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BACKGROUND:
Title: Human Factors Engineering (MEng, MASc, PhD). Contact: Graduate Admissions Office, University of Toronto, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto, ON Canada M5S 3G8; 416/978-3662; gradoffice@mie.utoronto.ca, http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/IE/HF/summary.html. Est: 1966. Semester. Granted last 3 years: MEng 2, MASc 8, PhD 8. Part-time: yes (MEng only). Program: The program is research oriented, emphasizing both theoretical and practical issues. Teaching covers a broad range of human factors issues and topics, whereas research typically focuses on cognitive and perceptual issues. Current research topics include user interface design, information management and retrieval, hypertext, multimedia, mobile computing, cognitive engineering, ecological interface design, design of human factors handbooks and the design process, supervisory control, teleoperation and control, augmented reality and virtual environments, 3D graphic and video displays, 6-degree-of-freedom control, air traffic control displays, eHealth innovations, HF issues in health care and other biomedical applications, especially endoscopic surgery. Fundamental research is emphasized, but applied research is also carried out, with extensive support from industry and government, both national and international. The human factors research labs are also tied to and supported by a network of Centres of Excellence. HFES student chapter: yes. Catalog: See http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/.

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 2/1. Fee: Preassessment free; formal application $90 (Cdn).  Refer to http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: Course-by-course review; each of last 2 years must be B+ or above. GRE: not required, but useful if available. Other: TOEFL 580 (or 237 on computer based test), TWE 4.0, MELAB 85, IELTS 7.0. Industrial engineering or other engineering degree; computer science, psychology, with basic algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics; any other undergraduate degree with basic algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics. Research: high. Work experience: medium. Letters: high. Interview: high.

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 15. Accepted: 9. Entered program: 9. Openings/year: 9.

TUITION AND FEES:
Canadian citizens & permanent residents: $5630/year (Cdn) for research students; $6805 for MEng students. Visa students: $10133/year (Cdn) for research students; $13928 for MEng students.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 100. Amount: Minimum $1000 per month (Cdn) plus tuition, for research students (non-MEng) only Available: Fellowship, TA, RA. Apply: Consideration is automatic; no separate application is necessary.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MEng: 10 one-term courses or 7 courses + 1 project; no exams, languages, research, or practical experience required, 2-3 years. MASc: 5 one-term courses, oral defense of thesis, research, no languages or practical experience, 2 years. Nonthesis option: no. PhD: 5 one-term courses, oral qualifying exam, progress seminar, oral defense of thesis, research, no languages or practical experience, 4 years.

CURRICULUM:
Required courses: n/a. Electives (terms): Design of Workplaces (1), Experimental Methods in HF Research (1), Analytical Methods in HF Research (1), Design of Human-Machine Systems (1), HF in Information Technology (1), Human Control of Telerobotic Systems (1), Cognitive Work Analysis (1), Theoretical Foundations of HF (1), Design of Ecological Interfaces (1). Required courses outside department: 0. Recommended courses outside department: n/a. Offered: night. Class size: 8-12.

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: The department operates three HF research labs and one HF teaching lab. The Cognitive Engineering Lab (CEL) has several high-resolution graphics workstations, video recording/editing equipment, and powerful rapid prototyping software, which are used to conduct research in cognitive engineering. The Interactive Media Lab has state-of-the-art equipment for large-scale text retrieval, multimedia authoring, and usability analysis of interfaces and devices. The Ergonomics in Teleoperation and Control (ETC) Lab comprises several high-resolution graphics workstations, several PCs, stereoscopic video systems, stereoscopic graphics, a 5-degree-of-freedom robot arm, an explosive ordnance disposal robot, an automobile driving simulator, and several 6-degree-of-freedom input devices. Other facilities include equipment for the measurement of environmental factors such as light, sound, and vibration. All labs are fully networked, with high-bandwidth connections to the university backbone. The department provides a staff of highly qualified computing personnel. University-wide computing services and networking facilities are excellent. The university library system is one of the 10 largest in North America. Teaching: A number of teaching assistantships are available within the department, on a per-course basis, in support of any courses run by the department at the undergraduate level. These generally involve approximately 45-55 hours/semester of running labs or tutorials or supervising design projects. Remuneration is on a hourly basis. Current research: CEL research centers on development and utilization of conceptual and analytical tools to systematically analyze, design, and evaluate adaptation in real-world sociotechnical systems. The lab is primarily concerned with conducting basic and applied research on how to introduce information technology into complex work environments so that the prerequisites for an effective feedback control system can be satisfied. The Interactive Media Lab research concerns improvement of user interfaces for information systems, including innovative multimedia environments, large-scale text browsing, hypertext, multimedia authoring, video analysis, mobile computing and information visualization. ETC lab research focuses on navigation, visualization and manipulation of 3D data, especially as related to telerobotics, multiaxis control, air traffic control, stereoscopic displays, and augmented reality and virtual environments. Medically related applications, especially endoscopic surgery and eHealth innovation, are also important focus areas.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 16 men, 5 women. First-year students: 6. Mean scores: MASc and PhD: GRE n/r, GPA A-.

FACULTY:
Mark Chignell, PhD 1981, U Canterbury; human factors in information technology, user interfaces, hypertext, multimedia, mobile computing, information visualization. Greg Jamieson, PhD 2002, U Toronto; human-automation interaction, work analysis and interface design for complex systems, process control
applications. Paul Milgram, PhD 1980, U Toronto; teleoperation and control, 3D displays and navigation, virtual environments, control theory, air traffic control, medical applications. Kim Vicente, PhD 1991, U Illinois; cognitive work analysis, process of design, expertise and skill acquisition, ecological interface design.