Title of program

Masters of Science (MS) in Industrial and Management Engineering: Human Factors Emphasis Area

Year human factors/ergonomics program was established

MS (1956); HF Emphasis Area (2011) 

Accredited by HFES?

No

Contact person for more information, including applications

Nicholas J. Ward, Professor and Graduate Program Coordinator, Department of Mechanical and Industrial Engineering, Montana State University, P.O. Box 174250, Bozeman, MT 59717; 406/994-2203;
iegrad@ie.montana.edu; http://www.coe.montana.
edu/ie/faculty/ward/default.htm

Catalog (free)

The university Graduate School policies that governs admissions to the any university Graduate Program is FREE, and also is available online; the manual for graduate students in the Industrial and Management Engineering Graduate Program is FREE, and available online; the description of the requirements for the Human Factors Emphasis area is also FREE, and is available online.

Web site

http://www.montana.edu/mie

Academic calendar

Semester

Human factors/ergonomics graduate degrees offered

MS

Goals, objectives, and emphasis of the program

The MS in Industrial and Management Engineering focuses on the planning and integration of systems. The goal of the human factors emphasis area of this MS degree is to provide a graduate education that emphasizes the human user at the center of the system. This human-centered design perspective is supported by a curriculum of courses that focus on the cognitive (engineering psychology) and physical aspects (ergonomics) of users in the design of systems, as well as the organizational factors that determine the management of those systems (macro-ergonomics). The objective of this emphasis area is to provide students the knowledge, skills, and research experience necessary to perform human-centered system design in areas such as product development, transportation safety, and health care management. This program can be completed with either a research thesis (Plan A) or a course work only option (Plan B). 

Number of degrees granted during last 3 years

HF Emphasis area is new for fall 2011

Can students attend part-time?

Yes

Are required courses offered through distance learning?

No

Does the university have an HFES student chapter?

No

Application deadlines

Open, with the following recommended dates: domestic: July 1 (fall), November 15 (spring); international: May 1 (fall), September 15 (spring)

Application fees

$60 (online), $60 (paper)

Are separate applications required for university and department?

No, an application form with payment is submitted to the university (http://www.montana.edu/wwwdg/apply.
html); supporting documentation is then submitted directly to the department (http://www.coe.montana.edu/ie/gradprog/
admissions.htm).

Minimum requirements

GPA: 3.0 

GRE: Minimum: 390 v, 690 q, 3.5 a. Preferred: 480 v, 720 q, 3.8 a

TOEFL: 550 (paper-based total) or 213 cBT, 80 iBT; IELTS 7.0 (higher scores may be required for elibibility for funding).

All students (regardless of previous degree) must have a background in mathematics (differential calculus and integral calculus), and must have some exposure to matrix algebra. In addition all students must have prior education in computing, including programming in at least one language. The following courses in industrial engineering courses are also required for graduate students entering the master's program without a previous degree completed in Industrial Engineering: Work Design and Analysis; Engineering Economy; Engineering Probability and Statistics; Principles of Operations Research; and Production and Engineering Management

Importance of other criteria as admission factors

GPA and course work: high 

GRE (and TOEFL): high 

Research: medium 

Work experience: low 

Extracurricular activities: low 

Letters: high 

Interview: low

Tuition and fees

Resident: $2,780/semester (9 credits) 

Nonresident: $7,325/semester (9 credits). Waivers may be available to help offset nonresident costs.

Health insurance available at an additional cost 
Details of the current tuition and fee structure can be found online. 

Details of how residency status is determined can be found online: http://www.montana.edu/
wwwcat/academic/acad1.html.

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

8

Percentage of students in program receiving financial assistance

Approximately 70% of incoming MS students entering the general Industrial and Management Engineering Graduate Program over the past three years (2008–2010) received funding (and tuition waivers) in the form of a Graduate Teaching Assistantship (GTA) or a Graduate Research Assistantship (GRA). There are also funding opportunities available through fellowships and other research positions.

Amount received per year

New program

Types of assistance available

TA, RA (depending on faculty research), both tuition exempt

MS (Industrial and Management Engineering) within Human Factors Emphasis Area

Number of units required

31 C=credits (Thesis Option, Plan A); 33 credits (Course Work Only Option, Plan B) 

Exams required

Oral defense of thesis (no exam for Plan B; course work only).

Language requirements

English

Research required

Thesis Option: 10 credits (Plan A)

Practical experience required

None, but can be arranged on request

Typical number of years required to obtain degree

2

Is there a non-thesis option?

Required courses (units)

All currently active Industrial Engineering courses are listed online at http://www.montana
.edu/wwwcat/courses/i-me.html. The specific courses that can be applied to the human factors emphasis area of the MS degree program in Industrial and Management Engineering are:

• EIND 410 INTERACTION DESIGN (S 3 cr. LEC 2 RCT 1);

• EIND 413 ERGONOMICS & HUMAN FACTORS ENGINEERING (F 3 cr. LEC 3);

• EIND 510 USABILITY ENGINEERING (F, alternate years, to be offerd odd years 3 cr. LEC 3);

• EIND 513 HUMAN FACTORS IN SAFETY OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS (F alternate years, to be offered even years 3 cr. LEC 3);

• I&ME 511 ADVANCED METHODS IN HUMAN FACTORS AND ERGONOMICS;

• I&ME 514 – OCCUPATIONAL BIOMECHANICS; EIND 554 APPLICATION & DESIGN OF INDUSTRIAL EXPERIMENTS (F alternate years, to be offered even years 3 cr. LEC 3);

• EIND 574 MANAGEMENT ENGINEERING SYSTEMS (F alternate years, to be offered even years 3 cr. SEM 3);

• EIND 575 RESEARCH OR PROFESSIONAL PAPER/PROJECT (F,S,Su 1- 4 cr. IND Maximum 6 cr.);

• EIND 590 MASTER'S THESIS (F,S,Su 1 - 10 cr. IND Maximum credits unlimited);

• EIND 592 INDEPENDENT STUDY (On Demand 1 - 3 cr. IND Maximum 6 cr.).

In addition, MS students in the human factors emphasis area can take up to 12 credits of 400 and 500 level courses from the departments of Psychology, Human Development, and Statistics. This courses would be selected in consultation with the student's advisor. 

Number of courses outside department that are required

0

Number of courses outside department that are recommended

0

Average or typical class size in a required course

6–12

Research and support facilities available to students in the program:
Graduate Research Assistantships and thesis research is available through active research projects with faculty. Students can select a thesis (Plan A) or smaller project in the course only option (Plan B). This research can be integrated within a larger project or separated as an independent effort. Under faculty mentorship, students are exposed to all stages of a research project and are encouraged to publish their results in academic journals and conferences. Indeed, our students have been successful in winning prizes for student research at several conferences. Typical areas of research include transportation safety (driver impairment/behavior, novice driver education, intelligent vehicle design, Emergency Medical Services), health care systems (lean management, patient safety, emergency room procedures), and sustainability and usability in product design. Facilities to support this research include a suite of driving simulators and a fleet of vehicles instrumented to collect driving data. In addition, the department houses an Ergonomics and Human Factors Laboratory that includes biomechanical modeling and assessment software, physiological measurement and analysis tools, and a product usability testing suite. The department and faculty also have close collaborations with state and federal agencies, international universities, and local hospitals including Emergency Medical Servcies. 

Teaching opportunities available to students in the program:
Graduate Teaching Assistantships (GTA) are available to Industrial and Management Engineering students. The team of GTAs works closely with program faculty to create a positive learning experience for undergraduate students. Responsibilities range from grading assignments and holding office hours for help sessions to running lab sessions and demonstrations. Particularly skilled Ph.D. students may also be given full instructional responsibility for a course. 

Current research activities and projects being carried out by program faculty and/or students:
Current and future research is in the areas of: System Safety (transportation, medical), driver impairment and assessment, visualization as an engineering design too, emotional product design, usability engineering methods, lean management and optimization of medical services, Emergency Medical Systems, and Sustainability in system and product design.

Current number of active students in program, by gender

5 men, 7 women

Current number of first-year students
in program

6

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

GRE 487 v, 730 q, 3.92 a, GPA 3.40

Of the number of those graduating in the past three years, what percentage is known to have gained employment in

David Claudio, PhD 2010, Penn State; healthcare engineering, service systems, decision making

William Schell, PhD 2010, U. of Alabama in Huntsville; engineering management, applied statistics, leadership development

Durward K. Sobek II, PhD 1997, U. of Michigan; management engineering, healthcare systems

Laura Stanley, PhD 2006, MSU; physical ergonomics, biomechanics, transportation safety

Maria Angelica Velazquez, 2010, Penn State; cognitive ergonomics, usability engineering, affective design

Nicholas Ward, PhD 1992, Queen's U.; cognitive ergonomics, usability engineering, transportation safety