105, Tempe, AZ 85287-2105; jgiard@exchange.asu.edu, http://design.asu.edu/msd/index.shtml.

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 1/15 (fall)
Fee: $50

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0
GRE: n/a
Other: Undergraduate degree in design-related discipline; portfolio
Research: medium
Work experience: high
Letters: high
Interview: low

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 10
Accepted: 5
Entered program:
Openings/year: unlimited

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $2965/12 hours or more
Nonresident: $8258/12 hours or more

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 25
Amount: $3000/$5400
Available: TA, scholarship, both tuition exempt
Apply: with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MSD: 36 credit hours, oral defense required, practical experience recommended, no languages, exam at the option of the graduate committee, 2 years
Nonthesis option: yes

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Human Factors in Design (3), Human Factors Systems and Documentation (3), Practicum: Methods of Teaching Design (3), Research Methods in Design (3), Qualitative Research in Design (3)
Required credits outside department: 21
Recommended courses outside department:
Class size: 12

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research: Research to date focuses on furniture design, computer equipment, and transportation design.
Teaching: Graduate teaching assistantships are available and are assigned to the lower-division program in industrial.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 3 men, 2 women
First-year students: 1
Mean scores: MSD: GRE n/a, GPA 3.72

FACULTY:
Lorraine Cutler, MA, U Phoenix; development and aging
Donald Herring, MS Design 1993, Arizona State U; human factors
Aisling Kelliher, PhD 2006, MIT; design and healing
Lauren McDermott, MA 1987, RIT; industrial design
Al Sanft, MFA, Brigham Young U; typography

[Updated Winter 2007]