Psychology

The Department of Psychology and Communication Studies (PCS) at the University of Idaho offers a Master of Science in experimental psychology, with an emphasis in human factors psychology. The human factors emphasis dates back to 1984 and is an interdisciplinary effort between the Department of Psychology and the College of Engineering. We offer thesis and non-thesis options and the curriculum includes internships and collaborative projects in addition to traditional classroom studies.

The human factors graduate program prepares you to apply psychological principles in business, consulting firms and in government. You also have the option to continue your academic studies and to pursue a Ph.D. and build a career in teaching or research.

Currently there are approximately 30 graduate students in the program, which means you’ll have abundant opportunities to interact with your professors inside the classroom and in the research and lab environment.

Prepare for Success

Our graduate students have a deep interest in exploring how psychology impacts everything we do – such as how we use technology, how we make decisions and how we work together in teams. In order to be admitted into the program, your undergraduate degree can be in psychology or in a related field, such as engineering, computer science or business. You would need to have a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 and a combined verbal and quantitative (GRE) score of at least 1,000. Admission requirements also include the completion of a course in introductory statistics. If you’re interested in the human factors option, you need to successfully complete at least one course in computer programming. 

Your First Year

Human Factors Courses
If you pursue the human factors option, your graduate courses will include ergonomics and biomechanics, human-computer interaction, advanced human factors, and training and performance. In addition, you will also take advanced courses in statistics and research methods.

What You Can Do

With an advanced degree in industrial/organizational psychology or human factors psychology, you will have the option to work with government agencies, large corporations, or as a consultant to develop new ways to increase motivation and productivity. Or you may be asked to be involved in personnel selection. You’ll also have the skill set to create and manage training programs, performance appraisals, organization effectiveness, behavior changes, and conflict resolution programs.

A graduate degree in human factors psychology gives you the ability to analyze the interaction between humans and their environment, including products, computers, equipment, facilities and procedures. Human factors professionals increase human performance, safety, and job satisfaction, and improve such interactions by applying the knowledge of human behavior, capabilities and limitations to the workplace and other environments.

Opportunities

Our graduates have built successful careers in some of the most innovative companies and organizations in the world, such as Battelle, Diamond Technology Partners, IBM, Boeing and Intel. Some of our graduates have gone on to purse Ph.D. programs at other universities, such as New Mexico State University and University of Iowa.

Idaho Graduates at Work

Current Research

Our faculty members have received national, regional and university recognition for their research prowess and accomplishments. As a psychology graduate student, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in faculty research projects. In some cases, working with your adviser, you can even prepare and manage your own projects. Research areas being explored on campus include:

• Processing of graphic displays of complex data
• Pilots' visual field of view
• Workplace diversity and issues surrounding stereotyping and prejudice
• Cultural differences in responding to assessment instruments
• Biases in judgment and decision making processes

Activities

Some graduate students in the human factors program participate in the University of Idaho Chapter of the National Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, sponsoring presentations by human factors specialists from the U.S. and Canada. The group also organizes field trips to regional human factors organizations. Most graduate students in the I/O program become involved in the Society for Industrial and Organization Psychology (SIOP), and many have presented their research at the annual SIOP meeting.

Hands-On Experience

Internships provide invaluable experience and prepare you to apply your knowledge to situations you may face on the job. Working with faculty, human factors students have found valuable internships in a variety of businesses, including Potlatch Corporation, Hewlett-Packard, NASA and Boeing Aircraft.

To give you an idea of what our graduate students study, here are some recent theses titles:

• Interpersonal Teambuilding in a Virtual Environment
• Effects of Images and Workplace Spirituality on the Recruitment of Women
• Ambiguity Aversion in Personnel Selection: A Test of Competence, Evaluability, and Individual Differences
• Group Selection Effects on Individual Performance: An Examination of Sex Differences
• Applicants’ Reactions to Drug Testing: An Application of Fairness Theory
• An Analysis of the Internet as a Source of Employee Recruitment
• Frame-of-Reference Effects and Perceptions of Personality Inventories in Personnel Selection
• Say What? The Use of Passive Voice Phrasing in Resume Writing

Facilities

The Department of Psychology and Communication Studies (PCS) has innovative facilities and equipment to aid in advanced research projects. Check out our top-rated research facilities:

• Flight simulator with high-resolution 90 degree FOV (two 54" diagonal rear-projection enclosures with NEC high-resolution/fast phosphor CRT projectors)
• Three-channel (135 degree FOV) projection simulation facility (three 87" diagonal fast-DLP front-projection displays)
• Idaho Driving Simulator: A DriveSafety single-channel, fixed base driving simulator with S10 cab
• Kaiser PV-60 head-mounted stereo display (FOV 45 degrees) and Intersense 300 head tracking
• ASL Model 5000 Eye-head tracking system with host computer
• Flock of Birds magnetic head tracking system and IS-300 3DOF inertial tracking system
• Multiple high-performance graphics workstations for the development of synthetic environments

Online & Outreach

For those looking for greater flexibility, you also have the option to earn a master's in psychology with a human factors emphasis through Engineering Outreach, our advanced distance learning delivery system.