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BACKGROUND:
Title: Safety Engineering Program in the Nuclear Engineering Department, with MS in Safety and Industrial Hygiene and PhD in Interdisciplinary Engineering; Industrial Engineering: Human Factors 5 courses - MS in Industrial Engineering with Human Factors, PhD in Industrial Engineering (with Human Factors Emphasis). Contact: Jerome J. Congleton, Nuclear Engineering Department, Texas A&M University, 129 Zachry Engineering Ctr., College Station, TX 77843-3133; 409/845-5574; ergo@acs.tamu.edu, http://ergocenter.tamu.edu/, or Gordon A. Vos, 979-862-7155. Est: 1969. Joint program: Industrial Engineering (Human Factors) and Safety Engineering Program (Ergonomics) in Nuclear Engineering Department.  Prospective courses in MSPH (Occupational Safety & Health) in School of Rural Public Health. Granted last 5 years: MS 40, PhD 10. Part-time: yes. Program: Heavily design oriented with emphasis on occupational biomechanics, worker physiology, industrial ergonomics, occupational epidemiology, fatigue, reliability, user-computer interface, knowledge-based systems, consumer products, transportation, and safety engineering. Sponsored research in industrial ergonomics, seat design, upper extremity disorders, driver interface, rehabilitation and transportation. Intensive study of methods leading to design criteria, critique of design deficiencies, and how to work with design teams. HFES student chapter: yes. Catalog: ($3.75) Texas A&M Bookstore, 409/845-8681.

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: 3/1 fall, 8/1 spring, 11/1 summer. Fees: domestic $35, international $75.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0; GPA on MS for PhD: 3.5. GRE: 450 v, 550 q; 1050 v + q; for PhD GRE 1250. Other: Candidates for the MS in Safety Engineering must meet the standard Texas A&M University and Department of Nuclear Engineering requirements and be admitted into the graduate program through regular procedures. Detailed admission policies and procedures are provided in the Texas A&M University Graduate Catalog. Research: low. Work experience: medium. Letters: high. Interview: medium.

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 30. Accepted: 8. Entered program: 8. Openings/year: 16.

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $1775/12 hours. Nonresident: $4307/12 hours. International: $4307/12 hours.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 100. Amount: $10800/$18000. Available: fellowships, TA, RA, GA, lecturers, all tuition exempt.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MS: 32 credit hours of approved graduate coursework (minimum of 26 at Texas A&M), thesis defense, 4 hours thesis research, no languages or practical experience required, 1 1/2 years. Nonthesis option: yes: 36 units, oral exam, practical experience required, no languages or research required, 2 years. PhD: 96 units beyond BS, 64 hours beyond master's degree, written and oral qualifying exams, preliminary exam, oral dissertation defense, 18-24 hours of dissertation research, no languages or practical experience required, 3 years.

CURRICULUM:
The curriculum features substantial flexibility to tailor a program of study that meets the individual's specific career aspirations while ensuring academic excellence. Each student will choose an advisory committee that directs the thesis and must approve the plan of study, electives, and transfer credits. The MS in Safety Engineering program offers studies in a broad range of areas, including ergonomics/health protection. Within this program are several courses specializing in ergonomics. Core courses (hours): Biological Control System Analysis (3), Worker Response to Physiological and Environmental Stress in Manufacturing (3), Industrial Safety Engineering (3), Industrial Hygiene (3), Special Topics in Occupational Medicine (3), Radiological Safety (3). Supporting Safety Engineering courses: Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology (3), Occupational Biomechanics (3), Product Safety Engineering (3), Safety Engineering in Facilities Design (3), System Safety Engineering (3), Fire Protection Engineering (3), Seminar (1), Instrumentation for Industrial Hygiene (3), Evaluation and Control of the Occupational Environment (3), Industrial Ventilation (3), Research (1). Human Factors Engineering courses: Human Operator in Complex Systems (3), Human Factors Engineering in System Design (3), Human-Machine Systems Engineering (3), Human Information Processing (3), User/Equipment Interface Documentation (3). Required courses outside participating departments: varies. Recommended courses outside participating departments: varies. Offered: research in summer. Class size: 5-16.

REACHING/RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: Excellent teaching facilities and laboratories are available for graduate instruction, demonstration, and thesis investigation and research. The ergonomics laboratories include the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory in the Zachry Engineering Center and a 20,000-square-foot facility associated with the National Science Foundation Industry/University Cooperative Research Center in Ergonomics. These labs house over $1.1 million in equipment for studies in human factors and ergonomics. A variety of instrumentation is available for human performance, anthropometry, work physiology, and manual materials handling. The ergonomic center's interdisciplinary team includes faculty and students from ergonomics, human factors, safety and bioengineering, kinesiology, physiology, epidemiology, statistics, occupational medicine, computer science, and psychology. The four of the areas of research emphasis are manual material handling, office ergonomics, manufacturing, and fatigue and reliability. Research in manual material handling includes energy expenditure, Four-wheel cart pulling and pushing forces, two-wheel cart pulling and lifting forces, and worker conditioning, flexibility, and strength. Office ergonomics research encompasses large monitor studies, mobile computing, and input devices (keyboards, mice, etc.). Research in the manufacturing area contains work organization, work methods, risk assessment, hand tools, and heat stress. Fatigue and reliability research consists of extended work shifts, prolonged standing, and constrained standing. Teaching: Graduate teaching assistant positions are usually available for Industrial Safety Engineering, System Safety Engineering, and Industrial Hygiene classes. Current research: Validation and refinement of the Strain Index -- A job analysis method to predict MSDs of the distal upper extremity.  Development and validation of a Shoulder Index -- A job analysis method to predict MSDs of the shoulder.  Development and validation of a Back Index -- A job analysis method to predict MSDs of the low back.  Development and validation of theories to apply these risk assessment tools to jobs that involve multiple tasks.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 10 men, 4 women. First-year students: 2. Mean scores: MS GRE 1150 v + q, GPA 3.2; PhD GRE 1270 v + q, GPA 3.5.

FACULTY:
Gordon A. Vos, PhD 2001, Texas A&M U, ergonomics and industrial hygiene. Jerome Congleton, PhD 1983, Texas Tech U; industrial ergonomics, seat design, safety. J. Steven Moore, MD (occupational medicine) 1978, Southwestern Medical School; biomechanics, physiology, work-related musculoskeletal disorders.