Human Factors/Applied Cognition Concentration

Why Mason?

Enrolling more than 33,000 students from 130 countries and all 50 states, Mason has grown rapidly over the past half-century and is recognized for its innovation and entrepreneurship, remarkable diversity, and commitment to accessibility. Located minutes from Washington, D.C., Mason is Virginia’s largest public research institution, offering you more affordable access to learning and career opportunities than any other university in the region. Washington, D.C. is home to the headquarters of both the American Psychological Association (APA) and the Association for Psychological Science. One recent graduate worked at the APA while completing his degree. Many students take advantage of these regional opportunities through internships.

Our department is committed to training students at all levels, from high school students who intern with us through post-doctoral students seeking to gain additional skills after receiving their doctoral degree. As one of the largest departments in the university, we serve over 1,000 undergraduate and 250 graduate students, and students at all levels have the opportunity to work side by side with our renowned faculty in their labs. With over 40 full-time psychology faculty, Mason has experts in nearly every subfield of psychology who offer a wide variety of courses in their specialties. We strive to develop and apply scientific psychology in ways that enhance human potential through research-based practice and practice-informed research. The importance, quality, and impact of the work we do has been recognized by government agencies, industries and foundations that have provided more than $24.5 million over the years in support for our research. Members of our faculty have served on task forces, national committees (e.g., National Academy of Sciences, the Federal Aviation Administration), and advisory boards (e.g., the Air Force, the Guggenheim Foundation). Alumni from our programs have gone on to teach at universities across the country, direct national institutes for research, and found organizations for a number of causes from international development to women’s empowerment.