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BACKGROUND:
Title: MSD in Design, area of study Human Factors. Contact: Linda Nelson Johnson, Graduate Program Coordinator, Arizona State University, School of Design, Tempe, AZ 85287-2105; 480/965-4135; lnj@asu.edu. Est: 1988. Semester. Granted last 3 years: MSD 6. Part-time: yes. 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. HFES student chapter: no. Catalog: (free) Linda Nelson Johnson, ASU School of Design, Box 872105, Tempe, AZ 85287-2105; lnj@asu.edu, www.asu.edu/caed/design/designHome.html.

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 1/15 (fall). Fee: $45.

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

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 10. Accepted: 5. Openings/year: no limit.

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $1136/12 hours or more. Nonresident: $4864/12 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. 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. Michael Kroelinger, PhD 1976, U Tennessee; lighting design. Donald Herring, MS Design 1993, Arizona State U; human factors. Lauren McDermott, MA 1987, RIT; industrial design. Esther Ratner, MFA 1987, U Michigan; industrial design. Paul Rothstein, MDes, IIT; user-centered design, ethnographic methods. Al Sanft, MFA, Brigham Young U; typography.