NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY
Boston, Massachusetts
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Industrial Engineering with courses in Human Factors; Computer Systems Engineering with courses in Human-Machine Systems (MS, PhD)
Est: 1985
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MS 7, PhD 1
Part-time: yes
HFES student chapter: no
Program: Interdisciplinary study in human factors engineering and human-machine systems available to graduate students in industrial engineering and computer systems engineering at MS and PhD levels. Areas of study available include human performance in virtual environments, training, and human-machine interactions.
Contact: Yingzi Lin, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Northeastern University, 334 Snell Engineering Ctr., 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115; 617/373-8610; ylin@coe.neu.edu, http://www1.coe.neu.edu/~yilin/
Catalog: (free) Graduate Admissions Office, Northeastern University, 130 Snell Engineering Ctr., 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115; 617/373-2711, grad-eng@coe.neu.edu

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: Full-time: 2/15; part-time: 8/15 (fall); 12/1 (winter); 3/1 (spring), 6/1 (summer)
Fee: $50

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0 or greater preferred
GRE: required only for international students
Other: BS in engineering or a closely related field
Research: low
Work experience: low
Letters: high
Interview: low

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 8
Accepted: 6
Openings/year: unlimited

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident and nonresident: $575/semester credit hour

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 80
Amount: $15720/$18720/$22080
Available: fellowships, TA, RA (all tuition exempt)
Apply: with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MS: 32 units, thesis/research project, no exams, languages, or practical experience required, 1 1/2-2 years
Nonthesis option: no
PhD: units variable, qualifying exam, doctoral defense, doctoral dissertation, no languages or practical experience required, 4-5 years

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Human Factors Engineering (4), Human-Computer Interaction (2), Engineering/Organizational Psychology (4)
Required courses outside department: 0
Recommended courses outside department: Up to 2 for MS; for PhD, number varies according to individual student requirements.
Offered: night
Class size: 6-30 (refers to required courses for all industrial engineering graduate courses)

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: Human Factors and Reliability Laboratory supports studies in learning and perception. Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning and Computer Laboratories support applications and developments in human-factors-oriented simulation and expert systems software. A Virtual Environments Laboratory and a Robotics/Manufacturing Laboratory are also available.
Teaching: MS students may serve as teaching assistants or laboratory assistants, whereas a PhD student may be responsible for one undergraduate class offering.
Current research: Simulation systems for human factors design of manufacturing systems; expert systems tools for work space design; job design in advanced manufacturing systems; human factors in the design process; human-computer interface and computer-supported cooperative work; virtual reality; creation of virtual reality models and virtual reality driving simulators.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 4 men, 5 women
First-year students: 3
Mean scores: n/a

FACULTY:
Sagar Kamarthi, PhD 1995, Pennsylvania State U; knowledge-based systems in design and manufacturing
Yingzi Lin, PhD 2003, U Saskatchewan; human machine system integration and evaluation, adaptive intelligent human machine interface design
Ronald Mourant, PhD 1971, Ohio State U; human factors, human-machine interactions in virtual environments