Also called: Ergonomist, Human Factors Engineer
Studies how people physically and mentally use products, from cockpits to car dashboards to surgical tools, and makes them safer and easier to use.
They might watch nurses use an infusion pump to see where errors happen, or test whether pilots can reach every switch. They run experiments, analyze data, and write design recommendations. Aerospace, auto, and medical device companies hire them.
Estimate. BLS does not track human factors separately; overlaps industrial-organizational psychologists and industrial engineers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Master's in human factors, industrial engineering, or experimental psychology is typical.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Human Factors, Industrial Engineering, Psychology, Industrial Design.
Growing faster than average. Strong demand in aerospace, defense, automotive, and medical devices.
Low risk for 10 years. AI helps crunch usability and sensor data; observing real people, designing experiments and judging safety stay human.
Classes: AP Psychology, AP Statistics, Physics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-3032.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.