Resources

University of Miami

 

PROGRAM BACKGROUND

Title of program

PhD Ergonomics, PhD Industrial Engineering with 4 specialized ergonomics courses, MS Occupational Ergonomics and Safety, MS Industrial Engineering with 3 specialized ergonomics courses, MS Environmental Health and Safety

Year human factors/ergonomics program was established

1974

Accredited by HFES?

No

Contact person for more information, including applications

Shihab S. Asfour, Professor & Chairman, Dept. of Industrial Engineering, U. of Miami, P.O. Box 248294, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0623; 305/284-2344, fax 305/284-4040

Catalog ($2)

Graduate Admissions Office, U. of Miami, PO Box 248125, Coral Gables, FL 33124

Academic calendar

Semester

Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered

MS and PhD

Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program

Involves multidisciplinary subjects, including engineering psychology, management science, statistics, health science, and computers.

Number of degrees granted during last 3 years

N/A

Can students attend part-time?

Yes

Are required courses offered at night?

Yes

Are required courses offered during summer?

Yes

Does the university have an HFES student chapter?

No

 

APPLICATION PROCESS

Application deadline

Open

Application fee

$65


 

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Minimum requirements

GPA: 3.0

GRE: 1000 v + q

Other: TOEFL for foreign students. PhD Ergonomics: background in science, psychology, statistics, engineering. PhD Industrial Engineering: engineering background. MS Occupational Ergonomics and Safety: background in science, psychology, statistics, engineering. MS Industrial Engineering: engineering background. MS Environmental Health and Safety: background in science, psychology, statistics, engineering, or related fields.

Importance of other criteria as admission factors

Research: high

Work experience: high

Letters: high

Interview: high

Tuition and fees

Resident: $1,538/credit 

Nonresident: $1,538/credit


 

ADMISSIONS

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

N/A

Number of students accepted into the program last year

N/A

Number of students entering the program last year

N/A

Anticipated number of openings per year for the next two years

N/A


 

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE

Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance

N/A

Amount received per year

$24,000 

Types of assistance available

Fellowship, TA, RA (NIOSH-sponsored traineeships), scholarship, all tuition exempt 

When should students apply for financial assistance?

With application


 

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Graduate degrees offered

MS OES, MS IEN,  MS EHS, PhD Ergonomics, and PhD IE

Number of units required

MS OES: 36

MS IEN and MS EHS: 36 nonthesis option, 30 thesis option

PhD Ergonomics: 30 beyond MS

PhD IE: 30 beyond MS

Exams required

MS OES: comprehensive exam

MS IEN and MS EHS: comprehensive exam

PhD Ergonomics: qualifying exam

PhD IE: preliminary and qualifying exams

Language requirements

None

Research required

MS OES: no

MS IEN and MS EHS: yes

PhD Ergonomics: yes

PhD IE: yes

Practical experience required

MS OES: yes

MS IEN and MS EHS: no

PhD Ergonomics: yes

PhD IE: no

Typical number of years required to obtain degree

MS OES: 1.5–2 

MS IEN and MS EHS: 1.5–2

PhD Ergonomics: 4

PhD IE: 4

Is there a non-thesis option?

MS IEN and MS EHS: Yes


 

CURRICULUM

Required courses (units)

Contact university for program.

Electives (units)

Contact university for program.

Number of courses outside department that are required

Contact university for program.

Number of courses outside department that are recommended

Contact university for program.

Average or typical class size in a required course

5–30


 

RESEARCH/TEACHING OPPORTUNITIES

Research and support facilities available to students in the program: 

The Ergonomics Research Lab is well equipped and allows research and training studies with human participants. The lab contains several microcomputers and can support a wide range of research in work physiology, biomechanics, anthropometry, strength measurements, psychomotor and closed-loop human-machine systems, motion studies, biological signal recording and analysis, environmental stresses, and all aspects of HF research. The Biomechanics Research Laboratory is equipped with the Vicon 512, which is the state-of-the-art human motion capturing system. It consists of eight high speed cameras each of which is capable of capturing up to 250 frames per second with an outstanding resolution of 1000 x 1000 pixels. The Vicon System is integrated and synchronized with: a ground force plate and an instrumented treadmill from Kistler, the most technologically advanced telemetered EMG system from Noraxon, and 4 normal video cameras from Sony. This setup is controlled by one start/stop button, which allows fully synchronized data capturing. In the HF and Aging Research Lab, students study human factors and aging with particular attention to the occupational and home environments. Extensive research is also conducted in the Ergonomics and Bioengineering Division of the Comprehensive Pain and Rehabilitation Center. Hospital and lab facilities are available to conduct research and application pertaining to the problem of low back pain and musculoskeletal injuries.

Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
TAs assist faculty in class instruction, grading, lab demonstrations, etc. Qualified advanced grad students may be given independent teaching assignments in various undergraduate-level courses.

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

NIH/NIA Miami Center on Human Factors and Aging Research, NIOSH Occupational Safety and Health Training Grant, gait biomechanics and baseball pitching biomechanics, sports injuries.


STUDENT STATISTICS

Current number of active students in program, by gender

N/A

Current number of first-year students in program

N/A

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

N/A


 

FACULTY

Elsayed Abdel-Moty, PhD 1988, U. Miami; rehabilitation, ergonomics

Shihab S. Asfour, PhD 1980, Texas Tech U.; work physiology, applied ergonomics, safety, biomechanics, manufacturing processes

Sara Czaja, PhD 1980, SUNY Buffalo; aging, human-computer interaction, human factors

Mohamed Fahmy, PhD 1993, U. Miami; finite element modeling, biomechanics 

Vincent Omachonu, PhD 1987, Polytechnic Inst. of New York; health care/service sector quality and productivity management, production systems, facility location and layout

Joseph Sharit, PhD 1984; human and systems reliability, human factors in aging