M.S. in Human Factors

The Master of Science in Human Factors (MSHF) will provide individuals with the opportunity to acquire an excellent graduate level education in Human Factors (HF) that prepares them to work in variety of positions in the human factors/ ergonomics domain including HF psychologist, HF engineer, HF researcher, HF specialist, usability engineer, industrial engineer, quality and safety engineer, systems engineer, user experience researcher, user experience designer, and occupational health and safety specialist.

The MSHF is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline and will prepare students for successful careers in industry or for doctoral programs in experimental, cognitive, or human factors psychology. Students will complete courses on-site and maintain a portfolio of projects they complete while in the program. Students will have the option of completing a master’s thesis, which may be either on-site or at the sponsoring company’s location, if applicable. Students who elect not to write a thesis will be required to complete a project in the Human Factors field approved by the program coordinator. Non-Thesis track students will also be required to pass a final, comprehensive exam. Employers of part-time students may elect to sponsor their students’ theses or skill-development experience, which could be fully or partially performed during the workday.

The M.S. in Human Factors is a 36-credit-hour program with an optional thesis track. Seven courses are required to fulfill the master’s degree. The remaining five courses can be fulfilled by electives within the Psychology Department, thesis credits, or courses from other graduate programs (e.g., Computer Science). Two elective courses need to be Psychology electives. Courses outside the department not listed below must be appropriate to the degree, and the student must obtain permission from their advisor and program coordinator, as well as meet any prerequisites for the course. This will allow students some freedom to customize their degree experience to fit the HF field they want to pursue. Students enrolled in the thesis track will use 6 credits of Master’s Thesis Research (PSY09699, 2 semesters at 3 sh each) to replace two of these elective courses. All students will curate a portfolio of class projects they complete throughout the program. The portfolio will be reviewed by faculty in the program as a benchmark for graduation.

• 12 Courses/ 36 Semester Hours

• Fou.ndation Courses: Yes

• Graduation / Exit / Thesis Requirements: Yes

• Satisfactory progress on project/thesis as determined by advisor and/or program coordinator after completion of 18 credit hours:

• Thesis Track: 

• Thesis topic chosen, literature review complete, and prospectus defense completed or scheduled within the next three months

• • • Successful prospectus defense
    • Successful thesis defense as determined by the thesis committee according to Rowan University standards outlined in the Thesis and Dissertation Manual and completion of all thesis requirements in the last semester of the program

• Non-Thesis Track: 

• Research project identified, project approved by Program Coordinator, and work already begun or set to begin within the next three months

• Successful review of the project portfolio by the faculty panel in the final semester of the program. Portfolio should reflect that the student has applied relevant HF skills and knowledge inside and outside the core curriculum required for the master’s degree

• A score of at least 80% on a comprehensive exam

Preparation for national/statewide exam:  All students will complete 36 credit hours of traditional courses. These courses will prepare the students with the knowledge necessary to complete the Board-Certified Professional Ergonomist (BCPE) exam, the industry standard for certification. The BCPE is optional and is solely the responsibility of the student to complete, if they desire. However, Non-Thesis Track students must score 80% or better on a final comprehensive exam which is analogous to the BCPE exam in order to graduate.

Human factors courses

• Fundamentals of human factors
• Sensation and perception
• Human cognition
• Experimental methods in human factors
• Applied statistics in psychology
• Human-centered computing
• Applications of human factors

Note: The course information above is not official and is subject to change. For an official list of available courses, please review the Rowan University Academic Catalog.

Transfer Credit Evaluation Policy

Transfer Credits are evaluated on a case by case basis and will be determined by the Program Director.