The Department of Psychology offers a program of study leading to the Master of Science degree in Human Factors (HF) and Industrial/Organizational (IO) Psychology. HF and IO Psychology are fields that explore basic theories of human and group performance and the practical implications for improving the quality of socio-technical systems. The HF program places special emphasis on human perception and cognition. The IO program emphasizes individual, group, and organizational behavior in work settings. Together these programs provide a strong foundation for applying psychological theories to the design of more effective technologies and work organizations. Our program offers unique opportunities to collaborate with local industries and government laboratories such as the Human Effectiveness Directorate of the Air Force Research Laboratory at Wright-Patterson AFB. It also provides opportunities for students to participate in interdisciplinary collaborations on problem-centered research projects associated with interface design, training, selection, decision-making, and team coordination. These problems can be explored in a wide range of application domains, including aerospace, healthcare, public and private sector businesses, military operations, and emergency operations.
MS in HF/IO (without a concentration): A student will conduct valuable hands-on and cutting-edge laboratory research within a Human Factors or Industrial-Organizational psychology focus. The typical time to complete this program is two years.
MS in HF/IO - Human Performance and Effectiveness concentration: A student in the Human Performance and Effectiveness concentration will gain an in-depth understanding of various areas within the fields of Human Factors or Industrial-Organizational psychology through a curriculum involving coursework and seminars. This program can be completed within two semesters.
Learning Objectives:
Graduates of the M.S. degree program in HFIO psychology will:
*Price shown is for indicative purposes, please
September 2025
College of Science and Mathematics
134 Oelman Hall,
DAYTON,
Ohio,
45435, United States
Students admitted to the MS program should have a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution with a major in psychology or at least 16 semester credit hours of psychology. Students should have completed courses in cognition or human learning, sensation and perception, social or organizational psychology, personality or test and measures or abnormal, experimental design/statistics, and experimental methods. Ideally, students should also have completed a year of physical or biological science, courses in mathematics, and computer science. Students who are missing one or more prerequisite courses will be expected to complete appropriate remedial course work at the onset of the program, in addition to degree requirements.
All prospective students must submit an official transcript from each institution attended. Scores on the Graduate Record Examination (verbal, quantitative) also must be submitted. Three letters of recommendation must be received from previous university professors or relevant professionals. Applicants also must submit an essay describing their professional goals and current academic interests in human factors or industrial/organizational psychology.
If your native language is not English and you do not have a degree from a regionally accredited U.S. college or university, you must have a minimum score on one of the following exams:
A score of 79/120 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
A band 6 or higher through the International English Language Testing System (IELTS)
A score of 57 or higher on the Pearson PTE
*There may be different IELTS requirements depending on your chosen course.
Whether you want to be a scientist, artist, engineer, doctor, or business leader, there’s an outstanding academic program for every learner.
Help me Apply
