Human factors engineer education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human factors engineer. Human factors engineers usually study psychology, industrial engineering, or experimental psychology. 69% of human factors engineers hold a bachelor's degree, and 21% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 862 real human factors engineer resumes to see exactly what human factors engineer education sections show.

The most common colleges for human factors engineers are the San Jose State University and the San Jose State University.

There are also many online human factors engineer courses to help get the education required to be a human factors engineer.

There are certain human factors engineer certifications that you should consider. These human factors engineer certifications include Certified Human Factors Professional (CHFP) and Six Sigma Green Belt.

What education do you need to become a human factors engineer?

What degree do you need to be a human factors engineer?

The most common degree for human factors engineers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of human factors engineers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 21% and master's degree degree at 5%.

Bachelor's, 69%

Master's, 21%

Doctorate, 5%

Associate, 3%

Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a human factors engineer?

You should major in psychology to become a human factors engineer. 37% of human factors engineers major in psychology. Other common majors for a human factors engineer include industrial engineering and experimental psychology.

Psychology, 37%

Industrial Engineering, 11%

Experimental Psychology, 7%

Business, 5%

Other Majors, 40%

Most common colleges for human factors engineers

Human factors engineers often get their degrees at San Jose State University, Wright State University, and University of Michigan - Ann Arbor. Here are the most common colleges for human factors engineers in the US based on their resumes.

Human factors engineer common college	Percentages
San Jose State University	10.57%
Wright State University	10.57%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	7.32%
University of Central Florida	6.50%
University of California - Davis	6.50%

Show more common human factors engineer colleges

Best majors for human factors engineers

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	36.9%
2	Industrial Engineering	10.8%
3	Experimental Psychology	7.2%
4	Business	4.9%
5	Mechanical Engineering	4.6%

Show more common human factors engineer majors

Best colleges for human factors engineers

The best colleges for human factors engineers are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.

A human factors engineer with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for human factors engineers. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become human factors engineers.

1. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

5. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

6. Clemson University

Clemson, SC • Private

In-state tuition

$15,374

Enrollment

19,564

7. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

9. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Enrollment

31,321

10. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

20 best online courses for human factors engineers

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human factors engineers

The most affordable schools for human factors engineers are Hunter College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and baruch college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for human factors engineers are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for human factors engineers.

1. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

4. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

5. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

6. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Cost of attendance

25,275

9. Purdue University

West Lafayette, IN • Private

In-state tuition

$9,992

Cost of attendance

22,430

10. California State University - Northridge

Northridge, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,893

Cost of attendance

18,870

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human factors engineers

The hardest universities for human factors engineers to get into are Northwestern University, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Johns Hopkins University.

Some great schools for human factors engineers are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for human factors engineers based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,508

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

3. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,516

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

7. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

8. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

Admissions rate

23%

SAT average

1,434

10. Northeastern University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

19%

SAT average

1,466

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for human factors engineers

The easiest schools for human factors engineers to get into are Bluefield College, notre dame de namur university, and life university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human factors engineer without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for human factors engineers.

1. Bluefield College

Bluefield, VA • Private

Admissions rate

95%

SAT average

980

2. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

3. Life University

Marietta, GA • Private

Admissions rate

94%

SAT average

979

4. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

5. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

6. Gwynedd Mercy University

Gwynedd Valley, PA • Private

Admissions rate

92%

SAT average

1,031

7. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

8. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

9. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

10. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

Average human factors engineer salary by education level

According to our data, human factors engineers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $110,203 annually. Human factors engineers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $99,520.

Human factors engineer education level	Human factors engineer salary
Master's Degree	$110,203
Bachelor's Degree	$99,520
Some College/ Associate Degree	$85,433

Human factors engineer education FAQs

What is the best college for Human Factors Engineers?

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

Updated January 8, 2025

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