How To Become A Human Factors Scientist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a human factors scientist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Human factors scientists conduct research on how certain technologies affect people who use them. They study the relations between humans and their environment, machines and analyze human responses to certain situations and stimuli. They assess operations and collect data for interpreting and defining possible problem patterns.

They may work with architects and production designers in various industries. The military is a large employer of human factors scientists, where they work towards a better understanding of air force members and their families. Their research results lead to the creation of more successful military strategies that consider various aspects of human behavior.

Working in this position, you will create plans for research programs, monitor and evaluate their progress, coordinate research, and publish the results. If you are interested in psychology, sciences, and mental health, this could be an exciting and challenging career for you. A master's or even doctorate studies are necessary for achieving groundbreaking results.

ScoreHuman Factors ScientistUS Average

Salary

6.9

Avg. Salary $87,720

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

5.2

Growth rate 10%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.7

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.17%

Asian 11.21%

Black or African American 4.73%

Hispanic or Latino 11.63%

Unknown 3.95%

White 68.32%

Gender

female 44.96%

male 55.04%

Age - 41

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 41

Stress level

5.2

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

9.8

Complexity level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.9

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a human factors scientist

Explore human factors scientist education requirements

Most common human factors scientist degrees

Bachelor's

70.0 %

Master's

20.8 %

Doctorate

9.2 %

Start to develop specific human factors scientist skills

Skills	Percentages
Human Subjects	16.37%
Consumer Products	8.28%
Data Collection	7.11%
Statistical Analysis	7.02%
User Experience	6.99%

Complete relevant human factors scientist training and internships

we determined that most successful human factors scientists start their career with internships. These can be paid or unpaid. The main purpose of an internship is to give the intern valuable real-world experience.

Research human factors scientist duties and responsibilities

Develop and manage third party claim investigations and contractor remedial oversight for various insurance companies.
Recommend revision to policies in the handling and documentation of the FDA regulate investigational products.
Research methods include surveys, questionnaires, laboratory experiments, usability testing, task analyses, prototyping, and human-in-the-loop simulations.
Work with external vendor to ensure quality changes to GUI used by CSRs and agents.

Get human factors scientist experience

Generally, it takes 2-4 years to become a human factors scientist. The most common roles before becoming a human factors scientist include human factors engineer, research assistant team lead and teaching assistant.

Apply for human factors scientist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a human factors scientist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams