PhD Human Systems Engineering at Arizona State University

Programme overview

Human systems engineering is a growing transdisciplinary field that consists of the disciplines of psychological sciences and engineering. This field explores how people interact with technological and social systems in contexts that include transportation, medicine, military, computing and other complex systems. The Doctor of Philosophy program in human systems engineering is designed to ensure that you are well-grounded and skilled in the methods of human systems engineering.

What you will study

84 credit hours, a written comprehensive exam, an oral comprehensive exam, a prospectus and a dissertation Required Core (12 credit hours) HSE 520 Methods and Tools in Applied Cognitive Science (3) HSE 521 Methods and Tools in Human Systems Engineering (3) HSE 540 Foundations of Applied Cognitive Science (3) HSE 542 Foundations of Human Systems Engineering (3) Foundations (6 credit hours) Methods and Tools (3 credit hours) Applications (9 credit hours) Electives (36 credit hours) Research (6 credit hours) HSE 792 Research (6) or additional electives as selected by the PhD committee Culminating Experience (12 credit hours) HSE 799 Dissertation (12) Additional Curriculum Information When approved by the student's supervisory committee and the Graduate College, this program allows 30 credit hours from a previously awarded master's degree to be used for this degree.

Career pathways

Graduates have a solid grounding in cognitive science and are skilled in its methods and applications. Employers (e.g., Department of Defense, Federal Aviation Administration, Nuclear Regulatory Commission, hospitals) have an ever-increasing demand for personnel who can bridge the gap between rigorous science and creation of solutions to contemporary problems.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

Applicants must fulfill the requirements of both the Graduate College and the Ira A. Fulton Schools of Engineering. Applicants are eligible to apply to the program if they have earned a minimum of a bachelor's degree in psychology, engineering, cognitive science, computer science or a closely related field from a regionally accredited institution. Applicants must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in their first bachelor's degree program or in the last 60 hours of their first bachelor's degree program; or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in nine semester hours of graduate coursework from a U.S. institution; or a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.00 (scale is 4.00 = "A") in an applicable conferred master's degree program from a regionally accredited college or university.

Domestic applicants: USD 13,327 a year (2026-27). Arizona resident tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads Source

International applicants: USD 24,780 a year (2026-27). International tuition. Tuition only for the graduate on-campus (Tempe/Downtown Phoenix/Polytechnic/West Valley) rate band in the ASU tuition estimator, 2026-27: Fall 2026 plus Spring 2027 term tuition summed (full-time flat rate; part-time credit loads ar Source

Entry terms: Fall, Spring and Summer; the terms available for each programme are listed in Degree Search.

Graduate application deadlines are set by each programme office and listed in Degree Search. The nonrefundable application fee is $75 for U.S. citizens, permanent residents, DACA and international online students outside the U.S., and $120 for international students on a nonimmigrant visa studying in the U.S.

Apply through the official page: https://admission.asu.edu/apply/graduate/admission

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