Human Factors in Medical Devices and Systems

The Medical Devices and Systems Certificate Program develops and enhances skills in medical/health technology assessment, validation, and overall design. The program is open to individuals with a solid bachelor's degree in a relevant area (or with industry experience) and is especially useful for human factors professionals, user interface designers, and those who work in the medical device industry.

This certificate is offered in collaboration with the Department of Psychology, the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and the Department of Occupational Therapy.

Program Highlights

The certificate program consists of four courses, many available as evening classes. Two of these courses include Medical Fundamentals and Human Factors in Medical Technology. Electives may be chosen from various departments including mechanical engineering, psychology, computer science, occupational therapy, and more.

The human factors program is distinguished by its opportunities to work closely with faculty every step of the way. Students have the chance to collaborate with and learn from some of the most renowned experts in the country, all while seamlessly transitioning from graduate studies to a full-time career.

Certificate students interested in earning a master's degree can often apply these certificate courses toward a master's degree in human factors engineering.

Career Outcomes

A widely cited report published in 2016 suggests at least 250,000 patients die each year due to medical error, making it the third leading cause of death in the USA. A large percentage of these deaths are related to poor user interface design.

Recognizing the medical error "epidemic," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now requires the manufacturers to Class II and III devices to apply human factors engineering throughout the device development process and validate that representative users can operate them safely.

This requirement has increased the demand for professionals in the field of human factors engineering who have special knowledge about the design and evaluation of medical technology. The Human Factors Engineering Program at Tufts University can prepare you to enter this emerging field.