General Information
Advising & Program Contacts
Program advisors are assigned upon admission based on your area of interest and availability. Advisors must be members of the graduate faculty who are approved to advise graduate students. Once you become familiar with our faculty, you will have the option to change advisors with the approval of the director of graduate studies if the new advisor is available and willing.
If you are having trouble finding the information you are looking for please contact the Human Factors and Ergonomics director of graduate studies and the graduate program coordinator.
Graduate Program Director: Brad Holschuh
Graduate Program Coordinator: Karen McCray
Examining Committees
Based on your graduate program, you may also need to form an examining committee as part of your degree. This committee is formed by each student in consultation with their advisor. You should discuss appropriate examining committee members with your advisor, then make an appointment to ask the proposed committee members if they would be willing and available to serve on your examining committee.
Learn more about changing advisors and forming examining committees in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Handbook.
Sample Program Plans
Use the sample program plans to help inform your decisions about what courses to take next, track your progress, and achieve timely graduation.
Master of Science Plan A Plan
Master of Science Plan C Plan
Doctor of Philosophy Plan
In addition to using the sample plans, it is important that you frequently reference the University’s Graduate Planning & Audit System (GPAS), which allows you to track your coursework and requirements.
Ethics Requirement
To fulfill your ethics requirement, please complete one of the following options.
At the University of Minnesota:
- Responsible Conduct of Research (RCR) Part 1 and Part 2 workshops offered by Research Education and Oversight
- DES 8181: Research Ethics one-credit, primarily online course offered every spring semester that has been approved to meet the NSF research ethics requirement
Outside the University:
- Social and Behavioral Responsible Conduct of Research online workshop offered by the CITI program
- The Lab interactive movie offered by the DHHS Office of Research Integrity (ORI)
University-wide Student Resources
Commonly Requested Resources
- Annual Academic Progress Review
- Change of Advisor
- Change of Committee
- Course Allocation
- Dissertation Contract
- HumF Directed Study Contract
- Transfer Credits
- To request a previous or upcoming class syllabus contact Sue Finnegan at [email protected]
Career & Employment
Design Justice
Design Justice is committed to creating space, policies, and practices within our college that support the inclusion and retention of Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) and other historically underinvested communities.
Mental Health Advocates
The College of Design Mental Health Advocates (MHA) are not counselors. MHAs are trained to identify and respond to students in distress, and refer them to possible resources. MHAs focus on mental health concerns of students but are available to talk with faculty and staff.
Mental Health Resources
The College of Design is committed to supporting the mental health of its faculty, staff, and students. Support resources can be found at mentalhealth.umn.edu, a comprehensive central hub that contains helpful information for all members of the College of Design and University community.
