Designing an Educational Curriculum for Future Human Factors Professionals

Human Factors and Systems Department at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) focuses on both traditional and emerging areas of Human Factors and Systems in Aviation and Aerospace. The majority of students will pursue a career in aviation after s/he graduates. So it is crucial to provide the proper curriculum for those students at the very beginning, in order to equip them with sufficient knowledge and skills. The ERAU model of Human Factors education starts with the analysis of the student needs and integrates relevant disciplines into a single program. Courses are designed to expose students to the general human factors theory, as well as the technical applications in aviation/aerospace. The transition between semesters follows a continuous and systematic pattern and a complete knowledge network will be built after four years in the program. This paper illustrated the structure of ERAU's model and uses four Human Factors courses as a case study.