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BACKGROUND:
Title: Interdisciplinary Graduate Minor Program in Human Factors/Ergonomics (MSc, PhD). Contact: Dir. Graduate Studies, University of Minnesota, 111 Cooke Hall, 1900 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455; 612/625-6697, fax 612/624-2509. Est: 1997. Joint program: Faculty represent the following departments/divisions: Civil Engineering; Computer & Information Science; Design, Housing & Apparel; Environmental & Occupational Health; Division of Kinesiology; Laboratory Medicine & Pathology; Mechanical & Industrial Engineering; Psychology. Semester. Granted last 3 years: PhD and MSc, Minor in Human Factors/Ergonomics 5. Part-time: yes. Program: Human factors/ergonomics is an interdisciplinary area of study focusing on the design, testing, and evaluation of human-machine systems. The program is administered through the Graduate School and is intended for PhD and MA students. It provides an integrated set of courses that emphasize conceptual, empirical, and practical aspects of human factors/ergonomics. For PhD students in kinesiology, the program serves as an area of emphasis or concentration. For students outside kinesiology, the program serves to complement doctoral and master's training in traditional disciplines as a foundation for diverse career opportunities in the field, and to promote interaction among graduate students and faculty involved in human factors/ergonomics. HFES student chapter: no. Catalog: (free) Thomas Stoffregen, Thomas Smith, or Michael G. Wade, Div. Kinesiology, University of Minnesota, 226 Cooke Hall, 1900 University Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455.

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: 7/15 (fall). Fee: varies depending on department and college.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: n/r. GRE: n/r. Other: Limited to students enrolled in a graduate program in their major discipline. Undergraduate requirements and weights given to various admission criteria may vary depending on the major department/college.

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 5. Accepted: 5. Entered program: 5. Openings/year: Permission of Director.

TUITION AND FEES:
Varies according to college. Resident: $2932 (6-14 credits). Nonresident: $5758 (6-14 credits). Fees: $267/semester.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
Depends on program provisions of student's major department and college.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MSc: 7 units, no exams (except as required by major dept), no languages, research and practical experience requirements depending on the individual student, 1-2 years. Nonthesis option: yes PhD: 15 units, no exams (except as required by major dept), no languages, research and practical experience requirements depending on the individual student, 1-2 years.

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Foundations of Human Factors/Ergonomics (3), Proseminar in Human Factors/Ergonomics (3), Topics in HF (2-4). Electives: Human Factors: Human-Centered Design (3), Human Factors Physiology (3), Human Factors Psychology (3). Computer & Information Sciences: User Interfaces & Programming (4), Algorithms & Data Structures II (4), Artificial Intelligence I (4), Human-Computer Interaction & User Interface Technology (3), Computer Vision (4), Expert Systems (3), Special Topics in Artificial Intelligence (4), Artificial Intelligence Techniques in Robotics (4). Psychology of Human-Machine Interaction (4), Human Abilities (4), Psychology of Individual Behavior in Organizations (4), Engineering Psychology (4), Work Motivation (8). Introduction to Work Analysis (4), Quality Control & Reliability (4), Introduction to HF Engineering (4), HF in System Design (4), Industrial Safety (4), Design & Analysis of Experiments (4), Industrial Engineering Research I & II (6-10). Mechanical Engineering: Advanced Analysis & Synthesis of Mechanism Systems (3-4). Kinesiology: Advanced Biomechanics (4), Applied Physiology (3), HF Physiology (3), Motor Learning & Human Performance (3), Biomechanics of Sport Safety (3), Seminar: Motor Learning & Human Performance (3-9), Biomechanics Research Techniques (3), Research Problems (1-9). Physiology: Properties of Sensory Receptor Systems (4), Spinal Cord Physiology & Motor Control (4). Class size: varies.

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: HF Research Lab (T. Stoffregen, dir.): Perception and action in virtual environments, including research on visual performance, posture, driving, and motion sickness in virtual environments. Major facilities: Moving room (optical flow simulator), helmet-mounted virtual environment system, 360-degree wrap-around driving simulator. Current projects: Postural instability and motion sickness (cybersickness) in head-mounted virtual environments, task-specific use of optical flow in the control of stance, postural support for visual performance in human-computer interaction, studies of advanced warning systems on simulated driving performance, aging effects on driving performance. Teaching: Opportunities depend on the department, adviser, and lab with which both student and faculty adviser are affiliated.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 3 men, 2 women. Mean scores: n/a.

FACULTY:
John Carmody, MA 1995, U Minnesota; civil engineering. William Durfee, PhD 1985, MIT; mechanical and industrial engineering. Arthur Erdman, PhD 1971, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute; mechanical & industrial engineering. Lael C. Gatewood, PhD 1971, U Minnesota; laboratory medicine and pathology. Susan G. Gerberich, PhD 1980, U Minnesota; environmental and occupational health. Denise A. Guerin, PhD 1988, Michigan State U; design, housing, apparel. Joseph A. Konstan, PhD 1993, UC Berkeley; computer science and information. Victor Koscheyev, PhD 1976, Moscow Institute of Biophysics, kinesiology. Tarold O. Kvalseth, PhD 1971, UC Berkeley; mechanical and industrial engineering. Karen L. Labat, PhD 1988, U Minnesota; design, housing, apparel. Gordon E. Legge, PhD 1976, Harvard U; psychology. Shashi Shekar, PhD 1989, UC Berkeley; computer and information science. Thomas J. Smith, PhD 1977, U Wisconsin-Madison; kinesiology. Thomas Stoffregen, PhD 1984, Cornell U; kinesiology. Donald Vesley, PhD 1968, U Minnesota; environmental health. Michael G.  Wade, PhD 1970, U Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; kinesiology.