RICE UNIVERSITY
Houston, Texas
Department of Psychology

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BACKGROUND:
Title: Human Factors/HCI (PhD)
Est: 1972
Semester
Granted last 3 years: MA 8, PhD 6
Part-time: no
HFES student chapter: no
Program: The program leads to a PhD in psychology. A terminal master's is not offered; a master's degree is given en route to the PhD. There are two main areas of specialization in the department: cognitive psychology and industrial/organizational psychology, but both have human factors/HCI tracks. The department has 14 faculty and 30-40 students. Each student's program is tailored to be consistent with his/her background and interests. The program emphasizes research as well as practical experience. Students in one of the human factors/HCI tracks generally do an internship.
Contact: Michael Byrne, Psychology Department, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251; 713/348-3770; http://chil.rice.edu/byrne/
Catalog: (free) Psychology Department, Rice University, Houston, TX 77251. See also http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~psyc/.

APPLICATION:
Deadline: 1/15
Fee: $25

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS:
GPA: 3.3
GRE: 550 v, 600 q, 1200 v + q
Other: n/a
Research: medium
Work experience: medium
Letters: high
Interview: medium

ADMISSIONS:
Students applying last year: 12
Accepted: 2
Openings/year: 2-3

TUITION AND FEES:
Resident/nonresident: $13300/year

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.
% receiving: 100
Amount: $10000
Available: tuition waiver, fellowship, TA, RA, all tuition exempt
Apply: with application

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS:
MA: 30 units, thesis, no exams, languages, or practical experience, 2-3 years
Nonthesis option: no
PhD: 60 units, thesis, internship, no exams or languages, 2 years beyond MA

CURRICULUM:
Required courses: Psychological Statistics, Professional Issues, Foundations of Human Factors, Foundations of Cognition, Foundations of Social Psychology, History and Systems, various advanced courses in human-computer interaction, decision making, methods in human factors, etc.
Required courses outside department: 1
Recommended courses outside department: n/a
Offered: summer
Class size: 7

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES:
Research facilities: More than a dozen microcomputers are available for research on human-computer interaction as well as for general laboratory control. Local industry, the medical center, and NASA provide opportunities for research in more applied settings. Descriptions of specific research activities are available on request.
Teaching: All students in the program periodically serve as teaching assistants for undergraduate courses.

STUDENT STATISTICS:
Active: 3 men, 3 women
First-year students: 3
Mean scores: PhD: GRE 1300 v + q, GPA 3.6

FACULTY:
Michael Byrne, PhD 1996, Georgia Tech; human-computer interaction
David Lane, PhD 1977, Tulane U; human-computer interaction