Dec 14, 2024  
2021-2022 Graduate Bulletin 
    
2021-2022 Graduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Materials Science and Engineering, PhD


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The Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering offers programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering, with research specialization in the following areas:  

  • Ceramics  

  • Electronic Materials  

  • Metals and Alloys  

  • Micro-Materials  

  • Nanomaterials  

  • Polymers and Composites  

  • Surfaces and Interfaces  

  • Thin Film 

 

Admission Requirements 

Admission to the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs is on a competitive basis, and financial assistance is available through teaching and research assistantships, as well as a limited number of fellowships. Applicants should have a minimum grade point average of 3.0/4.0 on all undergraduate work. Persons with backgrounds in any physical science or engineering discipline are encouraged to apply, as each applicant’s qualifications are reviewed individually. Minimum requirements for admission include a bachelor’s degree and four semesters of university-level calculus, calculus-based physics, and chemistry. Please note that meeting the minimum requirements does not guarantee admission, as acceptance is on a competitive and space-available basis. 

 

Degree Requirements  

The Ph.D. program offers broad training in materials science and engineering while providing options to suit the student’s particular interests and designated area of specialization. The student must conduct original and significant research and must submit and defend a dissertation based on that research. Doctoral students complete the materials science core, and work with their doctoral advisory committee to develop a program of elective courses designed to address deficiencies and to enhance the specialization area of interest. In addition, students must demonstrate proficiency in a minor area selected from the fields of mathematics, physical sciences, or engineering.  

In order to advance to candidacy, doctoral students must pass an oral qualifying examination that tests the candidate’s knowledge in three fundamental areas of Materials Science and Engineering: Structure of Materials, Mechanical Behavior of Materials, and Thermodynamics of Materials. There is no language requirement for the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering. 

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