2013–2014 UNIVERSITY CATALOG - Florida Institute of Technology

The thesis option requires 27 credit hours of coursework beyond the
bachelor’s degree and a minimum of six credit hours of thesis. The
thesis may be analytical, experimental, theoretical or applied. It should
provide the student the ability to explore literature; model, design,
prototype and evaluate solutions; and competently express themselves.
The thesis applicant must write and present a thesis proposal to a
committee formed according to graduate policy, conduct the necessary
research, and design and prepare a written thesis satisfying the
elements agreed to by the student’s committee. The student must
defend the thesis before the committee. Students in this option are
urged to continue to the Ph.D. program and a career in academia.
Curriculum
Core (Nonthesis chose seven from the following; thesis choose six)
HCD 5801 Function Analysis ................................................................... 3
HCD 5802 Usability Engineering ............................................................. 3
HCD 5803 Creativity and Design Thinking ............................................. 3
HCD 5804 Industrial Human-Centered Design ...................................... 3
HCD 6810 Life-Critical Systems .............................................................. 3
HCD 6820 Advanced Interaction Media .................................................. 3
HCD 6830 Cognitive Engineering and Human-Centered Design
of Life-Critical Systems .......................................................... 3
HCD 6840 Complexity Analysis for Human-Centered Design ................ 3
HCD 6850 Organization Design and Management for
Human-Centered Design ....................................................... 3
HCD 6860 Modeling and Simulation ............................................... 3
Nonthesis Option
HCD 5895 Human-Centered Nonthesis Project ...................................... 3
Thesis Option
HCD 5999 Thesis ..................................................................................... 6
Electives (both options)
Three graduate-level courses chosen with approval
of the program chair ............................................................... 9
TOTAL CREDITS REQUIRED.......................................... 33
Note: Nonthesis students must successfully complete a final program examination
after completing all program requirements.
Human-Centered Design, Ph.D. _________________
Major Code: 9200 Degree Awarded: Doctor of Philosophy
Age Restriction: N Admission Status: graduate
Delivery Mode/s: classroom only Location/s: main campus
Admission Materials: 3 letters of
recommendation, résumé, objectives, GRE
The Ph.D. program in human-centered design is designed to provide
advanced education and research opportunities to qualified students
with master’s degrees. On completion, the students can conduct
independent scholarly work, teach in academia or pursue advanced
research careers in government, or commercial or private sectors.
Admission Requirements
Admission to doctoral study is granted to qualified students on a limited
basis who have successfully completed master’s degrees in engineering,
physical or computer science, or mathematics from regionally
accredited institutions. The program is ideally suited for applicants
with strong interest in human and social science or the arts. Applicants
with demonstrated background in industry and academia are eligible
and prior experience is highly recommended.
The applicant must have a master’s degree cumulative GPA of at
least 3.2 on a 4.0 scale and a minimum score of 1100 on the GRE.
International applicants must score 600 or higher on the TOEFL
examination. Applicants must submit undergraduate and graduate
transcripts, three letters of recommendation and a statement of objectives
in addition to the GRE and TOEFL scores.
General admission requirements and the application process are discussed
in the Academic Overview section.
Degree Requirements
The Doctor of Philosophy in Human-Centered Design is conferred
for successful completion of the coursework outlined below. General
degree requirements are discussed in the Academic Overview section.
Coursework and Dissertation Summary
Doctoral coursework minimum beyond the master’s degree................ 18–24
Doctoral research and dissertation............................................................. 24
TOTAL MINIMUM BEYOND THE MASTER’S DEGREE .............42–48
Curriculum
In addition to the 18 to 24 credit hours of coursework, the major
advisor may require additional courses to better prepare the student
to conduct research in the selected topic.
The student must complete an approved program plan within one
month of acceptance to the doctoral program, successfully pass a
comprehensive examination, submit a dissertation proposal and
defend that proposal to the dissertation committee. The candidate
is expected to publish in refereed journals (at least two prior to the
defense of the dissertation).
RESEARCH
Research facilities: the Human-Centered Design Institute includes
four laboratories: Advanced Interaction media Technology (AIMT)
Laboratory, Collaborative Systems Laboratory, Human-In-the-
Loop Simulation Laboratory and the Computer-Supported Meeting
Environment Laboratory.
Current research includes the following areas:
Cognitive engineering: human-centered automation, scenario-based
design, cognitive modeling and function analysis, risk taking and
management, situational awareness, decision-making, integration
and use cases.
Advanced interaction media: input techniques, tangible and haptic
interaction, multimodal interaction, ubiquitous computing and information
flows, surface computing, information visualization, use experience
and usability engineering, ethnographical design, computersupported
cooperative work.
Complexity analysis in human-centered design: complexity theories,
collaborative system engineering, systems of systems, adaptive
systems, human-centered requirement engineering, socio-cognitive
stability, resilience, accident investigation and analysis, traceability,
design for simplicity, product and practice maturity.
Life-critical systems: research across domains such as aerospace,
nuclear, medicine, ground transportation and ecosystems, and design
for safety, efficiency and comfort.
Human-centered organization design and management: knowledge
management, resilience engineering, certification, product integration,
complexity research, organizational automation, computer-supported
meeting environments.
Modeling and simulation: computer-aided design, life-cycled product
management, discrete-event simulations, multi-agent simulations,
mathematical models for simulation, human-in-the-loop simulations.
2013–2014 Degree Programs—College of Engineering 147