To return to the contents page, click your browser's "Back" button.

BACKGROUND:
Title: Human Factors/Applied Experimental Psychology. Contact: Tyler Blake, Dept. of Psychology, California State University, Northridge, CA 91330-8255; 818/677-3262; tyler.blake@csun.edu, http://www.csun.edu/~hfpsy004. Est: 1968. Semester. Granted last 3 years: MA 11. Part-time: yes. Program: The program's two major emphases are interactive technology design and applied research methodology. Design skills are developed in classes dealing with task analysis and developmental testing. Project-oriented courses require students to apply HF principles to environmental, facility, and product designs. Teamwork and subsystem integration are stressed. Research methodology emphasizes applied laboratory research, usability test and evaluation, and field research methodology. Courses in advanced statistical procedures are required. Students are provided with the basic background required for employment as an HF specialist or for continued graduate study. Students are encouraged to develop a concentration in an area such as human computer interaction, medical systems, aerospace or advanced methodology. Students are required to complete a research thesis. Many students find employment in the HF field at local industries before graduation, although this is neither guaranteed nor required. HFES student chapter: no. Catalog: (free) Dept. of Psychology, Grad Studies, California State University, Northridge, CA 91330-8255.

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: Fall 3/15, Spring 11/1. Fee: $55. Separate application required for university.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0 (course-by-course evaluation). GRE: 50th percentile in verbal, quantitative, and analytical (1000 v + q). Other: Undergraduate courses in experimental psychology and statistics are required. Undergraduate major in psychology, engineering, physical sciences, life sciences, design, or business is recommended. Nonpsychology majors are encouraged to take courses in perception and cognitive processes. Research: medium. Work experience: medium. Letters: high. Interview: medium.

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 17. Accepted: 12. Openings/year: 15.

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $652/semester for 0-6 units; $985/semester for >6 units.  $246/unit + $652/semester for 0-6 units; $246/unit + $985/semester for >6 units.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 10. Amount: $500. Available: TA. Apply: with application.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MA: 34-36 units, oral defense of proposal and thesis, human performance research project, task analysis project, system design project, no languages, 2-2½ years. Non-thesis option: no.

CURRICULUM:
Required courses: Human Factors in Design, Seminar in Human Factors Principles and Applications I and II, Subsystems Integration in Human Factors Design, Human Performance Research, Advanced Statistical Methods. Electives: Multivariate Analysis, Human-Computer Interaction, Advanced Experimental Psychology, Human Factors in New Technology Products, Seminar in Sensation and Perception, Seminar in Cognition, Others. Required courses outside department: 0. Recommended courses outside department: 1-2. Offered: night. Class size: 10-12.

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: A dedicated human factors laboratory is available in addition to a wide variety of research space assignable by the Psychology Department. The department is served with a high-speed Internet connection in addition to a dedicated Windows 2000 Intranet server capable of handling streaming audio and video. The department has both PC and Macintosh computers and a variety of peripheral equipment for use in assessing physiological and work-performance criteria, conducting usability studies, developing user interfaces, and designing rapid prototypes. The Psychology Department maintains a technical support workshop with full-time technicians to support customized research configurations. There is a graduate student library containing reference texts and technical reports. Students have free access to a fully equipped university computer center that was completely upgraded in 1996 with state-of-the-art network and multimedia technology. Teaching: Teaching introductory psychology as part of a teacher intern program sponsored by the Psychology Department. Teaching assistantships in experimental design, cognitive psychology and statistics courses. Current research: Technology-mediated instruction, human-computer interaction issues, distributed learning using interactive media and the Internet, medical error analysis, motor performance in surgery and mental workload measurement. Students are encouraged to pursue their own interests in the HF field.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 8 men, 14 women. First-year students: 12. Mean scores: MA: GRE 1020 v + q, GPA 3.3.

FACULTY:
Tyler Blake, PhD 1977, North Carolina State U; human-computer interaction, user interface design, distributed learning, virtual training, interactive product design. Shannon Harp, PhD 1997 University of Calif., Santa Barbara; Instructional Materials Design, Medical Device Design, Human Error; Cognitive Psychology: Text Comprehension. Jay Holden, PhD 2000 U Michigan; hand-eye coordination in motor control, cognitive psychology of word recognition, multivariate statistics, research design. Donald C. Butler, PhD 1958, Northwestern U; research design, advanced statistics. Howard B. Lee, PhD 1979, UCLA; systems analysis, psychometrics, statistics. Brennis Lucero-Wagoner, PhD 1982, UCLA; applied cognitive, attention, mental effort, psychophysiology. Jill L. Quilici, PhD 1997, UC Santa Barbara; applied cognitive psychology, problem solving, expertise.