• Description of Program
• Degree Requirements
• Special Opportunities
• Careers

Description of Program

Founded in the disciplines of biomechanics, physiology, and motor control, the graduate program in ergonomics is one of the few offered through a department of kinesiology. The program admits students from diverse academic and professional backgrounds, and provides individualized tracks for students seeking professional positions in industry or admission to doctoral programs in kinesiology.

Degree Requirements

A minimum of 38 credit hours is required for the ergonomics program.  The Master of Science in Kinesiology degree must include a minimum of 20 credits from the Department of Kinesiology.  A minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average (GPA) is required for graduation. A minimum grade of C– is required in each course. All electives for completing the degree must be approved by the advisor.

Ergonomics Core (15 cr.)
Complete each of the following courses:

• HPER-K 541 Nature and Basis of Motor Skill (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 594 Human Error (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 598 Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 599 Cognitive Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 690 Seminar in Human Performance: Ergonomics (3 cr.)

Cognate Area (6 credits)
Select two courses from one of the sub disciplines listed below, or create an individualized concentration to form a cognate area. Course work in this area must be selected in consultation with the student's major advisor.

Biomechanics

• HPER-K 530 Mechanical Analysis of Human Performance (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 630 Biomechanics of Human Performance (3 cr.)

Exercise Physiology/Wellness

• HPER-K 535 Physiological Basis of Human Performance (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 560 Exercise in Corporate Fitness and Wellness (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 562 Exercise Prescription in Health and Disease I (3 cr.)

Safety Management

• HPER-S 552 Principles and Concepts of Workplace Safety Behavior (3 cr.)
• HPER-S 610 Occupational Risk Management (3 cr.)
• HPER-S 617 Seminar in Safety Education (3 cr.)
• HPER-S 632 Managing Occupational Health Programs (3 cr.)

Individualized Concentration

• Select courses from the recommended electives listed after the capstone tracks below, or from the subdisciplines listed above, or from other graduate courses to develop an individualized cognate area of concentration. If the major advisor and student agree to pursue an individualized concentration, the major advisor must report the six credits of prescribed courses to the school recorder.

Capstone Tracks: Internship or Thesis (15 credits)
Complete one of the following capstone tracks

Internship Track: designed for students planning for careers in industry

• HPER-K 588 Interventions, Controls, and Applications in Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 595 Work Design (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 597 Assessment in Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 607 Internship in Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-T 591 Introduction to Statistics in Public Health (3 cr.)

Thesis Track: designed for students planning to enter doctoral programs and careers in research. (3 cr.):

• HPER-K 600 Master's Thesis (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 602 Independent Study and Research (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 701 Readings in Human Performance (3 cr.)
• HPER-T 590 Introduction to Research in Health, Kinesiology and Recreation (3 cr.)
• HPER-T 591 Introduction to Statistics in Public Health (3 cr.)

Recommended Electives for the Ergonomics Major
These courses may be selected in consultation with the major advisor to complete an individualized cognate area of concentration, or to reach the minimum 38 graduate credits required for completion of this degree program.

• HPER-K 524 Exercise in Physical Activity for People with Disabilities (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 527 Adherence to Physical Activity (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 537 Advanced physiology of Exercise (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 589 Introduction to CAD in Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 590 Advanced Technology in Ergonomic Analysis (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 591 Participatory Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 592 Macro-Ergonomics: Socio‑technological Systems Design (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 593 Physical Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-K 596 Industrial Design and Ergonomics (3 cr.)
• HPER-C 510 Organization and Administration of Public Health Programs (3 cr.)
• HPER-C 589 Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health (3 cr.)
• HPER-H 617 Seminar in Health Education: Health, Technology and Aging (3 cr.)
• COGS-Q 551 Brain and Cognition (3 cr.)
• EDUC-R 620 Instructional Task Analysis (3 cr.)
• EDUC-Y 604 Multivariate Analysis in Education Research (3 cr.)
• FINA-S 571 Graduate Sculpture [CAD] (3 cr.)
• FINA-S 572 Graduate Sculpture [CAD Applications] (3 cr.)
• FINA-U 604 Special Topics in Studio Art: Computer Modeling (3 cr.)
• INFO-I 543 Usability and Evaluation Methods of Interaction Design (3 cr.)
• PSY-P 503 Complex Cognitive Processes (3 cr.)
• PSY-P 504 Learning and Motivation (3 cr.)
• PSY-P 517 Methods in Direct Observation of Behavior (3 cr.)
• SLIS-L 503 User Needs and Behavior in Theory and Practice (3 cr.)
• SLIS-L 540 Foundations of Information and Architecture (3 cr.)
• SLIS-L 542 Introduction of Human Computer Interaction (3 cr.)
• SLIS-L 578 User Interface Design of Information Systems (3 cr.)
• STAT-S 681 Topics in Applied Statistics: Non Parametric Data (3 cr.)

Special Opportunities

The graduate program in ergonomics provides students unique learning experiences in both theoretical and applied ergonomics. Students have the opportunity to work in state-of-the-art laboratories and challenging field environments. Course offerings and distinguished faculty reflect the discipline's expansive interdisciplinary nature.

Careers

Graduates entering professional positions will be prepared for a wide range of career opportunities. Our graduates pursuing careers in industry are currently employed in aerospace, automotive manufacturing, medical device manufacturing, petroleum production, transportation, insurance, ergonomic and safety consulting, and military service. Graduates pursuing academic careers have joined university faculties and currently published in such journals as Experimental Brain Research, Motor Control, Brain and Cognition, and Journal of Motor Control.