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University of Iowa Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety Ergonomics Training Program

Location: Iowa City, Iowa 
Department: Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety - Ergonomics Training 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

Ergonomics Training Program

Joint program

Occupational and Environmental Health (OEH; primary department)

Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE; participating department)

Year human factors/ergonomics program was established

2000

Accredited by HFES?

No

Contact person for more information, including applications

Program Director:
Nathan Fethke, University of Iowa, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, S341A CPHB, Iowa City, IA 52242, 319/467-4563, nathan-fethke@uiowa.edu

For Inquiries:
Brianne Schwarz, University of Iowa, Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, S373 CPHB, Iowa City, IA 52242, 319/384-4119, brianne-schwarz@uiowa.edu

Catalog (free)

Office of Graduate Admissions, University of Iowa, 11 Calvin Hall, Iowa City, IA 52242

Web site

https://heartland.public-health.uiowa.edu/academic-programs/ergonomics/

Academic calendar

Semester

Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered

MS and PhD in OEH
MS and PhD in ISE

Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program

Our program is supported by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). We prepare trainees to contribute to the design and evaluation of tasks, jobs, products, environments, and work systems to make them compatible with the needs, abilities, and limitations of people. Reducing the burden of musculoskeletal disorders among working people is an emphasis of our program, achieved through the following objectives:

1.         Train ergonomics and human factors practitioners to contribute effectively on multidisciplinary teams to improve the occupational safety and health status of an organization.

2.         Train ergonomics and human factors researchers able to work beside epidemiologists, biostatisticians, medical professionals, and other occupational safety and health professionals (e.g., industrial hygienists) to advance knowledge regarding the design of jobs and work systems.

3.         Conduct quality and impactful research relevant to occupational safety and health.

Can students attend part-time?

No

Are required courses offered during summer?

No

Does the university have an HFES student chapter?

No


 

APPLICATION PROCESS

 

Application deadlines

For admission to OEH:

  • May 1 (for Fall enrollment)

For admission to ISE: April 1

  • April 1 (for Fall enrollment)
  • December 1 (for Spring enrollment)

Application fees

OEH: $75
ISE: $60


 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

 

Minimum requirements

For admission to OEH:

  • MS: GPA ≥ 3.00
  • PhD: GPA ≥ 3.25

For admission to ISE:

  • MS and PhD: GPA ≥ 3.00
  • GRE is recommended but not required

Importance of other criteria as admission factors

Research: medium

Work experience: medium

Letters: high

Interview: medium

Tuition and fees

Resident: $13,472/year
Nonresident: $32,418/year

Tuition is covered for eligible trainees supported by program funding. Eligibility is restricted to US citizens, noncitizen US nationals, or those lawfully admitted for permanent US residence at the time of appointment.


 

ADMISSIONS

 

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

2

Number of students accepted into the program last year

2

Number of students entering the program last year

2

Anticipated number of openings per year for the next two years

3


 

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

 

Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance

100%

Amount received per year

Tuition and fees plus stipend 

Types of assistance available

Traineeships (exempt) 

When should students apply for financial assistance?

There is no formal application for financial assistance through the training grant. Those interested should contact the Heartland Center’s Associate Director for Student Affairs, Brianne Schwarz, prior to applying for admission to either OEH or ISE.


 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

 

Graduate degrees offered

MS in OEH
PhD in OEH
MS in ISE (thesis and non-thesis options)
PhD in ISE

Number of units required

MS (OEH): 38

PhD (OEH): 72

MS (ISE): 30

PhD (ISE): 72 

Exams required

MS (OEH): defense of thesis

MS (ISE [thesis option]): defense of thesis

PhD (OEH): preliminary assessment, dissertation proposal review, comprehensive exam, defense of dissertation

PhD (ISE): qualifying exam, comprehensive exam, defense of dissertation.

Language requirements

None; all classes are taught in English

Research required

MS (OEH and ISE [thesis option]): research per faculty mentor’s recommendations

PhD (OEH and ISE): research per faculty mentor’s recommendations

Practical experience required

None, although MS-level trainees are encouraged to gain experience through internships.

Typical number of years required to obtain degree

MS in OEH: 2
PhD in OEH: 4
MS is ISE: 2
PhD is ISE: 4

Is there a non-thesis option?

Yes, for the MS in ISE only


 

CURRICULUM

 

Required courses (units)

All trainees are required to take: Occupational Health (3), Occupational Ergonomics: Principles (3), and Human Factors (3). Trainees based in OEH must also take: Methods in Exposure Science (3), Occupational Safety (3), Quantitative Exposure Assessment (1 for MS, 3 for PhD), and Principles of Scholarly Integrity (1). Trainees based in ISE must also take: Cognitive Engineering (3), Introduction to Six Sigma (3), Human Factors in Healthcare Systems (3), and Engineering Ethics (1).

In addition, all PhD-level trainees are required to take: Biomedical Instrumentation (3), Design of Experiments (3), Quantitative Exposure Assessment (3), and Research Design in OEH (3). PhD-level trainees based in OEH must also take Interpreting OEH Research (3), while PhD-level trainees based in ISE must also take Research Methods in Human Factors Engineering (3).

In general, the courses required for the training program will satisfy numerous departmental degree requirements (including electives).

Average or typical class size in a required course

5 to 20


 

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

 

Research and support facilities available to students in the program: 

An extensive network of ergonomics and human factors researchers at the University of Iowa affords our trainees numerous options for research experiences and topics. Trainees based in OEH typically engage in research projects aligned with physical ergonomics, and those based in ISE typically engage in research projects more closely aligned with cognitive ergonomics or human factors engineering. In addition to the Heartland Center, the University of Iowa is home to the following centers and facilities that frequently support HF/E research:

  • The NIOSH-funded Great Plains Center for Agricultural Health
  • The NIOSH-funded Healthier Workforce Center of the Midwest
  • A CDC-funded Injury Prevention Research Center
  • The Driving Safety Research Institute, including the National Advanced Driving Simulator
  • The Iowa Technology Institute, including the Virtual Soldier Research Program and the Operator Performance Laboratory

Each of our centers also administers a pilot grant program, providing our trainees (particularly at the PhD level) numerous opportunities to secure funding for their independent research.

Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
Teaching assistantships may be available outside the training program. 

Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:
Current research activities include: whole-body vibration among agricultural machine operators; computer vision-based measurement of worker kinematics; continuous measurement of pushing and pulling exposures in material handling; examining the effect of multiple jobs on measures of health, safety, and well-being; validation of inertial measurement units for ergonomics and biomechanics applications; fatigue among workers in large-herd dairy parlors.

 

STUDENT STATISTICS

 

Current number of active students in program, by gender

3 men, 0 women

Current number of first-year students in program

1

   

Of the number of those graduating in the past
year, what percentage gained employment in


Industry: 70%

Government: 0%

Faculty-to-student ratio

1 to 3


 

FACULTY

 

Nathan Fethke, PhD, CPE; ergonomics, biomechanics, epidemiology, musculoskeletal disorders

Daniel McGehee, PhD; human factors engineering, driver attention and response, crash avoidance, automation

Laura Frey Law, PhD; rehabilitation science, fatigue modeling and assessment, pain mechanisms, physical activity

[Updated March 2024]