MS in Human Factors
The Master of Science in Human Factors (MSHF) is designed for individuals with a bachelor’s degree in any discipline and will prepare students for doctoral programs or successful careers in experimental, cognitive or human factors psychology.
Why choose Rowan's Human Factors program?
The MSHF will provide individuals with the opportunity to acquire an excellent graduate level education in Human Factors (HF) that prepares them to work in variety of positions in the human factors/ ergonomics domain.
Students will complete courses on-site and maintain a portfolio of projects they complete while in the program. They will have the option of completing a master’s thesis, which may be either on-site or at the sponsoring company’s location, if applicable. Students who elect not to write a thesis will be required to complete a project in the Human Factors field approved by the program coordinator. Non-Thesis track students will also be required to pass a final, comprehensive exam. Employers of part-time students may elect to sponsor their students’ theses or skill-development experience, which could be fully or partially performed during the workday.
HF career pathways include:
- HF psychologist
- HF engineer
- HF researcher
- HF specialist
- Usability engineer
- Industrial engineer
- Quality and safety engineer
- Systems engineer
- User experience researcher
- User experience designer
- Occupational health and safety specialist
Key Considerations
Credits, Cost & Completion Time
Credits
Application Deadlines
Fall Priority
Fall Entry Term
Studying Human Factors at Rowan
What You'll Learn
The M.S. in Human Factors is a 36-credit-hour program with an optional thesis track. Seven courses are required to fulfill the master’s degree. The remaining five courses can be fulfilled by electives within the Psychology Department, thesis credits or courses from other graduate programs (e.g., Computer Science). Two elective courses need to be Psychology electives. Courses outside the department not listed below must be appropriate to the degree, and the student must obtain permission from their advisor and program coordinator, as well as meet any prerequisites for the course. This will allow students some freedom to customize their degree experience to fit the HF field they want to pursue. Students enrolled in the thesis track will use 6 credits of Master’s Thesis Research (PSY09699, 2 semesters at 3 sh each) to replace two of these elective courses. All students will curate a portfolio of class projects they complete throughout the program. The portfolio will be reviewed by faculty in the program as a benchmark for graduation.
| Course Number | Title | S.H. (Credits) |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: 9 S.H. | ||
| PSY 09500 | Fundamentals of Human Factors | 3 |
| PSY 09526 | Sensation and Perception | 3 |
| PSY 09527 | Human Cognition | 3 |
| Statistics & Methods Courses: 12 S.H | ||
| PSY 09600 | Experimental Methods in Human Factors | 3 |
| PSY 09524 | Applied Statistics in Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 09525 | Applied Statistics in Psychology II | 3 |
| Elective Courses: 15 S.H. | ||
| CS 04580 | Human-Centered Computing | 3 |
| PSY 09526 | Applications of Human Factors | 3 |
| PSY 09527 | Graduate Seminar in Psychology (Repeatable with different topics) | 3 |
| Various courses outside department with program coordinator permission | 1-3 | |
| Thesis Track Only: Supervised Thesis: 6 S.H. | ||
| PSY 09699 | Master’s Thesis Research | 1-6 |
Note: The courses listed above are not official and are subject to change. For an official list of available courses please visit the Rowan Academic Catalog.
Transfer Credit Evaluation Policy
Transfer Credits are evaluated on a case by case basis and will be determined by the Program Director.
Admission Requirements
The following is a list of items required to begin the application process for the program. There may be additional actions or materials required for admission to the program. Upon receipt of the materials below, a representative from the Rowan Global Admissions Processing Office will contact you with confirmation or will indicate any missing items.
- Completed Application Form
- No application fee required
- Bachelor’s degree (or its equivalent) from an accredited institution of higher learning
- Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (regardless of number of credits earned)
- Recommended minimum undergraduate cumulative GPA of 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale)
- Current professional resume
- Two Letters of Recommendation
- Official GRE Score (optional)
- Statement of Professional Objectives: Write a 1-2 page personal statement outlining why you are interested in the M.S. in Human Factors program at Rowan University and any experience and/or knowledge you have relevant to the degree, what your career goals are, and how you believe this program will help you achieve those goals. If you plan on completing the thesis track, please also explain what type of research you are interested in, so that we can match you with a faculty advisor.
- WES/EVAL (international)
- Official TOEFL/LANG test scores (international)
Tuition and Aid
At Rowan University, we pride ourselves on being vigilant and frugal about tuition. We work hard to provide quality education while seeking to reduce the barrier that college costs can present students.
We know paying for tuition can be a challenge. That is why Rowan provides students with the financial resources needed to put their education first by offering grants, loans, work-study and scholarships.
Review graduate financial aid resources at Rowan.
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