Human factors specialist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025

4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a human factors specialist. Human factors specialists usually study psychology, business, or social work. 68% of human factors specialists hold a bachelor's degree, and 19% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 200 real human factors specialist resumes to see exactly what human factors specialist education sections show.

The most common colleges for human factors specialists are the Ohio State University and the Ohio State University.

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

There are certain human factors specialist certifications that you should consider. These human factors specialist certifications include Certified Professional - Human Resource (IPMA-CP) and Certified Human Factors Professional (CHFP).

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

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

The most common degree for human factors specialists is bachelor's degree, with 68% of human factors specialists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 19% and master's degree degree at 9%.

Bachelor's, 68%

Master's, 19%

Associate, 9%

High School Diploma, 2%

Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in psychology to become a human factors specialist. 34% of human factors specialists major in psychology. Other common majors for a human factors specialist include business and social work.

Psychology, 34%

Business, 16%

Social Work, 8%

Graphic Design, 4%

Other Majors, 38%

Most common colleges for human factors specialists

Human factors specialists often get their degrees at Ohio State University, California State University - San Bernardino, and University of Maryland - College Park. Here are the most common colleges for human factors specialists in the US based on their resumes.

Human factors specialist common college	Percentages
Ohio State University	7.50%
California State University - San Bernardino	7.50%
University of Maryland - College Park	7.50%
The University of Virginia's College at Wise	5.00%
University of Michigan - Ann Arbor	5.00%

Show more common human factors specialist colleges

Best majors for human factors specialists

Rank	Major	Percentages
1	Psychology	34.2%
2	Business	16.2%
3	Social Work	7.7%
4	Graphic Design	4.3%
5	Human Resources Management	4.3%

Show more common human factors specialist majors

Best colleges for human factors specialists

The best colleges for human factors specialists are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St Louis.

A human factors specialist 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 specialists. 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 specialists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

3. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

4. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

5. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

In-state tuition

$53,399

Enrollment

7,356

6. SUNY at Albany

Albany, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$10,011

Enrollment

13,434

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Enrollment

31,503

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

20 best online courses for human factors specialists

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Top 10 most affordable universities for human factors specialists

The most affordable schools for human factors specialists are Baruch College of the City University of New York, california state university - long beach, and california state university - bakersfield.

If the best universities for human factors specialists 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 specialists.

1. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

2. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

3. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. California State University - Dominguez Hills

Carson, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,942

Cost of attendance

14,469

6. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for human factors specialists

The hardest universities for human factors specialists to get into are Northwestern University, University of Pennsylvania, and Washington University in St Louis.

Some great schools for human factors specialists 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 specialists 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,492

3. Washington University in St Louis

Saint Louis, MO • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,506

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

7. Boston University

Boston, MA • Private

Admissions rate

22%

SAT average

1,420

8. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

SAT average

1,512

9. Boston College

Chestnut Hill, MA • Private

Admissions rate

28%

SAT average

1,429

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

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

The easiest schools for human factors specialists to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and holy names university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a human factors specialist 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 specialists.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

3. Holy Names University

Oakland, CA • Private

Admissions rate

70%

SAT average

849

4. Nyack College

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

999

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

7. Holy Family University

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,017

8. University of North Texas at Dallas

Dallas, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

992

9. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

10. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

Average human factors specialist salary by education level

According to our data, human factors specialists with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $104,593 annually. Human factors specialists with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $97,680.

Human factors specialist education level	Human factors specialist salary
Master's Degree	$97,680
High School Diploma or Less	$74,594
Bachelor's Degree	$88,553
Doctorate Degree	$104,593
Some College/ Associate Degree	$74,835

Human factors specialist education FAQs

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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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