- About the Department
   - Undergraduate Studies
   - Graduate Studies
       Graduate Students | Update
       Clinical Program
       Exp/Human Factors Program
       Grad Student Handbooks
       Course Listings
       UC Grad School
       Blackboard
       One-Stop
       Tuition & Fees
       Apply
       A&S Calendar
   - Faculty and Staff
   - Research Areas
   - News and Events
   - Psych Connection
   - Psi Chi
   - Alumni and Friends

Graduate Studies | Experimental/Human Factors Program

Download the UC Human Factors Flyer [pdf]

The UC Psychology Department's Experimental and Human Factors Ph. D. programs have a history of excellence. Currently, research by the faculty in our program is focused on basic and applied research in human cognition, perception-action, and performance. Our graduate training philosophy is that the best foundation for both academic and industry careers is strong training in experimental methods and research.

Applying to Our Program

The documents linked at the top of this page and our Graduate Handbook provide important information about the requirements for applying to our Experimental/Human Factors (HF) program. If you are interested in applying to the program should you must identify a faculty member to potentially serve as your mentor. If accepted to the program, your mentor will be responsible for many facets of your graduate training. Because we operate on the "mentor model" it is important to identify a faculty member whose research is a good match with your interests, qualifications, and experiences. It is probably a good idea to contact the faculty member(s) with whom you are interested in working prior to applying to make sure the fit is a good one.

Graduate Coursework and Training

As noted, our training program is focused on providing students with experiences and skills in conducting psychological research. All students in the Ph. D. program take a year-long statistics sequence. Experimental/HF students must additional complete a two-quarter Experimental Design sequence and two additional advanced statistics or methodology classes. All students in our program must complete a 6-course sequence of core courses that provide a foundation in the breadth of psychology, and three one-credit professional development courses. Experimental/HF students also complete a three-quarter Human Factors sequence and advanced coursework in perception, motor control, cognition, and human performance. Most students complete their coursework during the third year of graduate studies. All students are heavily involved in research in their mentor's labs from the first day of graduate studies. Master's thesis and doctoral dissertation projects form the core of every student's research experiences, but are only the beginning. Our students have an impressive record of producing publications and conference presentations. Students interested in careers in industry or government research labs often complete a summer internship program. Internships at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, NIOSH, and at companies such as Whirlpool and Motorola are representative of this training opportunity. Other core graduate training experiences include our Cognition, Action, & Perception seminar series (at which students, faculty, and other invited speakers present their research) and the potential for interdisciplinary collaborative training in philosophy, engineering, and neuroscience.

Where do graduates of the Experimental/HF Program find jobs?

Graduates of our doctoral program have gotten faculty jobs in academia (e.g., Miami University, Texas Tech, Michigan Tech, Old Dominion), high-profile post-doctoral positions (U. Michigan, U. Central Florida, NIOSH), top industry positions (Microsoft, Boeing, Citibank, IBM, Procter & Gamble), and prestigious government research positions (NIOSH, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base). We are very proud of the accomplishments of our students. Our graduates have served as Science Advisors to presidents, editors of major journals, and directors of major research labs.

What other kinds of things should I know about the Experimental/HF Program at UC?

It is our goal–and accomplishment for as long as anyone around here can remember–to provide students in good standing with funding through at least four years. The funding, typically in the form of teaching or research assistantships, includes tuition waivers.