Engineering psychology seems like a fascinating intersection of two fields I'm interested in. Are there colleges with robust programs for this?
Absolutely, there are several colleges with strong programs in Engineering Psychology, often as a part of, or major within, their larger psychology or engineering departments.
1. Georgia Tech: Georgia Tech offers a unique program that allows students to major in Engineering Psychology. Here, courses involve studying cognition and decision-making, human-technology interaction, and user experience design.
2. University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign: UIUC offers a concentration in Engineering Psychology as part of their larger psychology program. This track offers robust exposure to cognitive psychology, product design, human factors, and user experience.
3. Tufts University: Tufts' engineering school promotes multi-disciplinary study, and they offer a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Factors Engineering, which is closely aligned with Engineering Psychology. Tuition reflects in-depth understanding of human interaction with technology and design.
4. Stanford University: While Stanford doesn't explicitly have an Engineering Psychology program, they have a nationally-renowned Symbolic Systems program that allows students to focus on human-computer interaction, a field closely-related to engineering psychology.
Keep in mind that because the discipline lies at the intersectionality of psychology and engineering, it's also something you could choose to approach from either side. For example, you might choose to major in Psychology with a focus on cognitive science at a university with a strong Psychology department, then take as many classes as possible that pertain to engineering and design. Or you could go the opposite way and start with an Engineering major at a school strong in that area, then focus on human-centered design or ergonomics. Research each college's specific offerings to figure out which schools' programs align with your interests most closely!
CollegeVine’s Q&A seeks to offer informed perspectives on commonly asked admissions questions. Every answer is refined and validated by our team of admissions experts to ensure it resonates with trusted knowledge in the field.