KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY
Manhattan, Kansas
Department of Psychology

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Cognitive and Human Factors Psychology (MS, PhD)
Est: 1958 (reorganized 1988)
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MS 2, PhD 9
Part-time: yes
Distance learning available: no
HFES student chapter: no
Program: Broad-based training in the major content areas of experimental psychology as well as emphasis on solving problems and conducting research in basic and applied settings. An internship or field experience is strongly recommended but not required. The Psychology Department at Kansas State University has a long history of successfully preparing students to take positions as applied experimental psychologists in the public and private sectors.
Contact: Richard Harris, Psychology Department, Kansas State University, Bluemont Hall, 1100 Midcampus Dr., Manhattan, KS 66502-5302; 785/532-0620; rjharris@ksu.edu
Catalog: http://www.k-state.edu/grad/gscurrent/catalog/psych.htm

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 2/15 (fall)
Fee: U.S. $30; international $55

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0
GRE: no minimum on v, q, v + q, or a
Other: TOEFL 600. An undergraduate degree in psychology is recommended but not essential. It is recommended that applicants have a minimum of 15 hours in psychology (including a course in psychological research methods) plus 3 hours of statistics.
Research: high
Work experience: high
Letters: high
Interview: high

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 17
Accepted: 9
Entered program: 4
Openings/year: 4

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $310.50/credit hour
Nonresidents: $641.51/credit hour

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 75
Amount: Pre-MS: $9810; post-MS: $10,745
Available: fellowships, TA, tuition exempt; RA is out of state exempt
Apply: automatic with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MS: 30 units, oral examination, research required, no languages or practical experience, 2-3 years
Nonthesis option: no
PhD: MS + 60 units, preliminary exam, oral examination, research required, practical experience highly recommended, no languages, 4-5 years

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (hours): Quantitative Methods (4), Experimental Design (3), Multivariate Statistics (3), Fundamentals of Perception (3), Advanced Cognitive Psychology (3), Physiological Psychology (3), Seminar in Cognitive Processes (6), Seminar in Professional Problems (3)
Electives: Engineering Psychology (3), Industrial/ Organizational Psychology (3), Seminar in Human-Computer Interaction (3), Seminar in Visual Cognition (3), Seminar in Judgment and Decision Making (3), Seminar in Bilingualism (3), Seminar in Media Psychology (3), Ergonomics (3), Biomechanics (3), Computer Science (3), History of Psychology (3), Psychology of Language (3), Judgmental Processes (3), Proseminar--Social Psychology (3)
Recommended courses outside department: 2
Class size: 6-25

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: The department has room for individual and group research; several computer laboratories as well as remote terminal access to mainframe computers; an electrically shielded, light-tight, sound-deadened room for visual and auditory research; shop facilities; and access to campus facilities for electronics, woodworking, metal and machining, and other specialized shops.
Teaching: Opportunities range from assisting a faculty member in teaching a course to having sole responsibility for preparation and teaching of one's own course (depending on experience). There is also an optional Supervised Graduate Teaching Practicum designed to give formal training and supervision in teaching at the university level.
Current research: Includes projects in visual cognition, human-computer interaction, judgment and decision making, media psychology, consumer psychology, and psycholinguistics and advertising.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 7 men, 6 women
First-year students: 4
Mean scores: PhD: GRE 505 v, 683 q, 4.3 a, GPA: 3.34 (Terminal MS not encouraged.)

FACULTY:
Gary L. Brase, PhD 1997, UC Santa Barbara; information processing models of rationality in reasoning, judgment and decision making uncertainty, evolutionary psychology
Richard J. Harris, PhD 1974, U Illinois; applied psycholinguistics, mass communication, applied cognition
Lester C. Loschky, PhD 2003, U Illinois; visual cognition, visual perception, visual working memory, interactive visual displays, human-computer interaction, applied psycholinguistics
James Shanteau, PhD 1970, UC San Diego; judgment and decision making, consumer psychology, expert systems

[Updated Winter 2007]