ARIZONA STATE UNIVERSITY
Tempe, Arizona
College of Design, MSD Program

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BACKGROUND:
Title: MSD in Design, area of study Human Factors
Est: 1988
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MSD 11
Part-time: yes
Distance learning available: no
HFES student chapter: no
Program: The area of study identifies the problems, establishes the strategies, and develops the design solutions needed for issues surrounding the human-machine interface. The human-machine interface is the focus, although the principles have wider applications to other systems and environments. Special emphasis is placed on the relationship between the human and task performance factors. Areas of emphasis include the qualities of function, methods of forming organizational relationships, and/or factors of environmental control systems and human factors in product and interior design. Subject matter also includes the design of equipment, machines, and spaces, ergonometrics and forms of ergonomic documentation, analysis of relationships among spaces, objects, and people as simulated through computer animation, imaging, and traditional modeling techniques. Because of the significant impact of human factors on the work environment, this concentration shares courses and faculty with Facilities Planning and Management.
Contact: Lauren McDermott, Assistant Director, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2105; 480/965-8696; lauren.mcdermott@asu.edu
Catalog: (free) Lauren McDermott, Assistant Director, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-2105; 480/965-8696; lauren.mcdermott@asu.edu http://www.herbergerinstitute.asu.edu

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 12/15 (fall)
Fee:$50

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0
GRE: n/a
Other: Undergraduate degree in design-related discipline; portfolio
Research: medium
Work experience: medium
Letters: high
Interview: low

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 21
Accepted: 7
Entered program: 6
Openings/year: unlimited

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $9,848/year/12 hours or more per semester
Nonresident: $17,881/year/12 hours or more per semester

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 75
Amount: $5,474/$10,448
Available: TA, RA, both tuition exempt; travel research scholarship
Apply: with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MSD: 36 credit hours, oral defense required, practical experience recommended, no languages, exam at the option of the graduate committee, 2 years
Nonthesis option: yes

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): Design for Sustainable Development (3), Human Factors Systems and Documentation (3), Document Design (3), Research Methods in Design (3), Qualitative Research in Design (3)
Required credits outside department: none
Recommended courses outside department: 12 courses recommended, select up to 5 courses at (3) credits each
Class size: 12

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research: Furniture design, computer equipment, prosthetic design, artificial muscle applications, rehabilitative device design, medical equipment, and transportation design
Teaching: Graduate teaching assistantships are available

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 4 men, 5 women
First-year students: 6
Mean scores: MSD: GRE n/a, GPA 3.72

FACULTY:
Donald Herring, MSD 1993, Arizona State U.; human factors
Aisling Kelliher, PhD 2006, MIT; design and healing
Lauren McDermott, MFA 1987, RIT; industrial design
Al Sanft, MFA, Brigham Young U.; typography
Dosun Shin, MFA, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; industrial design
Peter Wolf, MSD, Arizona State U.; industrial design

[Updated June 2010 ]