Materials Science and Engineering, PhD

Requirements for the PhD Degree

A minimum of 72 credits is required for the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE).  A minimum of 36 of these 72 credits must be coursework beyond the Bachelor of Science (BS) degree. PhD students must maintain a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.3 (B+) in this coursework. The coursework consists of (I) MSE core (six required courses that students must take in the first year of enrollment), (II) a group of elective courses tailored for each student’s research and as required for technical broadening beyond the MSE focus, (III) course(s) to address mathematical/numerical skills, and (IV) PhD Research credits. The student’s advisor must approve the course sequence selection. 

Transfers: Students can transfer up to 30 credits from an MS or equivalent degree, subject to approval by the MSE Graduate Coordinator. While students can transfer up to a 30-credit block from a previous NS degree they still need to satisfy the core MSE course requirement and the math requirement described below. If a student has already taken similar contents to the core MSE courses, waivers could be requested on a case-by-case basis. In all cases, students need to take at least 12 credits of MSE graduate courses, even if core class waivers are granted.

Program Milestones: In addition to the credit requirements, students must complete the PhD-required milestones, as described in the MSE graduate handbook, including passing the preliminary (qualifying) exam, comprehensive exam (along with the dissertation proposal), and dissertation defense

Residency Requirement: Students must complete at least one term of full-time doctoral study to satisfy the residency requirement.

Credit Requirements are elaborated below:

Core Courses Requirement

The 18-credit core course component must be taken within the first year of the program*. Typically, PhD students will carry a course load of three courses per semester until their coursework is completed. If a student’s background is insufficient for a given graduate course, the student must prepare by attending appropriate undergraduate courses or through independent study. This should be arranged in consultation with the student’s faculty advisor and the lecturing faculty of the relevant course(s). Students must take the PhD Preliminary (qualifying) exam at the end of their second semester as they complete the core courses. Students who fail in their first attempt can be allowed a second attempt in the following semester. Students who fail the exam at both attempts are dismissed from the PhD program.

• MSE 2003 - STRUCTURE OF MATERIALS
• MSE 2011 - ENERGETICS
• MSE 2013 - KINETICS IN MATERIALS SCIENCE
• MSE 2015 - ELECTROMGNTC PROPS MATERIALS
• MSE 2030 - MECHANICAL BEHAVR OF MATERIALS
• MSE 2067 - ELEMENTS OF MATRLS SCI & ENGRG 1 **

Advanced and Technical Elective Requirement

In addition to core courses, a student must take at least 15 credits from advanced and technical elective courses in the MSE graduate program and relevant science and engineering disciplines. As a part of advanced and technical elective courses, a total of up to 12 credits may be taken in relevant engineering disciplines outside of the MSE designation of graduate level courses or in relevant science disciplines outside of SSoE. The selection of courses, in general, must be acceptable to the student’s advisor.  

Mathematics Requirement

A student must take one mathematics/numerical course for three (3) credits beyond those required for the materials science and engineering Bachelor of Science degree. This can be satisfied by courses from the following list: ME 2001 , ME 2002 , ME 2060 , MSE 2049  or as approved by the Graduate Coordinator. This requirement may be waived if it was met in a previous graduate program which the student attended before entering.

PhD Research and Dissertation Requirement

Each student must also have:

• At least eighteen (18) credits of MSE 3997  (PhD Research)

The requirements described in these guidelines represent the minimum requirements. The minimum requirement of 72 credits of graduate work must be satisfied by combinations of research, course work and transfer credits for the award of a PhD degree. Students are allowed to take additional courses with the agreement of their advisors. In some cases, these courses may be suggested by the PhD advisor for better preparation for a given research area. Note that completion of the PhD degree and admission to PhD candidacy require a GPA of B+ or better (≥3.3).