UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Human Factors Engineering (MEng - domestic students only, MASc, PhD)
Est: 1966
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MEng 11, MASc 10, PhD 6
Part-time: yes (MEng only)
Distance learning available: no
HFES student chapter: yes
Program: The program is research oriented, emphasizing both theoretical and practical issues. Teaching covers a broad range of human factors issues and topics, whereas research typically focuses on cognitive and perceptual issues. Current research topics include user interface design, information management and retrieval, hypertext, multimedia, mobile computing, cognitive engineering, ecological interface design, design of human factors handbooks and the design process, supervisory control, teleoperation and control, augmented reality and virtual environments, 3D graphic and video displays, 6-degree-of-freedom control, air traffic control displays, eHealth innovations, HF issues in health care and other biomedical applications, especially endoscopic surgery. Fundamental research is emphasized, but applied research is also carried out, with extensive support from industry and government, both national and international. The human factors research labs are also tied to and supported by a network of Centres of Excellence.
Contact: Graduate Studies Office, University of Toronto, Dept. of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Toronto, ON Canada M5S 3G8; 416/978-8823; gradoffice@mie.utoronto.ca, http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/IE/HF/summary.html.
Catalog: See http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/grad/Home/index.html.

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 2/1
Fee: Preassessment free; formal application $90 (Cdn). Refer to http://www.mie.utoronto.ca/.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: Course-by-course review; each of last 2 years must be B+ or above.
GRE: not required, but useful if available
Other: TOEFL 580 (or 237 on computer-based test), and TWE 4.0, MELAB 85, IELTS (academic) 7.0, other tests - see MIE Web site. Industrial engineering or other engineering degree; computer science, psychology, with basic algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics; any other undergraduate degree with basic algebra, calculus, probability, and statistics.
Research: high
Work experience: medium
Letters: high
Interview: varies

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 18
Accepted: 8
Entered program: 7
Openings/year: varies

TUITION AND FEES:
Canadian citizens and permanent residents: $6215/year (Cdn) for research students; $7510 for MEng students
Visa students: $13,301/year (Cdn) for research students. NOTE: Fees change yearly.

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE:
% receiving: 100
Amount: Minimum $15,000 per year (Cdn) plus tuition, for research students (non-MEng) only
Available: Fellowship, TA, RA
Apply: Consideration for Fellowship and RA is automatic; no separate application is necessary. TA not guaranteed - applications accepted from registered graduate students.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MEng: 10 one-term courses or 7 courses + 1 project; no exams, languages, research, or practical experience required, 1-6 years.
MASc: 5 one-term courses, oral defense of thesis, research, no languages or practical experience, 2 years.
Nonthesis option: no.
PhD: 5 one-term courses, oral qualifying exam, thesis seminar, 3rd year annual progress meeting, oral defense of thesis, research, no languages or practical experience, 4 years.

CURRICULUM:
Required courses: PhD core courses - see degree requirements on MIE Web site.
Electives (terms): Design of Workplaces (1), Experimental Methods in HF Research (1), Analytical Methods in HF Research (1), HF in Information Technology (1), Human Control of Telerobotic Systems (1), Engineering Psychology and Human Performance (1), Cognitive Work Analysis (1), Theoretical Foundations of HF (1), Human Computer Interface Design of Complex Systems (1).
Required courses outside department: 0
Recommended courses outside department: n/a
Offered: varies
Class size: varies

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: The department operates three HF research labs and one HF teaching lab. The Cognitive Engineering Lab (CEL) has several high-resolution graphics workstations, video recording/editing equipment, and powerful rapid prototyping software, which are used to conduct research in cognitive engineering. The Interactive Media Lab has state-of-the-art equipment for large-scale text retrieval, multimedia authoring, and usability analysis of interfaces and devices. The Ergonomics in Teleoperation and Control (ETC) Lab comprises several high-resolution graphics workstations, several PCs, stereoscopic video systems, stereoscopic graphics, a 5-degree-of-freedom robot arm, an explosive ordnance disposal robot, an automobile driving simulator, and several 6-degree-of-freedom input devices. Other facilities include equipment for the measurement of environmental factors such as light, sound, and vibration. All labs are fully networked, with high-bandwidth connections to the university backbone. The department provides a staff of highly qualified computing personnel. University-wide computing services and networking facilities are excellent. The university library system is one of the 10 largest in North America.
Teaching: A number of teaching assistantships are available within the department, on a per-course basis, in support of any courses run by the department at the undergraduate level. These generally involve approximately 45-55 hours/semester of running labs or tutorials or supervising design projects. Remuneration is on an hourly basis.
Current research: CEL research centers on development and utilization of conceptual and analytical tools to systematically analyze, design, and evaluate adaptation in real-world sociotechnical systems. The lab is primarily concerned with conducting basic and applied research on how to introduce information technology into complex work environments so that the prerequisites for an effective feedback control system can be satisfied. The Interactive Media Lab research concerns improvement of user interfaces for information systems, including innovative multimedia environments, large-scale text browsing, hypertext, multimedia authoring, video analysis, mobile computing and information visualization. ETC lab research focuses on navigation, visualization and manipulation of 3D data, especially as related to telerobotics, multiaxis control, air traffic control, stereoscopic displays, and augmented reality and virtual environments. Medically related applications, especially endoscopic surgery and eHealth innovation, are also important focus areas.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: n/a
First-year students: 7
Mean scores: MASc and PhD: GRE n/r, GPA A-

FACULTY:
Mark Chignell, PhD 1981, U Canterbury; human factors in information technology, user interfaces, hypertext, multimedia, mobile computing, information visualization.
Greg Jamieson, PhD 2002, U Toronto; human-automation interaction, work analysis and interface design for complex systems, process control applications.
Paul Milgram, PhD 1980, U Toronto; teleoperation and control, 3D displays and navigation, virtual environments, control theory, air traffic control, medical applications.
Kim Vicente, PhD 1991, U Illinois; cognitive work analysis, process of design, expertise and skill acquisition, ecological interface design.

[Updated Winter 2007]