Human Factors programs in engineering departments

[dmacfour]

Does anyone here study Human Factors? 

I received a Masters in Human Factors Psychology, and have been looking into PhD programs for awhile now. I noticed that more than half of them are offered through engineering programs and require certain pre-reqs, leveling courses, or plain old engineering degrees. With a background in psychology, I'm obviously deficient on this front. 

 

How much of an engineering/math/physics background will I need before I'll be considered these programs? Are leveling courses designed to bring complete outsiders up to speed, or just address minor deficiencies? 

 

I'm more than willing to take study full time before applying. I've been accepted to a local university, completed an audit, and registered for classes. Spring quarter starts at the end of this month; I could finish most of a mechanical engineering degree before fall of 2017 (the date I want to start grad school). That includes both the math and the physics sequences. 

 

Now, the issue isn't that I don't want to do it - if I started over, I would choose mechanical engineering. I chose Human Factors because it was less fluffy and more related to engineering. I'd prefer to continue drifting towards the engineering side of things. I'll have all of the supporting classes out of the way. Will my application be taken seriously without a finished degree?