The purpose of the Ergonomics Training Program at the Master's Level is to provide academic and practical experience that prepares MS and MPH trainees for career opportunities as an ergonomics/human factors practitioner in local, state, or federal health agencies, and in departments of industrial health and safety in commercial enterprises and academic institutions. Additionally, the program prepares MS trainees (and PhD) to pursue certification as a Certified Professional Ergonomist (CPE) or Certified Human Factors Professional (CHFP). After completing the master's degree with a specialization in ergonomics, the graduate will be ready to conduct ergonomics fieldwork and be prepared to sit for certification exams in ergonomics. The goals of the training program are for students to have a thorough understanding of the physical environment at the workplace that contributes to musculoskeletal injuries and illness, and knowledge of the engineering and administrative methods of controlling these risk factors.
At the completion of the Ergonomics Training Program at the master's-level, graduates will be able to:
- perform work-site job analysis, classify biomechanical risk factors, and assist with prioritizing resources,
- design tasks, workstations and tools in manufacturing or office environments that follow ergonomic principles,
- modify work tasks and workstations to accommodate the injured and disabled worker, establish an ergonomics program within a company, agency, or union,
- train employees and supervisors on the basics of ergonomics,
- assist with establishment of medical surveillance programs for prevention of work-related MSDs,
- understand basics of ergonomics/human factors research methods, and
- take Part I ("Basic Knowledge" of ergonomics/human factors) of the CPE/CHFP examination
(NB: The CPE designation requires three years of full-time practice as an ergonomics practitioner. Thus, in most cases, trainees completing the Ergonomics Training Program will initially apply to become an Associate Ergonomics Professional (AEP) or Associate Human Factors Professional (AHFP). The AEP/AHFP designation is obtained by a master's degree and achieving a passing score on Part I (Basic Knowledge) of the CPE/CHFP examination.)
Duration of the MS/MPH Ergonomics Training Program
The duration of the program is approximately two years for MS and MPH trainees. In the first year of the program, trainees take the required core courses (MS/MPH) and may participate in various research projects (MS). Since the MPH is considered the primary professional degree in public health, these trainees focus primarily on ergonomics and public health coursework. In the second year, trainees complete coursework, and at the end of the year take Preceptorship in Occupational & Environmental Health (175:203, MS) or MPH Practicum Experience (170:299, MPH).
For MS trainees, the final examination is an oral defense of the master's thesis, conducted by an Examining Committee. The committee consists of three (OEH) or five (BME, IE) members of the Graduate College faculty. The committee must be comprised of at least two faculty members from the trainee’s primary departmental faculty, and at least one member of the Ergonomics Training Program Core Faculty. For MPH trainees, the final examination is an oral presentation of the Practicum project. The presentation is given to the Practicum preceptor, the trainee's advisor, an Ergonomics Training Program Core Faculty member if the advisor is not Core Faculty, and other interested parties. As an alternative, MPH trainees can present a poster of the Practicum project.
