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BACKGROUND:
Title: Industrial Engineering with courses in Human Factors; Computer Systems Engineering with courses in Human-Machine Systems. Contact: Ronald R. Mourant, Department of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering, Northeastern University, 334 Snell Engineering Ctr., 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115; 617/373-3931; mourant@coe.neu.edu, http://www.coe.neu.edu/~mourant/velab.html. Est: 1985. Quarter. Granted last 3 years: MS 7, PhD 1. Part-time: yes. Program: Interdisciplinary study in human factors engineering and human-machine systems available to graduate students in industrial engineering and computer systems engineering at MS and PhD levels. Areas of study available include human performance in virtual environments, training, and human-machine interactions. HFES student chapter: no. Catalog: (free) Graduate Admissions Office, Northeastern University, 130 Snell Engineering Ctr., 360 Huntington Ave., Boston, MA 02115; 617/373-2711, grad-eng@coe.neu.edu.

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: Full-time: 2/15; part-time: 8/15 (fall); 12/1 (winter); 3/1 (spring), 6/1 (summer). Fee: $50.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0 or greater preferred. GRE: required only for international students. Other: BS in engineering or a closely related field. Research: low. Work experience: low. Letters: high. Interview: low.

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 8. Accepted: 3. Openings/year: unlimited.

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident and nonresident: $485/quarter credit hour.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 80. Amount: $15720/$18720/$22080. Available: fellowships, TA, RA (all tuition exempt). Apply: with application.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MS: 40 units, thesis/research project, no exams, languages, or practical experience required, 1 1/2-2 years. Nonthesis option: no. PhD: units variable, qualifying exam, doctoral defense, doctoral dissertation, no languages or practical experience required, 4-5 years.

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Human Factors Engineering (4), Human-Computer Interaction (2), Engineering/Organizational Psychology (4). Required courses outside department: 0. Recommended courses outside department: Up to 2 for MS; for PhD, number varies according to individual student requirements. Offered: night. Class size: 6-30 (refers to required courses for all industrial engineering graduate courses).

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: Human Factors and Reliability Laboratory supports studies in learning and perception. Artificial Intelligence/ Machine Learning and Computer Laboratories support applications and developments in human-factors-oriented simulation and expert systems software. A Robotics/Manufacturing Laboratory and a Microprocessor and Local Area Network Laboratory are also available. Recently a Virtual Environments Laboratory was developed. Teaching: MS students may serve as teaching assistants or laboratory assistants, whereas a PhD student may be responsible for one undergraduate class offering. Current research: Simulation systems for human factors design of manufacturing systems; expert systems tools for work space design; job design in advanced manufacturing systems; human factors in the design process; human-computer interface and computer-supported cooperative work; virtual reality; creation of virtual reality models and virtual reality driving simulators.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 4 men, 5 women. First-year students: 3. Mean scores: n/a.

FACULTY:
Sagar Kamarthi, PhD 1995, Pennsylvania State U; knowledge-based systems in design and manufacturing. Shiwao Lee, PhD 1999, Pennsylvania State U; information systems, human factors. Ronald Mourant, PhD 1971, Ohio State U; human factors, human-machine interactions in virtual environments.