Human Systems Engineering, MS
Do you want to become skilled in making complex systems easier to understand and use? Address emerging challenges by developing technologies that adapt to people, not the other way around. Professionals who can apply evidence-based design thinking and cognitive science to improve user experience are highly valued across industries.
Quick facts
Locations
Credits
Additional facts
STEM-OPT extension eligible: Yes
International students (F1) can extend U.S. work experience by 24 months.
Accreditation
Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.
Degree description
In the Master of Science program in human systems engineering, you gain a deep understanding of the science of human performance and experience.
You learn to use methods and tools that enable you to apply this understanding as you design and problem-solve in a wide variety of domains, including product usability, learning design, sports performance, cybersecurity, human-robot teaming, and workplace and patient safety.
Many professions need experts in human factors to work on problems that involve an understanding of human performance. You gain practical experience through projects that examine contemporary issues, such as cell phones as a source of driver distraction, detection of improvised explosive devices, process optimization in health care, and control of unmanned vehicles.
Interest areas include user experience, aviation human factors, cognitive performance, consumer psychology, transportation human factors, patient safety, effective teamwork, human-robot teaming, health psychology, learning optimization, social cognition, threat detection and sports psychology.
Curriculum
This graduate degree includes courses focused on a specialized topic, so you can advance your skills for further professional opportunities. Explore all courses below.
30 credit hours and a portfolio, or
30 credit hours and a thesis, or
30 credit hours including the required applied project course (HSE 593)
Required Core (12 credit hours) Electives and Research (12 or 18 credit hours) Culminating Experience (0 or 6 credit hours) Additional Curriculum Information Students who select the thesis option work on the thesis, under faculty supervision, for at least one calendar year. The first three thesis credit hours are devoted to developing an idea and preparing a proposal for approval by a faculty committee. The next three credit hours involve preparing the details of research design and data collection for the thesis (materials, computer programs, experimental test beds, questionnaires, etc.). The final six credit hours are devoted to collecting and analyzing data, and writing and revising the thesis under the direction of the student's committee chair. Students defend the thesis in an oral examination. If the student is engaged in a project initiated by industry, they may opt for the applied project. Students carry out the applied project, under faculty supervision and guided by industry, in a calendar year in which the 12 credit hours outside the core are allocated to a combination of research, applied project and report writing appropriate to the goals of the student and the industry partner. In all cases, the project culminates in a substantial written report followed by a comprehensive oral examination that covers the project and other materials from required courses. The portfolio should demonstrate a high level of mastery of the principles and practice of human systems engineering through a compilation of work that the student has completed over the course of their graduate study. The specific details depend on the student's specialization, but all portfolios must describe three notable projects completed or academic accomplishments over the course of graduate study; the evolution and advancement of the student's technical expertise and mastery of the field of human systems engineering should be illustrated. Submitted with the portfolio is a written document comprising an overview of graduate experience and descriptions of the projects presented in the portfolio. Applied project students take 12 elective credit hours, thesis students take nine elective credit hours plus three credit hours of HSE 592 Research, and portfolio students take 18 elective credit hours.
HSE 520 Methods and Tools in Applied Cognitive Science (3)
HSE 530 Intermediate Statistics for Human Systems Engineering (3)
HSE 531 Data Analytics: Modeling Human Subjects Data (3)
HSE 542 Foundations of Human Systems Engineering (3)
HSE 593 Applied Project (6) or
HSE 599 Thesis (6) or
portfolio (0)
For the culminating experience, students have the option of completing a thesis (with industry guidance), an applied project to develop and demonstrate professional knowledge and skills, or a portfolio.
What you'll learn
The following learning outcomes highlight some of the knowledge and skills you'll develop to support your future success.
- Apply the methods of human systems engineering to test a hypothesis or solve an applied problem
- Conduct independent research to address problems in the space of Human Systems Engineering.
- Apply the appropriate statistical analysis, address violations of assumptions (e.g., sphericity), & run the analysis using SPSS.
Apply the methods of human systems engineering to test a hypothesis or solve an applied problemAdmission requirements
Here are the admission and application details
All students are required to meet general university admission requirements.
U.S. applicants (opens in new window) | International applicants (opens in new window) | English proficiency (opens in new window)
Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. To be considered for admission to the program, applicants must have earned a bachelor's or master's degree in psychology or a related field (including engineering, computer science or business) from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in their first bachelor's degree program or the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program; or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in nine credit hours of graduate coursework from a U.S. institution; or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable conferred master's degree program from a regionally accredited college or university. All applicants must submit: Additional Application Information The letters of recommendation should be from college professors, employers (in a human factors-related field) or a combination of academic and professional references. Applicants to this program generally have completed an undergraduate course in statistics. Unofficial transcripts may be submitted at the time of application. If admitted, applicants must then submit official transcripts to ASU Graduate Admission Services.
An applicant whose native language is not English must provide proof of English proficiency regardless of their current residency.
Application deadlines
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | Rolling* |
| Session | Modality | Deadline | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| Session A/C | In Person | Rolling* |
*A rolling deadline means that applications will continue to be reviewed on a regular basis until the semester begins. International students should be mindful of visa deadlines to ensure there is time to produce necessary visa documents. Applicants are encouraged to complete and submit application materials as soon as possible for consideration.
Explore expanded study opportunities
This program allows you to obtain both a bachelor's and a master's degree in as little as five years. As a high-achieving student, accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree programs are designed for you to share undergraduate coursework with graduate coursework to accelerate completion of your master's degree. These programs feature the same high-quality curriculum taught by ASU's world-renowned faculty.
This program is offered as an accelerated bachelor's plus master's degree with:
Approval to pursue the accelerated master's is typically granted during the junior year of your bachelor's degree program. If you are interested, you can learn more about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Paying for college
Use our calculator to estimate your full-time or part-time tuition fees for this program prior to any financial aid. Keep in mind that most of our students receive financial aid, which can reduce out-of-pocket costs.
Get an estimateCareer opportunities
Graduates are prepared for industry and government careers in positions such as:
- game designer
- human factors engineer
- human systems integrator
- information systems designer
- interface designer
- military scientist
- usability engineer
- user experience designer
Graduates may work as a member of a design team for a product or system.
Recent graduates are working at Intel, Boeing, GoDaddy, Mayo Clinic, PayPal, Motorola, Google and the Air Force Research Laboratory, among other employers. Others have gone on to pursue doctoral degrees at ASU and other prestigious institutions.
Contact information
Use the contact information below to get in touch if you're a current student or have general questions.
Prospective students should fill out the Request for Information form.
Human Systems Engineering
|
SUTON 240
polygrad@asu.edu
480-727-1874
Frequently asked questions about degree programs
Accelerated programs allow students the opportunity to expedite the completion of their degree.
Accelerated master's
These programs allow students to accelerate their studies to earn a bachelor's plus a master's degree in as few as five years (for some programs).
Each program has requirements students must meet to be eligible for consideration. Students typically receive approval to pursue the accelerated master's during the junior year of their bachelor's degree program. Interested students can learn about eligibility requirements and how to apply.
Concurrent degrees allow students to pursue their own personal or professional interests, earn two distinct degrees and receive two diplomas. To add a concurrent degree to your existing degree, work with your academic advisor.
Joint programs, or jointly conferred degrees, are offered by more than one college and provide opportunities for students to take advantage of the academic strengths of two academic units. Upon graduation, students are awarded one degree and one diploma conferred by two colleges.
ASU adds new programs to Degree Search frequently. Come back often and look for the "New Programs" option.
ASU Online offers programs in an entirely online format with multiple enrollment sessions throughout the year. See https://asuonline.asu.edu/ for more information.
The Western Regional Graduate Program (WRGP) provides a reduced tuition rate to non-resident graduate students who qualify. Visit the WRGP/WICHE webpage for more information: https://graduate.asu.edu/wiche.
