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Master’s Degree Program

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The mission of the master’s degree program is to provide students with an advanced education in materials science and engineering so they are prepared for long and successful careers in industry and government. We prepare our graduates to be key contributors to materials science and engineering research in industry, government or academia and to further their education by entering a doctoral degree program.

Objectives:

  • Students will demonstrate a broad knowledge of modern materials science and engineering.
  • Students will apply their knowledge and analytical skills to create effective and novel solutions to practical problems.
  • Students will communicate effectively and work collaboratively.

The degree requires a minimum of 33 semester hours. Students undertaking the thesis option must carry out a research project under the direction of a member of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering faculty and complete and defend a thesis on their research project.

Doctoral Degree Program

The objective of the doctoral program is to prepare individuals to perform original, cutting-edge research in the broad areas of materials science, including nanostructured materials; electronic, optical and magnetic materials; biomimetic materials; polymeric materials; MEMS materials and systems; organic electronics and advanced processing of modern materials.

The mission of the PhD program is to provide students with an advanced education in materials science and engineering and prepare them for long and successful professional and/or research careers in industry, government or academia. We provide our students with the expertise to make independent contributions to research and development, formulate novel problems, develop creative solutions to novel and existing problems and serve as system architects and leaders of design teams.

Objectives:

  • Students will demonstrate a broad knowledge of materials science and engineering and a focused understanding of their area of expertise.
A man works with MSE equipment
  • Students will apply their knowledge and analytical skills to create effective and novel solutions to practical problems in modern materials science and engineering.
  • Students will communicate their work effectively in professional forums and publications.
  • Students will demonstrate the ability to work both collaboratively and independently.

The degree requires a minimum of 75 semester hours beyond the baccalaureate degree. Each doctoral student must carry out original research in materials science and engineering under the direction of a member of the materials science and engineering faculty, and complete and defend a dissertation on the research project. Students must be admitted to doctoral candidacy by passing a qualifying exam, which will be administered at approximately the time that they have completed their coursework.