BENTLEY COLLEGE
Waltham, Massachusetts
Department of Information Design and Corporate Communications

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Human Factors in Information Design (MS)
Est: 1998
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MS 21
Part-time: yes
HFES student chapter: no
Program: The Master of Science in Human Factors in Information Design (MSHFID) program prepares working professionals to meet the requirements of the changing marketplace for technology products, with the ultimate goal of improving product usability and promoting a successful user experience. Specifically, this distinctive program emphasizes human behavior relative to learning, understanding and effectively using new technologies; defines information design broadly to include user support, the user interface, training systems, the World Wide Web, and e-commerce; develops localization strategy, emphasizing design, communication, and training; and the integration of user centered design practices in the larger development and business organization. The Design and Usability Testing Center is the technological centerpiece for the MSHFID program. This facility exemplifies the philosophy underlying all of our programs: to build "real world" bridges between the theory of human factors and the practice of information design.
Contact: William M. Gribbons, Bentley College, 175 Forest Street, Waltham, MA 02452; 781/891-2926; wgribbons@bentley.edu; http://www.bentley.edu/
Catalog: (free) Sharon Hill, 175 Forest St., Waltham, MA 02452

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: 6/1
Fee: $50

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.2
GRE: 600 q
Other: MSHFID candidates must have one or more of the following: relevant work experience in technical writing, information design, software, web or hardware development, or usability testing; a post-baccalaureate certificate, engineering or psychology; a bachelors degree in technical communication, engineering or psychology; or permission from the program director.
Research: medium
Work experience: high
Letters: high
Interview: medium

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 40
Accepted: 27
Entered program: 25
Openings/year: 60

TUITION AND FEES:
$2,563/three-credit course

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 10
Amount: $15,000
Available: RA, tuition exempt
Apply: with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MS: 30 units, thesis, 200-hour internship, no languages, 2.5 years
Nonthesis option: yes for part-time students

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Foundation in Human Factors (3), Usability Testing and Assessment Programs (3), Managing a User-Centered Design Team (3)
Electives (units): Globalization (3), Visualizing Information (3), Expert Systems (3), Field Methods (3), Universal Accessibility (3), Information Architecture (3), Prototyping (3), Internship (3)
Required courses outside department: Two selected from either management, statistics, or computer science departments. Two electives chosen from CS, management, and statistics.
Recommended courses outside department: 0
Offered: night, summer
Class size: 24

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: Students are able to work on research projects in the Design and Usability Testing Center. The Center contracts with leading high tech, healthcare, and financial services groups around the country to consult on development projects and to conduct usability tests of existing products. This provides students an unparalleled experience to see first-hand the intersection of human factors and technology design.
Teaching: none
Current research: This past year the Center worked with over twenty high tech firms on a variety of development projects. We are currently working with two healthcare groups on projects related to the effects of aging and low literacy.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 25 men, 50 women
First-year students: 25
Mean scores: GRE 600, GPA 3.2

FACULTY:
William Buchholz, PhD 1976, U Illinois; Web design, information architecture
Joseph S. Dumas, PhD 1970, U Buffalo SUNY; HCI, evaluation, human factors engineering
William Gribbons, PhD 1986, U Maryland; human factors engineering, HCI, usability engineering
Meena Kothandaraman, MS 1995, Syracuse U; user-centered behavior, field methods
Beth Loring, MS 1994, Tufts U; product design/safety, test/evaluation, usability testing
Tom Tullis, PhD, Rice U; human-computer interaction, human factors engineering, cognitive psychology
Chauncey Wilson, PhD 1972, U Pittsburgh; user-centered design, prototyping, usability engineering