RubyBright Posted January 8, 2013 Posted January 8, 2013 I haven't seen anyone else applying to human factors programs. Feeling a bit lonesome here. Anyone else? I'm jealous of the clinical people who are already starting to hear things back.
cdesilva621 Posted January 15, 2013 Posted January 15, 2013 You're not the only one. I do feel as if we are a minority in the psychology field.
RubyBright Posted January 15, 2013 Author Posted January 15, 2013 Ahhhh! Sorry, I'm excited to know that I'm not alone. I was looking over the GradCafe results for the schools I applied to, and going back to 2006, only two people posted about the human factors program at my top choice school. I feel like I have very little information to work off of regarding when to expect to hear from the departments.
gnomechomsky22 Posted January 16, 2013 Posted January 16, 2013 (edited) I am currently a cog sci certificate student but I'm applying this fall for Human Factors...even though it is a well known program at my school, it is definitely not as popular as I/O or Clinical. Edited January 16, 2013 by gnomechomsky22
RubyBright Posted January 17, 2013 Author Posted January 17, 2013 I'm kind of surprised that there aren't more HF people, actually. It seems like a good place for the more technologically-minded - that's how I got into it.
gnomechomsky22 Posted January 17, 2013 Posted January 17, 2013 Yeah I think its completely fascinating and there's so much work you can do with it, but for whatever reason, clinical and I/O are so much more popular where I currently attend school.
RubyBright Posted February 5, 2013 Author Posted February 5, 2013 Bumping this to ask if anyone has received any HFac acceptances...
cdesilva621 Posted February 6, 2013 Posted February 6, 2013 I haven't heard anything yet, but I'm only applying for MA/MS Programs. I just got an email back from Texas Tech saying that their Experimental Psych Search Committee is in the process of evaluating and making offers. I'm stressed beyond belief. Haha.
RubyBright Posted February 22, 2013 Author Posted February 22, 2013 (edited) Did anyone apply to Clemson's program, by any chance? I'm considering them for next year if this year doesn't pan out. Edited February 22, 2013 by RubyBright
JinW Posted March 13, 2013 Posted March 13, 2013 After i finish my M.S. In I/O I might look at Ph'D option in HF or I/O.
mtjamieson Posted March 22, 2013 Posted March 22, 2013 I'm planning on going into human factors! I'm really hoping to get into NCSU, but im also planning on applying to Clemson and VT. The only problem I'm having is deciding whether to get my phd and go into academia or my masters and go into the private sector. Any opinions on this? Anyone who has been through it?
RubyBright Posted March 22, 2013 Author Posted March 22, 2013 Hi, mtjamieson! Welcome to our (very little) corner. If you're looking at east coast schools, you may find that many of the schools only do combined master's-PhD programs. Don't be scared off from that - you can definitely still go into industry with a PhD. Plus, you're a lot more likely to find funding in a PhD program than in a master's program. If you do see a school that supposedly offers a terminal master's, do some digging and find out if the program is actually active. eternallyephemeral and mtjamieson 2
danman8511 Posted April 16, 2013 Posted April 16, 2013 Hey fellow factors peeps! I'm really excited about this whole thing, I didn't even know this major existed until I started researching programs. I'm currently facing a dilemma on my topic below so if anyone has sage advice I'm all ears.
UndecidedMan Posted May 10, 2013 Posted May 10, 2013 What kind of background does one need to apply to Human Factors programs? What is a typical day at work life for someone in this profession?
danman8511 Posted May 17, 2013 Posted May 17, 2013 What kind of background does one need to apply to Human Factors programs? What is a typical day at work life for someone in this profession? I'm not a professional but am about to enter a program. The Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) webpage has been a great resource in telling me how to prepare for specific jobs and what they entail. I think it's under the "Career" or "Student" section. It's incredibly broad. You can come from engineering, computer science, psychology, maybe even anthropology. What you'll find yourself doing is making anything and everything easier and safer to use. This includes the Internet, cars, airplanes, toothbrushes... You'll use cognitive psych to understand how and why we perform tasks and how to streamline them for consumer use. You could also be directly involved in the design process by creating prototypes (sketches, CAD) and performing usability tests, speaking/working with people about how to improve something and presenting the data. A lot of it seems to be consulting but the government is a big employer for space programs and military use (how to make a drone easier to fly with less collateral damage) and web/tech industry is booming. RubyBright 1
Sedentes Posted March 20, 2014 Posted March 20, 2014 Bump: Anyone applied to SJSU HF/E program for this year? Have you heard back yet? Sedentes 1
dmacfour Posted March 24, 2014 Posted March 24, 2014 (edited) I recently graduated from University of Idaho's HF/E program. If any of you have questions about UI's program, or the campus, I'd be happy to answer (I know the place well). Edited March 24, 2014 by dmacfour
OhSoSolipsistic Posted January 15, 2017 Posted January 15, 2017 (edited) This is an old thread, but it comes up on google searches for combinations of "human factors programs" so I thought I'd contribute. For specifically human factors, the largest domain is tech. At least in silicon valley, human factors tech tends to be broken into software and hardware, or user experience/design and devices. Tech tends to be more focused with quicker turn around, so there's less emphasis on conducting formal experiments and heavy analysis, and a bit more on design. If you're into this, look up UX/UI - there's certificate programs if you want to explore education options. A career in this field is often lucrative and fast-paced. A lot work on projects they need to sign NDAs for - virtual reality stuff, Apple devices, etc. Another branch is human systems integration (which is still under human factors in most academic programs, but it's shifting professionally), and the largest domains are transportation, medical, and security. Obviously this still can be focused on one component, but human systems tends to be different in both application and type of work, and is a bit more government/institution-oriented. In the majority of cases, there's a heavy focus on simulation work within a larger system (e.g., pilot/crew--flight deck components--communication components--air traffic controller--ground system components), so more emphasis is placed on advanced experimental design and analysis, as well as systems engineering and, to a lesser but increasing degree, programming. This field is already fairly sizable, but still relatively obscure to those outside the profession. I've worked with a lot of recent human factors terminal MA/MS grads, and the best well-rounded program by far is CSU Long Beach - at least on the west coast. If looking into human factors at San Jose State University (which is in close connection to CSULB, and Northridge, and Purdue), also look into the Experimental Psych MA program if you think human systems is more what you're interested in. Edited January 15, 2017 by OhSoSolipsistic typo DrF8 and Sarnai 2
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