MISSOURI WESTERN STATE UNIVERSITY
St. Joseph, MO
Department of Psychology

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Master of Applied Science in Human Factors and Usability Testing (MAS)
Est: 2009
Semester
Granted last 3 years: N/A, new program
Part-time available: yes
Distance learning available: no
HFES student chapter: no
Program: This degree is unique in combining the core courses often associated with an MBA (including economics, marketing, organization theory, and organizational communications) with specific coursework and experience in human factors. The goal is to educate Master's level professionals with both the general business skills necessary to succeed as part of a multi-disciplinary team, and the research, design, and technical skills necessary to contribute meaningfully on the usability / HCI side. Graduates will have experience working in a variety of industry types on a variety of projects. Accredited by: none
Contact: Brian Cronk, Missouri Western State University, 4525 Downs Dr., St. Joseph, MO, 64507 816/271-4444 cronk@missouriwestern.edu http://www.missouriwestern.edu/psychology/graduate.html
Catalog: (free) Graduate Dean, 4525 Downs Dr., St. Joseph, MO 64507

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: Priority Deadline: March 15; applications will be accepted after the deadline, however, consideration for financial assistance will only be given to those received before March 15
Fee: Institutional Fee: $45; Departmental Fee: none, but departmental application required

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 2.75
GRE: Combined: 800; Verbal: 400; Quantitative: 450
Other: Required course work: statistics, research methods; Recommended: degree in psychology, computer science, art, business, or engineering
Research: medium
Work experience: medium
Extracurricular activities: low
Letters: high
Interview: high

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: new program
Accepted: n/a
Entered program: n/a
Openings/year: 6

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $250.10/credit hour; $2,010.90/semester (9 hours)

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: Nearly 100% expected
Amount: In-state waiver (min); $2,500 (typical); $5,000 (max)
Available: Teaching and research assistantships not available
Apply: With application.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MAS: 36 units; thesis or 2 semesters of internship; no comprehensive exam; no languages; 2 years typical
Nonthesis option: yes

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Professional and Organizational Comunications (3), Organizational Theory (3), Marketing Strategy (3), Managerial Economics (3), Technical Analysis for Decision Making (4), Graduate Colloquium (2), Cognition in Design (3), Applied Cognitive Design (3), User-Centered Design Methods (3), Special Topics in Human-Centered Design (3), Seminar in Human-Centered Design I (1), Seminar in Human-Centered Design II (1)
Electives (units): Technical Documentation and Editing (3), Testing and Assessment (3), Computer Graphic Design (3), Applied Univariate and Multivariate Analysis (3)
Required courses outside department: 6
Recommended courses outside department: 0
Required courses offered: nights: yes; weekends: no; summer: sometimes
Class size: 3-15

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: The department has a modern usability lab designed to facilitate instruction/research in human-centered design.
Teaching opportunities: none
Current research: n/a new program

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: no data, new program
First-year students: n/a
Mean scores: n/a

FACULTY:
Jeremiah Still, ABD, PhD, 2009, Iowa State; human-computer interaction
Brian Cronk, PhD 1993, Univ. of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; HFES member; computers in education, human-computer interaction
Kelly Henry, PhD, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; HFES member; applied group dynamics

[Updated February 2009]