The Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering  (ISE) administers the Master of Science in Human Factors/Ergonomics (HF/E) degree program with a Concentration in User Experience (UX). This program provides students with competency in human computer interaction (UX) through their course work and culminating project and creates a recognizable employment credential on the MS diploma from the MS HF/E program accredited by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES). Students take 3 core courses, 3 required courses, and 2 electives 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 at the Human Factors/Ergonomics Program website.

University Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply portal and meet all the university admission requirements . Applicants apply separately to the department to obtain admission into the MS, Human Factors/Ergonomics program with User Experience Concentration. 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 must meet all university admission requirements . 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, Engineering, Computer Science, Industrial Design, or other related field 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 & 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 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)

Students choose the Plan A (Thesis) or Plan B (Project) option as their program culminating experience.  The decision as to whether to embark on a thesis or project 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 secure the agreement of a qualified faculty member to serve as Chair of the thesis committee. The candidate must provide the name of the committee Chair to the HF/E Program Director prior to the 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 (pdf). The thesis 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 by having one appointed by the HF/E program Director. The advisor and the student mutually agree on the scope of the project. The advisor determines when the student has met agreed upon project requirements and when the project report is acceptable for submission to the HF/E program, and notifies the HF/E program Director of the student’s satisfactory completion of the culminating experience requirement.