FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQ)

We frequently get asked questions about Embry Riddle Aeronautical University’s Human Factors program. Some of these are so frequently asked that we thought it would save your time and maybe pique your interest in our program if we commented on them here.

What is Human Factors?

Human Factors refers to Human Factors Psychology or Human Factors Engineering and other disciplines that need to link knowledge of human abilities and limitations with interface design (Interface means the buttons and knobs, the training requirements, the team members, the computer commands and other things that require efficient human input). By the way, the question, in proper English, is ‘What are Human Factors?’

Will I be able to get into the health fields with a Human Factors Psychology Degree?

Our students work in the healthcare industries as well as the traditionally engineering disciplines. We have a new minor, Aerospace Life Sciences that is very popular among those students who wish to get careers in the healthcare fields such as medical school, pharmacy, veterinary, nursing, or other schools. The are other disciplines that need to know something about human abilities such as bioengineering or biophysics and the degree is popular among those students as well. Finally, we hope the Aerospace Life Science minor will take students into the Aerospace field of health sciences where they can work as astrobiologists or space physiologists.

Will I be able to go on to advanced degrees with the Human Factors Degree?

Our students are well prepared, perhaps superbly prepared, for advanced degrees. If you really want to make creative contributions to your field, you need an advanced degree and our students can go on to the masters degree and even the doctoral degree.

What sorts of jobs can I expect as a Human Factors person?

Our students get better jobs than traditional psychology students from other universities for two simple reasons: we are Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. And we are well-known specialists in all things aerospace. Our students work in the military, in industry, academics or go on for advanced degrees where more specialization occurs. Throughout it all, our students are generalist enough in their training to adapt to any endeavor where maximizing human abilities is crucial.

Is the 5 year BS/MS degree 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 the 5 year BS/MS degree program?

It allows students who demonstrate and maintain excellence in their academic performance to receive Masters in Human Factors and Systems degree in five year's 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 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 Bachelor of Science in Human Factors Psychology 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 the 5 year BS/MS degree 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 for initiating 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 Master of Science in Human Factors and Systems 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 Bachelor of Science in Human factors Psychology 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 Bachelor of Science 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 program at the completion of the 8th semester?

The student will receive a Bachelor of Science in human factors psychology.