Wilkistar Otieno Lab photo

In this program, you will master the fundamental principles of musculoskeletal biomechanics and ergonomic design and apply them to injury prevention and rehabilitation.

The curriculum offers a solid foundation in areas including theoretical principles, laboratory testing for industrial and clinical applications, and practical implementation.

You’ll gain the necessary knowledge to effectively design equipment, tasks, work environments and systems to maximize performance, comfort, job satisfaction and productivity while minimizing the risk of injury.

Upon graduation, you will be ready for positions involving product design and workplace safety.

To be considered for admission, you must meet Graduate School requirements plus these College requirements:

1. Undergraduate major in Industrial, Manufacturing, Mechanical or Biomedical Engineering, or other related health sciences majors such as Kinesiology.  

2. Submission of official GRE scores from a test taken within the last five years; the admissions committee may waive this requirements from applicants with strong undergraduate GPAs or prior engineering or related work experiences.

Program Type

Master’s

Program Format

On Campus

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Boost Your Career

An advanced degree in Occupational Biomechanics/Ergonomics opens the doors to working for industries –such as manufacturing, health care, and transportation—to help prevent ergonomic injuries and provide rehabilitation to employees.

In many positions, you will be part of interprofessional teams of health and safety experts.

recruiter talking to student at Industry Expo

What to Expect

Your coursework will not be limited to engineering. You will take courses in occupational therapy, biological sciences and kinesiology in order to ensure that you benefit from the newest research in ergonomics. 

As you complete your studies, you will have the following options: 

Thesis option; non-thesis option

The thesis option is designed for people planning to pursue research. Students complete an original thesis research project, supervised by a faculty advisor. 

The non-thesis option is designed for working professionals. In lieu of a thesis, students take additional coursework.  

You can apply to work as a Teaching Assistant or Research Assistant, which will help your education and build leadership skills. Typically, teaching assistantships are offered to students in the MS-Thesis track. Assistantship decisions are made by the academic departments only after an applicant has been accepted into the program.

More Information

Contact the College of Engineering & Applied Science Graduate Programs Office.

You’ll have the opportunity work with faculty engaged in leading-edge research in areas such as:

  • Industrial ergonomics
  • Ergonomics training
  • Occupational biomechanics 

Research Labs

Our college has a wide range of faculty led labs that perform cutting edge research. For a full list, click here.

Advanced Manufacturing and Design Laboratory

The research conducted in this lab leads to better design of complex multi-physics systems ranging from CT scanners to EV batteries.

Faculty

Satya Akundi
  • Assistant Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
  • Professor, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
  • Geospatial Data Science Lab
Dah Chuan Gong
  • Scientist II, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Jaejin Jang
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Department Chair, Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Khan, Iftekharuddin
  • Teaching Faculty 1, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Lab Manager
faculty image wilkistar otieno
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
  • Co-Director (Co-PI), UWM Industrial Assessment Center
  • Director, NSF/S-STEM: Preparing Engineers Computer Scientists
Matthew Petering
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering
Dean Brett Peters
  • Dean, Engineering & Applied Science Office of the Dean
Hamid Seifoddini
  • Associate Professor, Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering

Advising

Therese Crary
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Health Informatics
Bob Packard
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering