Human Factors psychologists conduct research to broaden the base of knowledge about human capabilities and limitations. They apply that knowledge to the design, operation and maintenance of machines, systems and environments so that optimum performance can be achieved. Among the goals of the human factors psychologist are to make it easier for people to use machines such as computers, airplanes, and automobiles and to improve work and leisure environments.
About the Program
The program, which is accredited by the , is designed around the belief that the best way to train people to function in an applied environment is to provide training as an experimental psychologist with training in specific areas of human factors. Accordingly, our program provides a strong foundation in the basics of psychology, experimental design and analysis while at the same time promoting research and application in the technological environment of today. Students are expected to have interdisciplinary strengths in the sciences, mathematics, computer technology and other fields.
Curriculum
Coursework in the core areas of psychology will normally be completed in the first two years of study. All students must enroll in research hours each semester and complete an internship along with enough elective hours to total no fewer than 90 hours. All doctoral candidates must demonstrate professional competence in major areas of their specialty by earning satisfactory grades on a written comprehensive exam before beginning work on the doctoral dissertation.
Internship
An internship is required to complete the Ph.D. in Human Factors Psychology. The internship typically involves a minimum of three months of intensive training and supervised experience in a human factors related position. Past internships have involved paid employment with Google, Facebook, Intel, Nike, Harley Davidson, Sony, Microsoft, Motorola, Honeywell, Dell, State Farm Insurance, 3M, and many others.
Elective Courses
Students are to take electives both within and outside of the Psychology Department. Outside of the department, there are opportunities to take courses on many of the University's graduate programs including departments such as the School of Computing, the Elliott School of Communication, the Barton School of Business, and the College of Engineering.
Concentrated Specialty
Each student will have at least one Concentrated Specialty. This Specialty is determined by the student's electives, chosen in consultation with the student's advisor. The intent is for the student to develop expertise in one or more specific areas such as research methodology, ergonomics, human-computer interaction, usability, etc. The specialty(ies) is declared at the time the student requests to take the Qualifying Exams.
Does the program offer a master's degree?
The Psychology Department does not offer a terminal Master's degree. After a student has successfully completed their Foundations Courses, their Research Methods Courses, Predoctoral Research, including their Second Year Project and an additional six hours, the degree of Masters of Arts will be awarded.
Faculty
Our core faculty is composed of both clinical and community psychologists, and our adjunct faculty are drawn from accomplished clinicians in practice in the community.
Psychology Faculty and Staff
Admissions Requirements
Students should have an undergraduate major in psychology with course work in Statistics, Research Methods, and Systems and Theories of Psychology. Other courses may be required as well. Admission to the program requires a minimum GPA of 3.00; submission of scores on the GRE (Verbal and Quantitative); three letters of reference; and a career/goals statement. Application materials must be submitted by January 15. Please follow the directions for application provided on the Applying for Graduate Study page.
Financial Assistance
A limited number of research and teaching assistantships are available. The assistantships provide a stipend and carry some fee and tuition remission. A separate application form is required for these awards.
Location
Wichita provides a rich setting for our training program. As a public university, Wichita State has long-established ties to the core leadership of our human service organizations, our medical and educational training facilities, and business. These connections provide excellent resources for outstanding collaborative university-community educational and training experiences.
Research Laboratories
Vision and Accessibility Lab (VISA)
Research in the VISA lab investigates both basic and applied aspects of visual processing. On the basic side, we are broadly interested in how people pay attention to visual stimuli/events, perceive space and form, and store visual information in memory. We are also interested in understanding how these visual processes are disrupted in a variety of visual disorders.
On the applied side, we are interested in applying the fundamental principles of visual processing to the design of everyday environment and products. One emphasis of our applied research is on visually accessible design, aimed to address the accessibility issues experienced by people with visual impairment. We also conduct research to investigate the kind of visual factors involved in safe driving and their implications for the design of safety features in vehicles, particularly with an eye to the coming era of autonomous driving.
Visual Perception and Cognition (VPC) Lab
VPC's research investigates the visual perception of depth and shape in stereopsis, distance perception of 3-D objects in the real world, driving performance and visual information processing, and age-related differences in perception and cognition. The VPC lab is particularly interested in improving older individuals' visual performance through training (e.g., perceptual learning). The goal of their research is to understand the mechanisms underlying visual perception and cognition and to extend this research into applied areas such as driving, especially for the aged population.
Wichita Auditory Research Group (WARG)
Our lab has on-going externally funded research involving human interaction with automation, particularly related to attention in partially automated vehicles. Much of our work intersects with neuroergonomics 鈥� using physiological metrics of brain based activity to design and evaluate complex interfaces and systems. Much of our work has been funded by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Additional externally funded projects have successfully been completed for NIH-NIA, NASA Ames, NASA Langley, Wright Patterson Airforce Base, AFOSR, as well as private companies such as Toyota, Northrup Grumman and Lockheed Martin. We have completed and published work involving auditory and multimodal alarms, an driver and pilot attention, mind wandering, workload, and communication.
Program Coordinator
Contact the Human Factors Psychology Doctoral Program Coordinator: Carryl Baldwin Ph.D., carryl.baldwin@wichita.edu