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BACKGROUND:
Title: Industrial Engineering with a Concentration Option in Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering (MS, PhD). Contact: Vincent G. Duffy or Larry G. Brown, Department of Industrial Engineering, Mississippi State University, 125 McCain Engineering Building, Mississippi State, MS 39762-9542; 662/325-3865; http://www.ie.msstate.edu/. Est.: 1962. Semester. Degrees granted last 3 years: MS 4, PhD 2. Part-time: Yes. Program: The Ergonomics and Human Factors Engineering Concentration Option in Industrial Engineering is designed for students who desire comprehensive education in industrial and cognitive ergonomics. The option provides students with knowledge of ergonomics and human factors design principles for systems engineering. Students electing this concentration are prepared for employment in industry or consulting as a human factors engineer at an intermediate or senior level depending upon prior work experience. HFES Student Chapter: No. Catalog: (free; published four times per year: February, July; semi-monthly in April) Mississippi State University Registrar’s Office, P.O. Box 5268, Mississippi State, MS 39762-5268 or Office of Graduate Studies, P.O. Box G, 116 Allen Hall, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS 39762; grad@grad.msstate.edu.

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: 6/1 (fall), 11/1 (spring), 4/1 (summer). Fee: $25 out of state or international.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
MS: QPA.: 3.0/4.0 (junior and senior years). GRE: students entering with BS from program not accredited by EAC/ABET must submit composite v, q and a. Other: TOEFL 550 (international) and BS from an EAC/ABET accredited program is recommended. PhD: MS from an EAC/ABET accredited program is recommended. Research: medium. Work experience: medium. Extracurricular activities: low. Letters: high. Interview: medium.

ADMISSIONS:
Student acceptance rate in IE in 2001: 46%. Entered program in IE in 2001: 18. Openings/year in E/HFE option: 3-5.

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $1793/semester. Nonresident: $4064/semester. Part-time: $199.25/hour for residents, $451.75/hour for nonresidents.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 75. Amount: $10800/$14400/$18888. Available: Assistantship (tuition exempt); GTA, and GRA (tuition exempt). Apply: with application.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MS: 30 hours including thesis research, thesis defense, no languages or practical experience required, 9-hour minimum enrollment (fall, spring), 6-hour minimum enrollment (summer), no internship, 1.75 years. MS nonthesis option: available. PhD: includes preliminary exam (written and oral), dissertation research, dissertation defense, no languages or practical experience required, no internship, 3 years.

CURRICULUM:
MS: Current courses include: Human Factors Engineering (3), Ergonomics (3), Occupational Safety Engineering (3), Cognitive Engineering (3), Engineering Statistics II (4), Transportation Human Factors (3), Cognitive Science (3), Human-Computer Interaction (3), Special Topics in Industrial Engineering (3). Required courses outside department: 0. Recommended courses outside department: 2. Offered: night (occasionally), no weekends, summer (frequently). Class size: 5-20.

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: The Department of Industrial Engineering has well-developed laboratories that support research and teaching in industrial and cognitive ergonomics. The labs have a combined size of approximately 1500 square feet. A new laboratory for Cognitive Systems Engineering will be opened in McCain Engineering Hall in fall 2002. The new state –of-the-art laboratory will be about 5000 square feet and will house sponsored projects related to the human aspects of advanced technologies, human-computer interaction, virtual industrial safety training systems, design for an aging population, and efforts to improve human reliability and performance in health care and transportation systems. Additional university facilities supporting cognitive ergonomics research include the Mississippi State University/National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center (ERC). The ERC has a Computer Automatic Virtual Environment (CAVE), which is supported by a multiprocessor and multipipe Silicon Graphics (SGI) Onyx RealityEngine2 and integrated with motion trackers and a wand hand control. Those facilities support research in human-computer interaction, distance learning, user cognition, scientific visualization and virtual reality. Teaching: GTAs primarily assist faculty with laboratory teaching (Work Analysis & Design (3), Human Factors Engineering (3), Ergonomics (3)). Occasional opportunities to assume classroom teaching responsibilities or to serve as instructor of record are available to advanced PhD students. Current research: Human aspects of advanced technologies, human-computer interaction, virtual reality applications in industrial safety training, transportation human factors, human factors testing and evaluation, computer system design for effective health system access, human reliability, cognitive engineering and human performance, human interface and the management of information.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active in IE: 40. Entered program in 2001: 18. Mean scores: GRE 1767 v+q+a, Q.P.A. 3.2/4.0.

FACULTY AFFILIATED WITH THE E/HFE OPTION:
Royce O. Bowden, PhD 1992, Mississippi State U; intermodal transportation systems and simulation. Gary L. Bradshaw, PhD 1984, Carnegie-Mellon U; scientific discovery, technology-mediated education, learning and transfer, cognitive models. Stanley F. Bullington, PhD 1990, Auburn U; quality management and engineering management. Stephanie M. Doane, PhD, 1986, U of California, Santa Barbara; skill acquisition, computational models of cognition, expertise. Vincent G. Duffy, PhD 1996, Purdue U; virtual environments, industrial ergonomics and transportation human factors. William N. Smyer, PhD 1981, Auburn U; engineering design and production. John M. Usher, PhD 1989, Louisiana State U; applications of AI to manufacturing, intelligent robotics, manufacturing and automation.