MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Bozeman, Montana
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Masters of Science (MS) in Industrial and Management Engineering: Human Factors Emphasis Area
Est: MS (1956); HF Emphasis Area (2011)
Semester
Granted last 3 years: HF Emphasis area is new for fall 2011
Part-time: yes
Distance learning available: no
HFES student chapter: no
Program: The MS in Industrial and Management Engineering focuses on the planning and integration of systems. The goal of the human factors emphasis area of this MS degree is to provide a graduate education that emphasizes the human user at the center of the system. This human-centered design perspective is supported by a curriculum of courses that focus on the cognitive (engineering psychology) and physical aspects (ergonomics) of users in the design of systems, as well as the organizational factors that determine the management of those systems (macro-ergonomics). The objective of this emphasis area is to provide students the knowledge, skills, and research experience necessary to perform human-centered system design in areas such as product development, transportation safety, and health care management. This program can be completed with either a research thesis (Plan A) or a coursework only option (Plan B).
Contact: Nicholas J. Ward, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717; 406/994-2203; iegrad@ie.montana.edu, http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/faculty/ward/default.htm.
Catalog: The university Graduate School policies that governs admissions to the any university Graduate Program is FREE, and also is available online: http://www.montana.edu/wwwdg/catalog.html; the manual for graduate students in the Industrial and Management Engineering Graduate Program is FREE, and available online: http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/gradprog/gradman.pdf; the description of the requirements for the Human Factors Emphasis area is also FREE, and is available online: http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/gradprog/HFMasters.pdf.

APPLICATION:
Deadlines: Open, with the following recommended dates: domestic: 7/1 (fall), 11/15 (spring); international: 5/1 (fall), 9/15 (spring)
Fees: $60 (online), $60 (paper)
Are separate applications required for university and department?: no. An application form with payment is submitted to the university (http://www.montana.edu/wwwdg/apply.html); supporting documentation is then submitted directly to the department (http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/gradprog/admissions.htm).

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.0
GRE: Minimum: 390 v, 690 q, 3.5 a. Preferred: 480 v, 720 q, 3.8 a
Other: Minimum: TOEFL: 550 (paper-based total) or 213 cBT, 80 iBT; IELTS 7.0 (higher scores may be required for elibibility for funding)
Undergrad degrees, backgrounds, or course work required (req) or recommended (rec) for admission: All students (regardless of previous degree) must have a background in mathematics (differential calculus and integral calculus), and must have some exposure to matrix algebra. In addition all students must have prior education in computing, including programming in at least one language. The following courses in industrial engineering courses are also required for graduate students entering the master's program without a previous degree completed in Industrial Engineering: Work Design and Analysis; Engineering Economy; Engineering Probability and Statistics; Principles of Operations Research; and Production and Engineering Management
GPA and coursework: high
GRE (and TOEFL): high
Research: medium
Work experience: low
Extracurricular activities: low
Letters: high
Interview: low

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: N/A
Accepted: N/A
Entered program: N/A
Openings/year: 8

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident: $2780/semester (9 credits)
Nonresident: $7325/semester (9 credits). Waivers may be available to help offset nonresident costs.
Health insurance available at an additional cost
Details of the current tuition and fee structure can be found online: http://www.montana.edu/wwwcat/Fee%20Forms/F10_S11%20Grad.pdf.
Details of how residency status is determined can be found online: http://www.montana.edu/wwwcat/academic/acad1.html.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: Approximately 70% of incoming MS students entering the general Industrial and Management Engineering Graduate Program over the past three years (2008 ? 2010) received funding (and tuition waivers) in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) or a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA). There are also funding opportunities available through fellowships and other research positions: http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/gradprog/Funding.htm.
Amount: New program
Available: Funding sources for this program can be found online here: http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/gradprog/Funding.htm.
Teaching assistantship offered? Yes
Tuition exempt? Yes
Research assistantship offered? Yes (depending on faculty research)
Tuition exempt? Yes

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
Grad degree offered: MS (Industrial and Management Engineering) within Human Factors Emphasis Area
Number of units required: 31 Credits (Thesis Option, Plan A); 33 Credits (Course Work Only Option, Plan B)
Exams required: Oral Defense of Thesis (No exam for Plan B ? course work only).
Languages required: English
Research required: Thesis Option ? 10 credits (Plan A).
Practical experience required: None, but can be arranged on request.
Typical number of years to complete degree: Two
Nonthesis at MS option? Yes (33 credits for Course Only Option, Plan B)

CURRICULUM:
Required courses (units): All currently active Industrial Engineering courses are listed online at http://www.montana.edu/wwwcat/courses/i-me.html. The specific courses that can be applied to the human factors emphasis area of the MS degree program in Industrial and Management Engineering are:

• EIND 410 INTERACTION DESIGN (S 3 cr. LEC 2 RCT 1);
• EIND 413 ERGONOMICS & HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING (F 3 cr. LEC 3);
• EIND 510 USABILITY ENGINEERING (F, alternate years, to be offerd odd years 3 cr. LEC 3);
• EIND 513 HUMAN FACTORS IN SAFETY OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS (F alternate years, to be offered even years 3 cr. LEC 3);
• I&ME 511 ADVANCED METHODS IN HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS;
• I&ME 514 ? OCCUPATIONAL BIOMECHANICS; EIND 554 APPLICATION & DESIGN OF INDUSTRIAL EXPERIMENTS (F alternate years, to be offered even years 3 cr. LEC 3);
• EIND 574 MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING SYSTEMS (F alternate years, to be offered even years 3 cr. SEM 3);
• EIND 575 RESEARCH OR PROFESSIONAL PAPER/PROJECT (F,S,Su 1- 4 cr. IND Maximum 6 cr.);
• EIND 590 MASTER'S THESIS (F,S,Su 1 - 10 cr. IND Maximum credits unlimited);
• EIND 592 INDEPENDENT STUDY (On Demand 1 - 3 cr. IND Maximum 6 cr.).

In addition, MS students in the human factors emphasis area can take up to 12 credits of 400 and 500 level courses from the departments of Psychology, Human Development, and Statistics. This courses would be selected in consultation with the student?s advisor.
Required courses outside department: 0
Recommended courses outside department: 0
Class size: 6-12

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: Graduate Research Assistantships and thesis research is available through active research projects with faculty. Students can select a thesis (Plan A) or smaller project in the course only option (Plan B). This research can be integrated within a larger project or separated as an independent effort. Under faculty mentorship, students are exposed to all stages of a research project and are encouraged to publish their results in academic journals and conferences. Indeed, our students have been successful in winning prizes for student research at several conferences. Typical areas of research include transportation safety (driver impairment/behavior, novice driver education, intelligent vehicle design, Emergency Medical Services), health care systems (lean management, patient safety, emergency room procedures), and sustainability and usability in product design. Facilities to support this research include a suite of driving simulators (http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/laboratories/driving) and a fleet of vehicles instrumented to collect driving data (http://www.westerntransportationinstitute.org/laboratories/fleet). In addition, the department houses an Ergonomics and Human Factors Laboratory that includes biomechanical modeling and assessment software, physiological measurement and analysis tools, and a product usability testing suite. The department and faculty also have close collaborations with state and federal agencies, international universities, and local hospitals including Emergency Medical Servcies.
Teaching: Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) are available to Industrial and Management Engineering students. The team of GTAs works closely with program faculty to create a positive learning experience for undergraduate students. Responsibilities range from grading assignments and holding office hours for help sessions to running lab sessions and demonstrations. Particularly skilled Ph.D. students may also be given full instructional responsibility for a course.
Current research: Current and future research is in the areas of: System Safety (transportation, medical), driver impairment and assessment, visualization as an engineering design too, emotional product design, usability engineering methods, lean management and optimization of medical services, Emergency Medical Systems, and Sustainability in system and product design.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 5 men, 7 women
First-year students: 6
Mean scores: MS: GRE 487 v, 730 q, 3.92 a, GPA 3.40;
Of the number of those graduating in the past three years, what percentage is known to have gained employment in:
academia: 19%
industry:69%
all others:12%

FACULTY:
Laura Stanley, PhD 2006, MSU; physical ergonomics, biomechanics, transportation safety
William Schell, PhD 2010, University of Alabama in Huntsville; engineering management, applied statistics, leadership development
Durward K. Sobek II, PhD 1997, U. of Michigan; management engineering, healthcare systems
David Claudio, PhD 2010, Penn State; healthcare engineering, service systems, decision making
Maria Angelica Velazquez, 2010, Penn State; cognitive ergonomics, usability engineering, affective design
Nicholas Ward, PhD 1992, Queen's University; cognitive ergonomics, usability engineering, transportation safety

[Updated June 2011]