UNIVERSITY OF IOWA
Iowa City, IA
Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety Ergonomics Training Program

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BACKGROUND
Title: Occupational and Environmental Health (MPH, MS, PhD), Industrial Engineering (MS, PhD), Biomedical Engineering (MS, PhD)
Joint Program: College of Public Health, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH); College of Engineering, Department of Industrial Engineering (IE); College of Engineering, Department of Biomedical Engineering (BME)
Est.: 2000
Semester
Part-time: yes
HFES student chapter: yes
Program: The Ergonomics Training Program provides academic, practical and research experience in the field of ergonomics. The goals of the program are for students to have a thorough understanding of the physical environment at the workplace that contributes to musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses, as well as knowledge of the engineering and administrative methods of controlling these risk factors. The highly interdisciplinary nature of the Ergonomic Training Program prepares students for the variety of interactions they will encounter in their daily practice in the field of ergonomics/human factors. Students take courses from Occupational and Environmental Health in the College of Public Health, Industrial Engineering and Biomedical Engineering in the College of Engineering, and the College of Medicine.
Contact: Thomas M. Cook, University of Iowa, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, A102 Oakdale Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, 319/335-4533, thomas-cook@uiowa.edu, http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu/heartland/academic-programs/Ergonomics.html. Nate Fethke, University of Iowa, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, 158C IREH, 100 Oakdale Campus, Iowa City, IA 52242-5000, 319/467-4563, nathan-fethke@uiowa.edu.
Catalog: (free) Office of Graduate Admissions, University of Iowa, 11 Calvin Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242

APPLICATION
Deadlines: ongoing
Fee: $60

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
GRE: MS: 480 (v), 570 (q); PhD: 510 (v), 590 (q)
Other: TOEFL minimum 600 (paper), 250 (computer). OEH: bachelor's in public health, business, engineering, psychology, physical therapy, occupational therapy, nursing, premed, exercise science, statistics, or communications. English language competency. IE or BME: bachelor's in engineering, math, physical science, computer science, psychology (with a math background), statistics, or computer programming; english language competency. PhD (all disciplines): evidence of research capability.
Research: medium
Work experience: high
Letters: high
Interview: high

ADMISSIONS
Students applying last year: 6
Accepted: 5
Entered program: 5
Openings/year: 4

TUITION AND FEES
Residents: $4,128/semester
Nonresident: $10,930/semester

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE
% receiving: 100
Amount: minimum $5,000, maximum $30,000
Available: RA, tuition exempt
Apply: with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
MS (Occupational and Environmental Health): 38 units, oral defense of thesis, thesis and research, preceptorship (ergonomics field experience), no languages, 2 years
Nonthesis option: no
MPH (Occupational and Environmental Health): 40 units, MPH practicum and presentation, no languages or research, 2 years
Nonthesis option: no
PhD (Occupational and Environmental Health): 72 units, comprehensive exam, oral defense of dissertation, no languages or research, preceptorship (ergonomics field experience), 4 years
Nonthesis option: no
MS (Industrial Engineering): 30 hours of 100-level courses (incl. up to 6 hours of research), oral defense of thesis, no languages, preceptorship (ergonomics field experience), 2 years
Nonthesis option: no
PhD (Industrial Engineering): 72 hours (incl. dissertation research), comprehensive exam, oral defense of dissertation, no languages, preceptorship (ergonomics field experience), 4 years
Nonthesis option: no
MS (Biomedical Engineering): 30 hours of 100-level courses (incl. up to 6 hours of research), oral defense of thesis, no languages, preceptorship (ergonomics field experience), 2 years
Nonthesis option: no
PhD (Biomedical Engineering): 72 hours (incl. dissertation research), comprehensive exam, oral defense of dissertation, no languages, preceptorship (ergonomics field experience), 4 years
Nonthesis option: no

CURRICULUM
Required courses (units): Occupational Ergonomics I: Principles and Methods (3), Clinical Ergonomics (3), Human Factors I (3), Ergonomics of Occupational Injuries (3), Occupational Health (3), Ergonomics Preceptorship (field work; 3), Occupational and Environmental Seminar (1), Occupational Ergonomics II (req for PhD; 3), Human Factors II: Design and Evaluation (req for PhD; 3)
Offered: summer
Class size: 4-30

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES
Research facilities: The Biomechanics and Ergonomics Facility is a 5,500 square foot laboratory with state-of-the-art electromyography instrumentation, nerve conduction equipment, electromagnetic motion analysis systems, force platforms, video analysis systems, ergonomic analysis software, and computers. The facility is used for job simulation and intervention effectiveness studies as well as biomechanical analyses of occupational activities. The facility also has a digital video suite for the production of ergonomic training videotapes. This interdisciplinary environment is used by graduate students and faculty in Public Health, Engineering, Exercise Science, Physical Therapy, Medicine, and Dentistry. The Cognitive Systems Lab is used to examine how to shape new technology to enhance user performance. The Operator Performance Laboratory is used to examine the limits of human performance and system effectiveness. The laboratory houses a driving simulator, an on-road instrumented vehicle, 4 high-performance graphics workstations, robotics equipment, eye-tracking equipment, and computers. The Jolt/Vibration/Seating Laboratory, part of the Iowa Spine Research Center, is used to evaluate the effect of whole-body impact and vibration on humans. Additional research opportunities are available at the Iowa Driving Simulator Laboratory, the National Advanced Driving Simulator, and the Skeletal Biomechanics Laboratory.
Teaching: In the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, students may direct graduate labs or provide lectures on specific ergonomic topics. Additionally, students assist in providing ergonomic consultation services to companies in Iowa and nationally. In the College of Engineering students may direct undergraduate labs or supervise an entire course.
Current Research: Occupational and Environmental Health research includes epidemiology of work-related musculoskeletal disorders among manufacturing, construction, agriculture, and medical worker populations; field and laboratory exposure assessment of physical risk factors; intervention effectiveness for construction and medical workers; ergonomic sampling strategies, and biomechanical and physiological analysis of overhead construction work. Engineering studies include cognitive human factors including virtual reality, scientific visualization, complex system design and control, telerobotic interface design, driving simulation, measurement of control performance, human performance modeling, visual conspicuity, medical simulation, training, visualization, ecological interface design, human-machine cooperative problem solving, supervisory control, and human response to vibration and impact.

STUDENT STATISTICS
Active: 2 men, 3 women
First-year students: 1
Mean scores: MS/MPH/PhD students: GRE 600/NA/550 v, 620/NA/720 q, 700/NA/730 a, 1920/NA/2000 combined, GPA 3.54/3.06/3.42
Percentage of last year's graduates employed in academia: 67
Percentage employed in industry: 33
Faculty-to-student ratio: 5 to 8

FACULTY
Thomas M. Cook, PhD 1987, Univ. of Iowa; occupational biomechanics, ergonomics, international occupational and environmental health
Nate Fethke, PhD 2006, Univ. of Iowa; occupational biomechanics, exposure assessment, ergonomic intervention effectiveness
Tom Schnell, PhD 1998, Ohio State Univ.; driver and pilot visual performance, driver eye scanning, color perception
David Wilder, PhD 1985; spinal biomechanics, biomechanics of sudden loads and impact, whole-body vibration

[Updated January 2010]