Human Factors Master's Degree Helps Boost a Career at NASA

Where Are They Now?

Nicole Schoenstein (’20), who earned her Master of Science in Human Factors from the Embry‑Riddle Worldwide College of Arts & Sciences, is currently a contractor with Aegis Aerospace at NASA’s Johnson Space Center, working as a Human Factors engineer for the International Space Station Human Factors Implementation Team.

The team maintains the current human factors requirements and standards for those aboard the station. Among other tasks, Schoenstein works with hardware developers to ensure that human interfaces meet requirements that could affect usability and safety on board the ISS.

We caught up with Schoenstein, who also holds a B.A. in Psychology, to see how her career at NASA has unfolded since we last checked in with her in 2021.

What initially drew you to the Human Factors field?

While I was enrolled in community college, I began to participate in two NASA educational programs: The NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) and the Reduced Gravity Student Flight Opportunities. I learned about the NCAS program through the honor society that I was a member of. If not for the honor society and NCAS, I doubt I would have had as many opportunities.

The NASA programs were pivotal experiences and inspired me to someday work at a NASA center. I wasn’t sure how I would get there or what field I would pursue. While at community college, I ended up completing a project for one of my general studies classes involving psychology and this re-piqued my interest in that field.

I did some research and learned that there are many ways to apply psychology at NASA. One of these is through human factors. As soon as I learned about this field, I knew this is what I should be doing. I changed my major to psychology and tried to create my own “human factors degree” by choosing the most relevant classes (predominantly classes focusing on cognition). I also got involved with research in two behavioral neuroscience labs, which made me more passionate about the field.

Then, when I was close to graduation, I decided to apply for NASA internships, which ultimately led to my current job at NASA.

What is your favorite thing about the human factors work you’re doing now?

As an introvert this is going to sound ironic, but my favorite thing is getting to work on a variety of projects with interdisciplinary teams. I have the chance to learn from and collaborate with experts in multiple fields. It’s also pretty cool getting to evaluate and see a lot of interesting hardware before it flies to the ISS.

Why did you choose Embry‑Riddle for your human factors degree?

I initially heard about Embry‑Riddle through colleagues and thought that the program would be beneficial to my professional development. As someone with a busy schedule and experience with independent and online learning, I thought that Embry‑Riddle Worldwide would meet my needs. I also thought the courses offered at Embry‑Riddle would be a good continuation of my previous studies.

What is your ultimate career goal at this point?

I’m at a good place in my career right now. I am often very busy, and it can be challenging, but I enjoy what I do, and I am always learning new things. If anything, I would like more opportunities to continue to develop as a professional in my field.

What advice would you give to someone who wants to follow in your footsteps?

I took chances because I wanted to experience new things. I would encourage students to get involved in something, whether inside or outside of school, such as extracurricular clubs, honor societies and other activities.

A tip that I think applies to most everyone is to try to get involved with research or a hands-on project where you can practically demonstrate the knowledge that you have. Internship coordinators and employers like that.

They also like candidates who are well-rounded and able to demonstrate that they have the so-called “soft” skills, such as leadership, communication, teamwork and time management skills.

Speaking of NASA in particular (but this may apply to other organizations as well): Even if you don't think you will work for NASA in the future, experiences with NASA can't hurt and you can start searching here for wonderful learning and networking opportunities that look great on a resume. A NASA experience on a resume or a LinkedIn profile is usually an attention grabber and a conversation starter.

I would also encourage people to reach out to companies that they are interested in, and reach out to their personal and professional networks to see if they can find someone who is doing or has done something that they are interested in. This can help get an insider’s perspective and tips and tricks on following a similar path.

Anything else you would like to add?

My internships were life-changing and allowed me to get a job offer that I don’t think would have happened otherwise. I put a lot of effort into my NASA internship applications and was fortunate to be accepted. Organizations vary in what they want to see from an applicant. From my experience, NASA wants to understand people from a holistic perspective.

In most cases, NASA applicants are not limited to a 1- or 2-page resume. It is better to provide more, as long as the information is organized. When I completed my three internships, I made sure to put my full effort into them.

I also took on opportunities to get involved outside of work and I made it clear from the beginning that my end goal was to work in either the field of human factors or as an educator. Finally, I demonstrated what I could offer and how my experiences could apply to both fields.

Ready to expand your career horizons? Apply now at Embry‑Riddle.

Learn more about some of the obstacles that Nicole Schoenstein faced on her journey to a career at NASA.