<p>I find the Engineering Psychology to be so interesting, but I can only find it at Tufts and Virginia Tech. I've been considering applying ED2 to Tufts just for this program, even though it is a realistic school for me and I could do better (my guidance counselor and my parents won't let me anyway). Does anyone know about other schools in New England that are around the same level of Tufts or higher and offer engineering psychology, or anything about the major/minor in general that I might have not learned about on the Tufts website? Also, what about Tufts engineering in general? I know a lot of the old discussions on here don't speak very highly of it, but it must have gotten itself a better name since 2005, right? </p>
<p>We visited Tufts on our east coast swing and spend quite a bit of time talking to a human factors professor. My son did not end up applying for two reasons. First, he chose ME and Tufts does not stand out in any way for ME. Second, they offer no merit aid and we are not eligible for financial assistance. It just wasn’t a good fit for him.</p>
<p>With that said, we all REALLY liked Tufts. The students seemed happy, the campus is pretty, the town is quaint and offers easy access to Boston. Overall the engineering program felt like it was sort of in between the little guys like Lafayette or Union (few toys, labs, etc.) and the big guys like Lehigh and RPI. Had our son considered Factors, he certainly would have applied to Tufts.</p>
<p>On a side note, I’m not sure I understand your comments on Tufts being realistic and the part about your family and doing better. I will say this, good fit has very little to do with rankings. It is about determining what you want your college experience to look like and then finding a program that has the potential to deliver that. In the end, it’s all about what you make of it.</p>
<p>Admission to Tufts is very selective. Don’t over estimate your chances of admission. Once schools get to acceptance rates of 20% or less, a level of randomness creeps into the process. There are lots of students with high GPAs and test scores applying for those spots, many more who are fully qualified than they have spots for. Make sure, no matter how strong your stats are, that you have multiple schools you’ll be happy with and able to afford.</p>
<p>Good luck. </p>
<p>“Doing better” is an elusive matter and–in your case, and certainly in the case of your parents and GC–based on perception of prestige. As previous poster suggested, it’s a slippery slope when a school with a 16-17% admissions rate (even more selective, possibly, for engineering applicants) is considered “realistic”. </p>
<p>It looks like CMU has an engineering psychology major, but since you want NE, Tufts appears to be tops. </p>
<p>Here’s are sites with more info:</p>
<p><a href=“http://best-engineering-colleges.com/tufts-university”>http://best-engineering-colleges.com/tufts-university</a></p>
<p><a href=“Engineering Psychologist Schools”>http://www.mymajors.com/career/engineering-psychologist/schools/</a></p>
<p>Hi Ramira! Cornell has a BS in Human Factors and Ergonomics, but this is housed in the College of Human Ecology, not the College of engineering, so I’m unsure how it differs from the program at Tufts.</p>
<p>Human Factors related work is found under a lot of different names, the latest trendy one being “Interaction Designer”.</p>
<p>Be prepared for a graduate degree and lots of internships. The field is new and nobody really has a good grasp of what it takes to be a good Human Factors dude. Everyone pretends they have a grasp but those of us in the business know otherwise.</p>
<p>You can approach from psychology, engineering, comp science, or graphics design. It’s a very new field relatively speaking so there’s a bit of ‘Gold Rush’ feeling to it. There’s also the issue of too much specialization vs generalization.</p>
<p>In MY view a Human Factors professional should be able to do everything - from storyboards to finished product - but that’s because how I do it. But I spent a lifetime in college. I encourage you to find out more about what ‘Human Factors’ is really all about and see what areas you’d like to focus on more. </p>