THFES | Program Guide | Introduction
Undergraduate Engineering Psychology/Human Factors
Guide to the Major
A Short Explanation of Engineering Psychology
Engineering Psychology is also called Human Factors, which has become the more popular
name in recent years. A subset of Engineering Psychology/Human Factors (ENP/HF) is
called Ergonomics, which pertains to humans' physical capabilities and limitations in
designing products. Throughout this booklet, the term Engineering Psychology (or ENP)
will be used to include all related disciplines.
More About the Tufts' ENP Program
Since 1974, both the number of students enrolled and courses offered in
the program have increased by a large amount. The program is currently
administered by Professor
Kreifeldt from Mechanical
Engineering and Professor Soraci
from the Psychology Department. Our program uniquely joins the departments
of Mechanical Engineering and Psychology. It is also unique in that only
a handful of other universities throughout the country offer an
undergraduate program in Engineering Psychology. Students
enrolled in the Tufts program take courses from many of the University's
departments to help prepare them for a career in Engineering Psychology,
such as Mechanical Engineering, Psychology, Biology, Environmental
Science, Engineering Science, and Math.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering Psychology which is earned by
Tufts undergraduates is an extremely versitile degree, allowing graduates
to go into many different fields upon graduation. Since few universities
offer an ENP undergraduate degree, Tufts' ENP graduates' degrees are
extremely useful right out of school, since the degree program is
comparable to Masters programs at many schools. The Tufts ENP degree also
allows graduates to pursue graduate school if so desired. Tufts graduates
have gone on to earn law degrees and M.B.A.s, as well as M.S.s and Ph.D.s
in Psychology and Engineering Psychology.
About This Booklet
This guide, written by members of the Tufts University Student chapter
of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, is intended to provide an
overview of the requirements and options of the Engineering Psychology
Undergraduate majors, Masters, and Ph.D. programs. The Tufts Human Factors
and Ergonomics Society is a student-run organization which promotes the
study of Human Factors on the Tufts campus. Members include Engineering
Psychology degree candidates (at both the graduate and
undergraduate levels) and others with an interest in the field. The society
provides many services and activities such as regular meetings, lectures
on Human Factors, social events, course and employment advice, and tours
of the Human Factors facilities at local companies. We hope that this
"Guide to the Major" proves to be useful to those interested in learning
about our program.