As our world becomes increasingly technologically driven, more and more time and energy is being spent on how to make technology, tools, and work systems more productive, efficient, and easy to use.
From the way that buttons are designed on our remote controls to the way that dials on a car dashboard are organized to the setup of an emergency room, there is much thought given every day to how we interact with technology and the environments we create. The pursuit of improving upon these tools and systems is never ending.
Engineering psychology operates at the crossroads between human behavior and performance of technology. Students pursuing a degree in this field of study typically focus on psychological topics, such as research methods, psychological statistics, and human behavior. But they also study how to apply psychological principles to improve upon the elements in our everyday lives and workplaces that are outlined above.
Although degree programs in this field are quite rare, those that are offered to students provide the coursework and practical experiences they will need to be effective engineering psychologists.
Why is Engineering Psychology Important?
Engineering psychologists provide valuable services to vast amounts of people. Not only does their work make our daily lives easier, it can also save lives. Working with technology can be dangerous at times. Much of what engineering psychologists do is to make products safer for people to use. Not only that, everyone benefits from the convenience of well-designed products and services.
Involvement of an engineering psychologist not only make products more intuitive and easier to use, but can also make them safer by eliminating areas of potential error or misunderstanding in use of a product. Their overall aim is to reduce the human error involved in the use of a given device or system.
What is an Engineering Psychology Degree?
Students that pursue an education in engineering psychology prepare themselves to make contributions to businesses, organizations, and agencies regarding everything from the design of new products to the layout of office spaces to research and development of human-machine systems.
Essentially, engineering psychology degree programs help bring together knowledge and understanding of human traits, strengths, and weaknesses with knowledge and understanding of engineering principles of equipment design, architecture, and ergonomics, to name a few.
To work in the field of engineering psychology, one must complete a master’s degree program at a minimum. However, it is far more common for workers in this field to complete a doctoral program.
What Does it Take to Get a Degree in Engineering Psychology?
Aside from having the time and money needed to complete an advanced degree in this field, there are numerous personal qualities and characteristics that a graduate student or doctoral student must have if they are to be successful. These include:
Strong work ethic – Years and years of attending school full-time with heavy class loads, extensive research requirements, internship placements, and defenses of theses and dissertations require students to be dedicated to their studies. There will be many instances in which students must choose schoolwork over spending time with family and friends.
Motivation – Years of schooling can cause students to lose sight of their end goal. Maintaining a high level of motivation is necessary if students in this field are to achieve their goal of obtaining an advanced degree.
Technical understanding – Engineering psychology students must be able to cross the boundary between engineering and psychology. This requires not only a deep understanding of psychological principles, but also of highly advanced concepts in math, science, and technology.
Strong analytical skills – Engineering and psychology alike require students to be highly analytical. Success in engineering psychology is found for individuals that are naturally inquisitive, can examine situations, and envision ways to make things work better and more efficiently.
Strong problem-solving skills – Engineering psychology students must also have exceptional problem-solving skills. Not only do engineering psychologists work to solve problems related to human factors, but they must also be able to solve problems on the engineering side as well.
What Can You Do With a Degree in Engineering Psychology?
Research
Individuals that hold a degree in engineering psychology have a wide variety of career options available to them. Among the most common is in the research sector. Here, engineering psychologists conduct studies to examine the relationship between humans and machines.
For example, an engineering psychologist might work for a mobile phone manufacturer to research how people interact with their mobile phones and provide that information to developers such that they can create new designs to better meet mobile phone users’ needs.
Designing Systems
Many engineering psychologists also design materials and systems that are easy for humans to use. An example might be working with a satellite television provider to design a guide system that is easy to understand, intuitive, functional, and aesthetically pleasing.
In this capacity, engineering psychologists use their understanding of human traits, like hearing capacity and field of vision, to create machines, tools, and other items that humans can easily manipulate.
Consulting
Some engineering psychologists work for businesses and organizations in a consultative role. The duties associated with this type of employment are generally focused on improving worker performance or enhancing the safety of a workplace. For example, an engineering psychologist working for an automobile manufacturer might consult with the company to devise safety regulations and assembly line design that minimize or prevent human injuries.
Other engineering psychologists work with architects and engineers to design entire buildings. The role of engineering psychologists in this setting is to impart information regarding how humans tend to use space so that the building design enhances productive use of that space.
Academics
Another popular employment setting for engineering psychologists is in the field of academics. Psychologists with training in this field might work with graduate or doctoral students on specific courses of study that involve engineering psychology.
However, some engineering psychologists may work with undergraduate students and teach courses in more mainstream areas of psychology, such as physiological psychology, developmental psychology, and abnormal psychology.
Engineering psychologists that work at the university level are usually responsible for conducting research as well. This would be undertaken in the field or in laboratories on campus, with the purpose of contributing advanced knowledge to the field through a published study.
Government Agencies
A final area of employment for people with a degree in this field is with government agencies. The Department of Transportation, NASA, and the Federal Highway Administration all employ engineering psychologists. A psychologist employed by NASA would likely contribute to the design of systems, dials, and the layout of spacecraft cockpits.
In a transportation role, engineering psychologists would assist in developing a traffic plan that improves traffic flow and reduces stress on both the traffic systems and on the drivers that use them.
What Degrees are Similar to Engineering Psychology?
Engineering psychology is a fairly unique degree program. However, there are several other areas of study within psychology that share some common characteristics. These include:
Human factors psychology – The primary point of study in a human factors psychology program is the relationship between humans and machines. Human characteristics such as hearing, vision, decision-making, and hand-eye coordination as they pertain to using technologies are also studied.
Aviation psychology – Like engineering psychology students, individuals pursuing a degree in aviation psychology study elements of engineering. In this context, however, psychologists are concerned with how aviation systems, gauges, and displays are designed and how pilots and other crew interact with them.
Sports and performance psychology – Studies in sports and performance psychology focus on how humans perform in various situations, as well as how to improve performance. This might include studying programs to help athletes maximize their performance on the field. It might also involve research and design of specialized programs for individuals to improve things like concentration and memory.