The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering  administers the Master of Science in Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) degree program. This is a cooperative program involving the Departments of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Psychology, Industrial Design, and Kinesiology.

Human factors/ergonomics is the discipline concerned with the development and application of human-system interface technology to systems analysis, design, and evaluation. This technology encompasses human-machine (hardware ergonomics), human-task (workplace ergonomics), human-environment (environmental ergonomics), human-software (cognitive ergonomics) and organizational-machine (macro-ergonomics) interfaces. Practitioners are engaged in developing design specifications, guidelines, methods, and tools. They also apply human-system interface technology to ensure that work systems are compatible with the characteristics of the humans who operate, maintain, or otherwise interact with them. Their efforts include improving the operability, maintainability, usability, comfort, safety and health characteristics of systems to improve human and system effectiveness and to reproduce the potential of injury and error (adapted from remarks published by H. Holbrook, 1995-96 President, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, HFES Bulletin, January 1996).

This program prepares students for practice in this emerging profession through an interdisciplinary course sequence that emphasizes theory, practical applications, and research. HF/E students take a group of five core courses from several different SJSU departments and elective courses in topics of their choosing. A one-semester weekly seminar is required of all students. The program culminates in a thesis or project.

Additional information can be found on the Human Factors/Ergonomics Program website.

University Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and meet all the university admission requirements . Applicants apply separately to the department to obtain admission into the MS, Human Factors/Ergonomics program. See the Graduate Admissions website and this Catalog for general information about graduate admissions at SJSU.

Applicants from countries in which the native language is not English must achieve a minimum English-language proficiency test score as indicated on the Graduate Program Test Requirements webpage. For TOEFL Requirements, see the English Language Proficiency Requirement  section in this catalog.

Students can be admitted to either classified or conditionally classified standing.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Classified

Applicants who meet the following requirements beyond university requirements will be considered for admission into the ISE Department. Applicants for classified standing must have completed a BS or BA degree in Psychology, Industrial Engineering, Occupational Therapy, Industrial Design, Kinesiology, or other related fields at an accredited institution. A grade point average of 3.0 (“B”) or better in the last two years of academic work is preferred. Applicants for classified standing will also be expected to have completed upper-division courses in statistics, cognition, and perception.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Conditionally Classified

Applicants who do not meet the requirements for classified standing may be admitted with specific conditions as conditionally classified; any conditions stated in the admission notification must be fulfilled within the first year and before the student can be advanced to candidacy for the degree. If the conditions are not fulfilled, the program reserves the right to dismiss the student from the program by a process known as Administrative Academic Disqualification (see Section 41300.1, Title 5, California Code of Regulations).

Advancement to Candidacy

The university requirements for advancement to candidacy  for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies and Procedures  section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.

In addition, the applicant must demonstrate an aptitude for advanced professional work in human factors/ergonomics, as measured by instructor appraisals, analysis of previous academic work, or other appropriate means. Advancement to candidacy and approval of programs will be handled by the student’s graduate advisor.

Program of Study Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies and Procedures . Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.

Culminating Experience (Plan A or Plan B)

The decision as to whether to embark on the project (Option B) or Thesis (Option A) path for the culminating experience will be made by the student in consultation with the program’s assigned advisor.

Plan A (Thesis)

Students wishing to pursue the thesis option must begin by obtaining the approval of the HF/E program Director and then by securing the agreement of a qualified faculty member to serve as Chair of the candidate’s thesis committee. The name of the committee Chair must be provided to the HF/E program Director prior to the candidate beginning work on the thesis. The thesis and thesis process must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate’s thesis committee chair with the assistance of the thesis committee.

Plan B (Project)

The project is the expected choice for the HF/E candidate’s culminating experience. Students must begin the project by identifying a qualified faculty advisor, or one will be appointed by the HF/E Program Director. The advisor and the student mutually agree on the project’s scope. The advisor determines when the student has met the agreed-upon project requirements and when the project report is acceptable for submittal to the HF/E program, and notifies the HF/E program Director of the student’s satisfactory completion of the requirement.

Three (3) elective courses must be planned in consultation with the Graduate Advisor. Electives may be selected from a wide range of graduate courses offered on the SJSU campus in industrial engineering, psychology, kinesiology, and other departments. Course descriptions can be found under the listings for the respective departments elsewhere in this catalog. The program develops and offers its own elective courses from time to time in topics such as usability testing, human-computer interaction, safety, and others. Please see the program website for further details.