Resources

Oregon State University

Location: Corvallis, Oregon
Department: School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering – Industrial Engineering Program 

Quick links:

Program Background

Admission Requirements

Financial Assistance

Curriculum

Student Statistics

Application Process

Admissions

Degree Requirements

Research/Teaching Opportunities

Faculty


Directory of Graduate Programs

 

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Title of program

School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering, Industrial Engineering Human Systems Engineering Option (MS, PhD), with 4 specialized courses in human factors and ergonomics

Year human factors/ergonomics program was established

1980

Accredited by HFES?

No

Contact person for more information, including applications

Graduate Student Services, Oregon State University School of Mechanical, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering, 204 Rogers Hall, Corvallis, OR 97331-6001; 541/737-3441, fax 541/737-2600; info-mime@oregonstate.edu

Catalog

http://catalog.oregonstate.edu

Web site

http://mime.oregonstate.edu/academics/grad/ie

Academic calendar

Quarter

Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered

MS and PhD

Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program

A multidisciplinary concentration in Human Factors and Ergonomics (HF&E), with research and applications in health care, manufacturing, service industries, transportation, national defense, and many other domains. HF&E is part of OSU’s Human-Centered Design (HCD) initiative, collaborating with other HCD programs in Bioengineering (Human Performance Engineering), the College of Public Health and Human Sciences (Environmental and Occupational Health, Kinesiology), Civil Engineering (Transportation Human Factors), Computer Science (Human-Computer Interaction), Construction Engineering Management (Construction Safety), Mechanical Engineering (Design), Psychology (Applied Psychology), and Robotics (Human-Robot Interaction). See http://hcd.oregonstate.edu.

Number of degrees granted during last 3 years

MS 7, PhD 2

Can students attend part-time?

Yes

Are required courses offered through distance learning?

No

Does the university have an HFES student chapter?

Yes


 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application deadlines

U.S.: August 15 (fall intake only)
International: April 1 (fall intake only)

Application fees

$75 for U.S. applicants, $85 for international applicants


 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum requirements

GPA: 3.00 on last 90 quarter (60 semester) credit hours of first baccalaureate degree coursework plus all work completed thereafter

GRE: for MS applicants with accredited U.S. engineering degree, none; for other MS and all PhD, 75th percentile for quantitative portion

Other: Baccalaureate degree in engineering, science, or mathematics, including coursework in linear algebra, calculus-based probability and statistics, engineering economy, and computer programming (deficiencies can be corrected after admission); TOEFL 550 (80 iBT) for international applicants

Importance of other criteria as admission factors

Research: medium 

Work experience: medium 

Letters: high 

Interview: medium 

Tuition and fees

Resident: $5,182/quarter 

Nonresident: $8,656/quarter


 

ADMISSIONS

Number of students applying to the human factors/ergonomics program last year

7

Number of students accepted into the program last year

4

Number of students entering the program last year

4

Anticipated number of openings per year for the next two years

4


 

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance

75%

Amount received per year (minimum – typical – maximum)

$10,770 – $12,817 – $24,884

Types of assistance available

Teaching assistantships, research assistantships, both tuition exempt

When should students apply for financial assistance?

With application


 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Graduate degrees offered

MS and PhD

Number of units required

MS: 45

PhD: 108 units past baccalaureate degree

Exams required

MS: oral defense of thesis or oral exam

PhD: preliminary/qualifying exam

Language requirements

None

Research required

MS: none

PhD: research proposal meeting, final oral defense of dissertation

Practical experience required

None

Typical number of years required to obtain degree

MS: 2.5

PhD: 4

Is there a non-thesis option?

Yes


 

CURRICULUM

Required courses (units)

Human Factors Engineering (4), Human Factors Engineering II (4), Design of Experiments (3), Design of Human Factors / Ergonomic Experiments (3), Human-Centered Design Seminar (1), Research Methodology (3), Advanced Production Planning and Control (3)

Electives (units)

Over 15 other human-factors-related courses in Psychology, Kinesiology, Occupational Safety and Health, and Robotics

Number of courses outside department that are required

0

Number of courses outside department that are recommended

15+

Average or typical class size in a required course

20


 

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

Research and support facilities available to students in the program: 

Human factors/ergonomics lab with FAA-approved PCATD (flight simulator), rapid-prototyping facilities; graduate-only computer lab; OSU Valley Library; OSU Survey Research Center.

Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
GTAs assist faculty in grading and course administration and conduct laboratories, recitations, and occasional class sessions; some may assume full responsibility for selected lower-division undergraduate courses. 

Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:

Operating room workload, ergonomics, and distractions & interruptions; infectious disease diagnosis decision aiding, user interface development and testing, office ergonomics, workforce engineering, human performance in complex systems.


 

STUDENT STATISTICS

Current number of active students in program, by gender

5 men, 7 women

Current number of first-year students
in program

3

Based on current graduate students in the program, the mean score on admission tests and undergraduate GPA by degree being sought are

MS: GRE 161 (75th pctl) q, GPA 3.13

PhD: GRE 162 (75th pctl) q, GPA 3.6  


 

FACULTY

Kenneth H. Funk II, PhD, The Ohio State University; human factors in aviation, healthcare, and defense systems, systems engineering, philosophy of technology

David A. Nembhard, Industrial & Operations Engineering, University of Michigan; workforce engineering, staffing, scheduling, learning and forgetting, workforce cross-training, human performance in complex systems, and transportation of hazardous materials

Xinhui Zhu, PhD, University at Buffalo, SUNY; occupational safety, human factors/ergonomics in healthcare, office ergonomics, accessibility of environments, product usability

More than 10 other faculty in other OSU HCD programs (see above)
[Updated January 2018]