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BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN

HUMAN FACTORS PSYCHOLOGY

FIVE-YEAR BACHELOR / MASTER OF SCIENCE IN

HUMAN FACTORS AND SYSTEMS

Excellent Environment for Studying Human Factors

We've Got the Right Stuff

If you're interested in psychology and you want to learn more about human interaction with machines -- especially aviation/aerospace equipment and computers -- Embry-Riddle has the program for you.

In our Human Factors Psychology program, you'll learn about the challenges involved in optimizing the performance and safety of both humans and the machines they use.

The Human Factors and Systems department has the best stuff to offer. The well-respected faculty conducts important research for the aviation and aerospace industry. Pardon our name-dropping, but we've done human factors research for NASA, the Federal Aviation Administration, Lockheed Martin, and Galaxy Scientific, among others. As a human factors student, you'll have access to the the research potential of an entire campus focused on aviation and technology.

Because we have one of the few undergraduate degree programs in human factors psychology centered on aviation, our graduates are uniquely prepared to address many of today's concerns about aviation and aerospace safety.

Research is the Key

You'll get to participate in research traditionally reserved for graduate students. You may observe or use state-of-the-art equipment, including a networked air traffic control simulator lab; an air traffic control tower simulator; an FAA-certified Level-6 CRJ-200 simulator, and a real-time meteorology lab that interfaces with all simulators.

Further resources include a fleet of aircraft and pilots with all levels of skill and a large computer science/engineering department.

You'll get valuable hands-on experience learning exactly how human factors researchers gather and apply data. You'll study the interaction between humans and technology, with a special focus on how people interact with computers, the environment, information processing, simulation, and training.

Fast Track to a Graduate Degree

The human factors psychology program seeks to develop a student with the capacity to design, conduct and apply human factors research to the design of simple and complex systems. The goal is to educate and graduate professionals who are equipped for employment in industry and government as human factors specialists, or to continue their education in graduate school.

The department now offers an academic program that will allow a student to complete both a B.S. in Human Factors Psychology and an M.S. in Human Factors and Systems in just five years. For more information about this five-year degree, see below.

Human factors important in many fields

Human factors psychology is of utmost importance to aviation and aerospace systems development and deployment. Yet, because it's an applied discipline and important to every facet of life, this degree is the ticket to a wide array of career choices.

You'll receive training in the content and techniques of human factors research, including statistical and quantitative procedures, experimental design, survey methods, computer techniques, and other research methodologies.

Human Factors professionals can be found in a variety of work settings, including:

PROGRAM INFORMATION

Program Focus: Both Traditional and Emerging Areas of Human Factors and Systems in Aviation and Aerospace

Interdisciplinary Integration

The department is oriented toward teaching, service, and research, and focuses on both traditional and emerging areas of human factors and systems in aviation and aerospace. The department is intended to be a community of teacher-scholars.

The program emphasis is on the interdisciplinary integration of theory, data and methodology of the relevant disciplines, including experimental psychology, computer science, engineering, aeronautical science, and human factors. The curriculum stresses the interdisciplinary integration of knowledge, theory, and tools of relevant areas particularly focusing in the following three major areas: (1) theoretical models and quantitative research methodology associated with the behavioral sciences, computer and aeronautical sciences, and engineering disciplines; (2) the application of knowledge about processes relevant to the development of aerospace systems, interfaces, and work environments; and (3) the methods and tools that human factors and systems applies during system analysis, design, and evaluation. In all cases, emphasis is on the relevance of principles of total system performance, while including a focus on human performance.

Research Aims to Improve Safety

The Department of Human Factors and Systems is committed to the ongoing development and expansion of its research programs. Current research efforts are funded by federal and state agencies, industry, and private foundations. These efforts are dedicated to improving the safety and efficiency of aviation at the state, national and international levels.

Embry-Riddle's combination of flight- experienced faculty and students, in combination with extensive simulator capabilities, creates one of the world's best human factors research testbeds. Accordingly, the University has stimulated efforts to build a major human factors research capability.

The University's dedicated, aviation-oriented faculty and student body, laboratories, simulators, and flight facilities provide the basic ingredients for supporting the ongoing development and expansion of human factors research. This program has been designed to support the FAA objective of using human factors research to improve safety and efficiency throughout the National Airspace system.

Current and future research plans include projects focused on human-centered automation; applications of virtual reality; assessing the human role in causing and avoiding accidents; development of better methods of assessing quality of human performance in aviation/aerospace systems; development of improved flight crew/controller communications and systems support capabilities; the development of cost-effectiveness evaluation of techniques for the selection and training of aviation administrative, operations, flight and maintenance personnel; and the development of standards and procedures for the validation and certification of human engineering design criteria.

The Department of Human Factors and Systems has a cadre of human factors specialists, a wide variety of training facilities capable of supporting research program objectives, and a master plan to guide the orderly development of the research programs and facilities. The facilities include: A large fleet of aircraft and pilots with all levels of skill; a networked air traffic control simulator; a real-time meteorological laboratory; and many other simulators.

DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

Our Program Emphasizes Human Behavior,
Ergonomics, and Human Capabilities

The Bachelor of Science degree in Human Factors Psychology emphasizes human behav- ior, ergonomics, and human capabilities. The program seeks to develop a student with the capacity to design, conduct, and apply human factors research to the design of simple and complex systems. The goal of the program is to educate and graduate professionals who are equipped for employment as human fac- tors specialists or to continue their education in graduate school.

Human Factors Psychology is an applied discipline which develops knowledge con- cerning the abilities and limitations of humans to sense, store, and process information, as well as to act. This knowledge is applied to the design, use, and maintenance of human/ machine systems. Depending on its goals, the system is then optimized with respect to human performance. The environmen- tal factors affecting system performance are recognized as important and are considered systematically. When relevant data are not available, they must be uncovered through research efforts. This requires considerable skill in experimental design and quantitative methodology. Students will receive training in the content and techniques of human factors, including statistical and quantitative proce- dures, experimental design, survey methods, computer techniques, and other research methodologies.

Degree Requirements

The Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Psychology can be earned in eight semesters assuming appropriate background and fulltime enrollment. Successful completion of a minimum of 123 credit hours is required.

Students are encouraged to choose a minor field of study. Minors that complement Human Factors are Air Traffic Control, Aviation Safety, Computer Science, Flight, and Mathematics. Most minors can be accommodated within the 15 hours of open electives required in the program.

Students will be encouraged to have an applied practicum experience. This requirement may be fulfilled in several ways, including co-ops, internships, or working on an on-campus research team. Practicums provide opportunities to gain practical experience in real-world settings. A practicum experience is highly regarded by employers and increases the student’s employment potential after graduation. Typically, students will engage in practical experience activities toward the end of the degree program so they can take maximum advantage of their undergraduate experience.

Suggested Program of Study

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* General Education Requirement
** Degree Core Requirement
*** Please refer to the Graduate Catalog for a listing of available graduate-level electives
‡ All Psychology and Human Factors course must be passed with a "C" or better to count toward degree completion

All Psychology and Human Factors courses must be passed with a “C” or better to count toward degree completion.

FIVE-YEAR BS/MS DEGREE PROGRAM

Human Factors Students Can Earn Both
Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Five Years

In conjunction with the Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Psychology and the traditional Master of Science in Human Factors and Systems degrees, the Department of Human Factors and Systems also offers a five-year master's degree program in Human Factors and Systems. The five-year master's program offers upper-level undergraduates in the major a chance to begin their graduate work while completing their bachelor degree program.

The program is open to all undergraduate human factors students who meet eligibility requirements which include a cumulative GPA of 3.2 and junior year standing. Student applications for the program will be reviewed and students accepted into the five-year program will be notified at the end of their junior year. During their senior undergraduate year, they will take two graduate classes (six credits) that will fulfill requirements for both the bachelor's and master's degree programs.

Five-year master's degree students are required to complete 30 credits of graduate work to complete the degree program. Both the bachelor of science degree in human factors psychology and master's degree in human factors and systems will be awarded when the student completes the master's degree program.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Program

• Is this a new degree program?
No, it is a combination of two existing programs offered by the Department of Human Factors & Systems. The five-year M.S. in Human Factors (MSHF) degree program combines the B.S. in Human Factors Psychology (BSHFP) degree with M.S. in Human Factors and Systems (MSHFS) degree.

• What are the advantages of this degree program?
It allows students who demonstrate and maintain excellence in their academic performance to receive MSHFS degree in five years time period. This is compared to a more traditional path of first completing the bachelor degree in human factors psychology (HFP), a four-year program, and then completing the master's program, a four semester program. In addition, the MSHFS program will benefit from having qualified, highly motivated students.

• What are the admission requirements for the five-year degree?
There are no special admission requirements for the five-year program, the standard undergraduate admission requirements for the BSHFP students will be applied. However, the five-year degree program requires certain eligibility in accordance with the degree requirements described previously in this document. This means, any undergraduate human factors psychology major is allowed to select this degree program as long as they meet the degree requirements.

• What criteria will be used to allow students into this program?
The cumulative GPA of the first six semesters should be 3.2 or better. This requirement must be satisfied for the student to be considered part of this degree program.

• Who should or is responsible to initiate the process of accepting students into the five-year program?
The interested students are responsible to initiate the process of evaluating their eligibility to be considered part of the 5-year program. Students who meet the eligibility requirement, that is CGPA of 3.2 or better, will be formally notified that they are considered part of the program

• When is a logical time for the students to initiate the acceptance process?
The most logical time is during or by end of the 6th semester.

• When would be the next milestone to evaluate student performance?
The next milestone after the 6th semester will come at the completion of the 8th semester. In this case students who have not maintained the cumulative GPA of 3.2, will not be allowed to continue with the MSHFS program.

• What happens to a student who didn’t maintain 3.2 cumulative GPA at the completion of the 8th semester?
The student will be considered pursuing the standard human factors psychology undergraduate degree program.

• What classes are eliminated from the MSHFS program to go from 36 to 30 hours?
HFS 500 Systems Concepts will be taken during the student's last semester as an undergraduate as an BSHFP elective. HFS 600 Human Factors in Systems (an introductory class) will be eliminated because the class assumes students enter with little or no human factors at the undergraduate level. The five-year students will have completed a B.S. in human factors with exceptional grades and thus can be assumed to already have that background.

• What happens to an eligible student who chooses not to continue with the master's program at the completion of the 8th semester?
The student will receive a B.S.in human factors psychology.

OTHER LINKS

Human Factors and Systems Master of Science - Daytona Beach, FL
http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/ma-humanfactors.html

Human Factors and Systems Minor - Daytona Beach, FL
http://www.erau.edu/db/degrees/m-humanfactors.htm

Usernomics Human Factors Consulting
http://www.usernomics.com/human-factors-consulting.html

NASA Human Factors Research and Technology
http://humanfactors.arc.nasa.gov

Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
http://hfes.org/

Department of Defense Human Factors Engineering Technical Advisory Group
http://hfetag.dtic.mil/

CAREERS OUTLOOK

Career Opportunities in Human Factors/Ergonomics

Where do our Alumni(ae) work?

Work in the field of human factors and ergonomics (also known as human engineering) is exciting, challenging, and rewarding. Human factors professionals apply their scientific and engineering expertise to the many problems people encounter in the use of tools, equipment, and systems. Solutions to these problems often involve a combination of product design, user training, and refinement of procedures for using or maintaining the products. Among the areas of application are computer hardware and software, aerospace systems, communication, training, transportation, military systems, consumer products, and medical devices.

The work of the human factors engineer and a brief history of how the field began are stated concisely in the words of one of the outstanding human factors scientists and a pioneer in the field, Alphonse Chapanis: "Human engineering got its big push during World War II, when it was found that many of the new and complicated weapons were useless because they exceeded the capacities of their human operators. This same kind of mismatching of people and machines is common today in modern industry, in the skies above us, and on our highways. It is this fact, together with the technological demands of space research and defense needs, that is the challenge for human factors engineers. Their job is to redesign present equipment and devise new equipment so that human errors, accidents, and frustrations can be reduced and efficiently increased."

According to a recent survey, the level of job satisfaction among human factors practitioners was found to be higher than among those working in other professional and technical fields. The same study found that human factors positions are notable for the variety of tasks involved, the employee's relative independence, and the amount of feedback he or she receives.

Your Educational Background

Virtually all employers seek job candidates with at least a bachelor's degree, and many jobs require a master's or Ph.D. Of the members of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, 39% hold a Ph.D., 33% hold an M.A. and 20% have a B.A. (The remaining are full-time students.)

Fields of Study

Degrees in human factors are offered by a number of universities and colleges. Human factors practitioners come from a variety of academic disciplines, primarily psychology and engineering, but also industrial design, medicine/life sciences, education, business administration, computer science, and others. Specializations within engineering include general, industrial, mechanical, electrical, and aeronautical-astronautical.

Preparing for Work in the Field

Educational preparation for working in the human factors/ergonomics field starts with a bachelor's degree. Undergraduate programs in any of the fields of study listed above will prepare you for most jobs. You also need strong communication skills, both written and oral, and you will be working with statistical methods.

Employment Areas

Whether you prefer an academic environment, private industry, government, or the military, employment opportunities in human factors are numerous and wide ranging.
Academic institutions
Many human factors professionals work in state and private colleges and universities. Faculty positions range from research associate (often filled by graduate students) to full professor, both part-time and full-time.
Industry employment
Human factors professionals work in a wide variety of industries. Jobs range from research positions to management of product development teams, with titles such as human factors engineer, ergonomist, safety scientist, technical specialist, and research scientist.
Military-related research centers
Several research laboratories across the services employ human factors professional. Examples include the Army's Human Engineering Laboratory, Naval Ocean Systems Center, Naval Training Systems Center, Air Force Armstrong Laboratory (medical research), and Air Force Human Resources Laboratory.
Government agencies
Agency employers include the National Research Council, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, National Academy of Sciences, National Transportation Safety Board, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Federal Aviation Administration, and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Human factors professionals also work in city and state agencies.
Independent research and consulting organizations
Examples include American Institutes for Research, Anacapa Sciences, BBN Laboratories, Essex Corporation, and the MITRE Corporation.
Independent consulting
Human factors professionals offer their services as consultants on a permanent or temporary basis, either full-time or part-time. Some consult part-time in addition to a permanent full-time job. Human factors consultants are often retained by trial lawyers to provide expert witness services in areas such as accidents, consumer product design, and safety.
Salaries
The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society periodically conducts surveys to collect information about salary levels in all areas of human factors employment. The results indicate that salaries increase at about the level of inflation from year to year. Not surprisingly, professionals who have obtained a Ph.D. earn more than those with less education. In general, positions within industry are the highest paying, followed by academia and then government agencies.
To obtain a copy of the 1997 Salary Survey, contact HFES at (+1) (310) 394-1811 or via the Web at http://hfes.org.
Some Human Factors Industry Employers
Hundreds of product and service industries across the country employ one or more human factors professionals. Here is a sample of those companies:
Aviation/Aerospace: Boeing, Ford Aerospace, General Dynamics, Hughes, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Rockwell, TRW
Automotive: John Deere, General Motors, Nissan, Ford, Toyota,
Communications: AT&T, GTE, Lucent Technologies, NYNEX, US WEST
Computers: Compaq, INTEL, Apple, Digital Equipment, Hewlett-Packard, IBM, NCR, Sun Microsystems, XEROX
Insurance: Travelers, Liberty Mutual State Farm
Power & Utilities: EG&G General Electric
Some Related Professions
Architectural psychology, biomedical engineering, biophysics, biotechnology, engineering psychology, environmental engineering, industrial anthropology, industrial design, industrial engineering, industrial psychology, organizational psychology, safety engineering, and systems safety.
Membership in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES)
HFES provides important links with colleagues in the field through its annual meetings, as well as meetings of its regional chapters and interest groups. Within the Society are more than 50 local and student chapters, and 20 technical specialty areas. Both chapters and technical groups are open to nonmembers. These groups offer excellent opportunities to build collegial, research, and employment networks.
These are the technical groups: Aerospace Systems, Aging, Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, Communication, Computer Systems, Consumer Products, Professional Educators, Environmental Design, Forensics Professional, Industrial Ergonomics, Macroergonomics, Medical Systems and Rehabilitation, Individual Differences in Performance, Safety, Surface Transportation, System Development, Test and Evaluation Training, Virtual Environments, Visual Performance,

Dues to join HFES are $30 per year for Student Affiliates in 1998 and $115 for Members, Associates, and Affiliates in 1998. Benefits include free publications, discounts on special publications, and discounted registration for annual meetings.

HFES Placement Service
HFES operates a Placement Service year-round to assist job seekers. It can be found on the the Web at http://www.hfes.org. There is student chapter at Embry-Riddle.

© Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. Reprinted with permission.

The Embry-Riddle Advantage: The Career Services Office

One of the most valuable benefits of being a student or alumnus of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University is access to the resources of the Career Services Office.

The Career Services Office provides career development assistance to all students and alumni of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, regardless of campus affiliation. The Daytona Beach office serves Daytona Beach, Worldwide Campus, and Worldwide Online students. Prescott campus students are served by the Prescott office.

The Career Services Web site offers students and alumni:

• A virtual library of job search aids including interview tips
• An alumni network which enables students to contact alumni throughout the United States and abroad to learn more about their careers and employers.
• Sample résumés and cover letters
• Company profiles and employment hotlines
• Cooperative education opportunities
• Current job listings; and
• A Web-based résumé referral service

A career fair is hosted at the Daytona Beach and Prescott campuses each fall. Throughout each year, dozens of companies visit the campuses to recruit students and to provide information about their industry. On-campus interviews are also scheduled year-round.

The Career Services Office employs a staff of program managers to provide one-on-one career advisement, mock interviews, and résumé critique services. The Career Services Office encourages students to make contact early in their Embry-Riddle educations to explore career options and develop a successful job search strategy.

More From the Career Services Office

Career Advisement
Several degree-specific program managers are available for assistance with career choice/change, exploration of career opportunities, and development of job search techniques.

Career Resource Center
The Career Resource Center is a library of information that includes addresses and information on potential employers, as well as information on hiring trends, salaries, and other career references. The Career Resource Center is continuously updated and expanded to meet student needs. The Career Services Web site also serves as a virtual resource center with links to job listings, salary information, sample résumés, interview preparation, and company Web sites.

EagleHire Network
The EagleHire Network allows students and alumni to submit résumés directly to employers seeking full-time and co-op/internship candidates. EagleHire is a free service and is available to all students and alumni of the University.

Cooperative Education/Internship Program
Cooperative education positions provide an opportunity for students to gain valuable work experience while earning college credit, learn about their chosen field, and establish contacts in the industry. Co-ops and internships are opportunities to earn college credit while gaining career-related work experience for undergraduate and graduate students.

©Copyright 2008 Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. All rights reserved.

Daytona Beach, FL Residential Campus

600 S. Clyde Morris Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900