Human Factors in Medical Devices and Systems (Online Certificate)
Certificate
Application Deadlines
Fall: Jun 1
Spring: Dec 15 (Domestic applicants only)
Summer: n/a
School/Department
Mechanical Engineering
Contact
gradadmissions@tufts.edu
Location
Remote
Format
OnlineCommitment Options
Part-timeAverage Duration
12 - 24 months
Credits
4 courses
Career Outcomes
The need for human factor specialists in the medical device and systems industry is stronger than ever before. The role of human factors engineers is crucial to ensuring the safe, effective, and satisfying use of medical devices, including those that deliver drugs and perform life-critical tests. Their expertise is valued in a variety of contexts, making contributions to new product development, consulting firms, and organizations directly engaged in delivering medical care to patients, among others.
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. 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.
Online Experience
Tufts instructors use technology and adapted teaching methods to make the remote study experience fulfilling, engaging, and rewarding. Here are some of the ways our instructors make your experience a good one:
- Synchronous (live) teaching and discussion sessions
- Team assignments requiring people to work together,
- Recorded and live guest speakers
- Online quizzes for education and fun
- Assignments requiring fieldwork in the student’s locale
- Access to instructors for informal academic/professional guidance and mentoring
Who Should Apply?
- Individuals with at least a bachelor's degree in a related discipline (or work experience) who wish to focus their career on medical devices and systems.
- Scientists, engineers, and other professionals who seek a deeper understanding of human factors to enhance the work in which they are already involved.
- Project and product managers who also seek a deeper understanding of human factors, enabling them to achieve the goal of developing and commercializing medical devices and systems.
- Individuals working to improve patient safety, noting that greater safety comes from optimizing the quality of interaction between medical devices and systems and their users.
