Elizabeth Dickey, Head
Location: Wean Hall 3327
materials.cmu.edu

Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) is an engineering discipline that applies the tools of basic and applied sciences and engineering to the manufacture and application of materials and devices. The four broad classes of Materials to which this paradigm is applied are metals, polymers, ceramics, and composites. Essentially every technology (historical, modern, and future) depends on materials development and innovation.

The overarching paradigm of MSE is to determine and to exploit the connection between processing, structure, and properties of materials to engineer materials that fit the performance criteria for specific applications, which are useful for the technological needs of our society. In addition to this product specific knowledge, MSE is concerned with the implications of materials production and their sustainable use on the environment and energy resources.

Graduates of the MSE department are pursuing careers in an expanding spectrum of companies, national laboratories, and universities. Their activities cover a wide range of materials related endeavors that include microelectronics, energy production and storage, biomedical applications, aerospace, information technology, nanotechnology, manufacturing and materials production. Many of our undergraduate alumni choose to attend graduate school; they are accepted into the top Materials graduate schools in the country.

The standard curriculum of the department provides fundamental training for all materials science and engineering areas (see www.cmu.edu/engineering/materials/undergraduate_program/curriculum). The core courses provide understanding and training on tools for working with the (atomic) structure of materials that governs their properties, the thermodynamic relationships that govern the stability of materials, and the rates at which changes take place in materials. Students complete their learning with a capstone design experience in the final year, which integrates their materials knowledge and training with engineering team skill development. To supplement the core course program,  students may also  participate in the current research programs of the faculty and  conduct undergraduate research projects as part of their program of study.

While the core program is focused on the understanding of the internal or surface structure of materials in order to predict and engineer their properties, it is a flexible program that allows  students to focus within a chosen material class, whether it is ceramics, semiconductors, metals, composites, magnetic or optical materials, bio-materials or polymers. The program also permits the option of cross concentration in the one or more of the areas of application such as electronic materials*, engineering design*, environmental engineering*, additive manufacturing*, mechanical behavior of materials*, biomedical engineering**, and engineering and public policy**, is also available. (*= Designated Minor, **= Additional Major). Our curriculum is designed to provide a strong foundation in fundamental knowledge and skills that provide an excellent base for our graduates planning to continue on to graduate studies. For our graduates who seek employment in industry, the program provides the foundation on which a graduate can build his/her domain specific knowledge. For students that develop or seek opportunities in other disciplines after graduation, the MSE curriculum provides a modern liberal education combined with the engineering rigors, i.e. one that inculcates upon a thoughtful, problem-solving approach to professional life. It is thus the goal of our education to provide a global and modern education in Materials Science and Engineering to support our graduates during their careers in materials industries or as a foundation for further studies in any of the leading global institutions of graduate education.

Program Educational Objectives

Graduates with a B.S. degree from the Materials Science and Engineering program will, within a few years after graduation

(1)   attain success in a professional position and/or a top graduate school that builds upon their MSE background

(2)   exhibit professionalism and leadership in contemporary, interdisciplinary engineering practice based on materials, while accounting for the impact of their profession on an evolving, global society

(3)   contribute to innovative designs of technological systems using principles of materials science and engineering

(4)   make effective contributions as an individual, team member, and/or a leader to effect global, economic, environmental, and/or societal impact

Student Outcomes

Curriculum

Minimum units requrired for B.S. in Materials Science & Engineering381

Standard Program

Freshman Year

Sophomore Year

Junior Year

Senior Year

*

The Materials in Engineering course 27-100 may also be taken in the spring semester, and must be taken before the end of the sophomore year (the H&SS Elective in the Sophomore Spring may be moved to later in the program to accommodate the 27-100 course).

**

These courses must be taken before the end of the sophomore year, but need not be taken in the same order or semester as listed above.

All mathematics (21-xxx) courses required for the engineering degree taken at Carnegie Mellon must have a minimum grade of C in order to be counted toward the graduation requirement for the BS engineering degree.

Notes on the Curriculum

Academic Advising

Paige Houser is the academic advisor for all MSE students.

Quality Point Average

In addition to the College requirement of a minimum cumulative quality point average of 2.00 for all courses taken beyond the freshman year, the Department requires a quality point average of 2.00 or higher in courses taken in the MSE department. Students may repeat a course to achieve the QPA requirement. Only the higher grade will be used for this departmental calculation.

MSE Approved Technical Elective

Students are required to take at least 9 units of approved technical electives. Students may take a course from another CIT department to fulfill this requirement or choose an additional 9 units of MSE Restricted Electives. Courses on the exclusion list cannot be counted as a technical elective. Students who are pursuing an additional major or minor within CIT should check with their academic advisor regarding double counting of this course.

MSE Restricted Electives

Each student in the program must take at least 36 units of MSE restricted electives. Up to 18  units of MSE research can count toward the restricted electives.

All 27-3xx, 27-4xx, 27-5xx, 27-6xx (with the exception of ) and 27-7xx level and cross listed courses will fulfill the MSE Restricted Elective Requirement along with the following non-MSE courses:

Integrated B.S./M.S. Program

Undergraduates who excel academically have the unique opportunity to receive simultaneously or sequentially both B.S. and M.S. degrees from the department. The primary purpose of the Integrated Master and Bachelor (IMB) Degree Program is to provide students with superior breadth and depth in technical material, which will better prepare them for careers in industry. Students interested in pursuing the IMB Degrees are encouraged to begin taking some of the required graduate courses before their last year. The MSE department offers two M.S. degrees: one in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), a coursework degree, and one in Materials Science (MS), a coursework + research degree. The IMB Degree Program to obtain an M.S. in MSE (MS) degree normally requires two (three to four) additional full academic semesters of coursework (coursework + research) beyond the B.S. Degree Requirements (normally eight academic semesters). Experience has shown that students complete the IMB program in eight to ten full academic semesters after enrolling at CMU.

Degree Requirements

IMB students can be enrolled in either the M.S. in MSE (coursework) or the M.S. in MS (coursework + research) degree programs, depending on their preference.
Students must meet the requirements of either the M.S. in MSE or the M.S. in MS degree programs, as well as any specially stated rules below.

Eligibility

The IMB Program is available to all undergraduates who maintain a cumulative QPA of 3.0 or better, including the freshman year and the years in which they are enrolled in the IMB. Exceptions can be made by the Department on the basis of other factors, including extenuating (e.g., medical) circumstances, improvement in grades, strong recommendation letters, etc.
Students become eligible to apply to the program during the spring semester of their junior year (5th semester), or the semester in which they accumulate 280 or more units, whichever is earlier.

Enrollment

Students interested in the IMB program are not required to follow the formal application process for acceptance into the MSE graduate program. There is no requirement to provide a formal application, application fee, GRE scores, recommendation letters, official transcripts, or a statement of purpose.
Interested students are encouraged request acceptance into the program by contacting the MSE academic advisor by email prior to the middle of the semester in which they become eligible.

Requirements to Enroll as a Graduate Student

If a student takes more than 8 semesters to complete both the B.S. and M.S. in MSE (coursework), then he or she must be a graduate student for at least one full-time 14-week academic semester (Fall or Spring) before graduating, whether or not they have already completed their B.S. degree.

Students should refer to the College of Engineering and University policies regarding enrollment status.

Tuition Assistance

When a student is a full-time graduate student through the IMB program, the department is able to provide some tuition assistance through optional Teaching Assistantships.

Course Descriptions

About Course Numbers:

Each Carnegie Mellon course number begins with a two-digit prefix that designates the department offering the course (i.e., 76-xxx courses are offered by the Department of English). Although each department maintains its own course numbering practices, typically, the first digit after the prefix indicates the class level: xx-1xx courses are freshmen-level, xx-2xx courses are sophomore level, etc. Depending on the department, xx-6xx courses may be either undergraduate senior-level or graduate-level, and xx-7xx courses and higher are graduate-level. Consult the Schedule of Classes each semester for course offerings and for any necessary pre-requisites or co-requisites.

Faculty

CHRISTOPHER BETTINGER, Professor – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2010–

MICHAEL BOCKSTALLER, Professor – Ph.D., Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research; Carnegie Mellon, 2005–

ITZHAQ COHEN-KARNI, Professor – Ph.D., Harvard University; Carnegie Mellon, 2013–

ELIZABETH C. DICKEY, Professor and Department Head – Ph.D., Northwestern University; Carnegie Mellon, 2021–

MARC DE GRAEF, Professor – Ph.D., Catholic University Leuven (Belgium); Carnegie Mellon, 1993–

ADAM FEINBERG, Professor – Ph.D., University of Florida; Carnegie Mellon, 2010–

ROBERT HEARD, Teaching Professor – Ph.D., University of Toronto; Carnegie Mellon, 2003–

MOHAMMAD F. ISLAM, Professor of Materials Science and Engineering – Ph.D., Lehigh University; Carnegie Mellon, 2005–

AMANDA R. KRAUSE, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., Brown University; Carnegie Mellon, 2022–

RACHEL KURCHIN, Assistant Research Professor – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2022–

NOA MAROM, Associate Professor – Ph.D., Weizmann Institute of Science; Carnegie Mellon, 2016–

MICHAEL E. MCHENRY, Professor – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1989–

THOMAS O'CONNOR, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; Carnegie Mellon, 2021–

P. CHRIS PISTORIUS, Professor and Associate Department Head – Ph.D., University of Cambridge; Carnegie Mellon, 2008–

LISA M. PORTER, Professor – Ph.D., North Carolina State; Carnegie Mellon, 1997–

GREGORY S. ROHRER, Professor – Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania; Carnegie Mellon, 1990–

ANTHONY D. ROLLETT, Professor – Ph.D., Drexel University; Carnegie Mellon, 1995–

PAUL A. SALVADOR, Professor and Executive Director of the Masters program in Energy Science, Technology and Policy – Ph.D., Northwestern University; Carnegie Mellon, 1999–

MAREK SKOWRONSKI, Professor – Ph.D., Warsaw University; Carnegie Mellon, 1988–

VINCENT SOKALSKI, Teaching Professor – Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon; Carnegie Mellon, 2013–

S. MOHADESEH TAHERI-MOUSAVI, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne; Carnegie Mellon, 2022–

ELIAS TOWE, Professor – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2001–

BRYAN A. WEBLER, Professor – Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon; Carnegie Mellon, 2013–

JAY WHITACRE, Professor – Ph.D., University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2007–

Affiliated Faculty

ROSALYN ABBOT, Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering – Ph.D., Universtiy of Vermont;

AMIT ACHARYA, Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering – Ph.D., University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign; Carnegie Mellon, 2000–

JAMES BAIN, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering – Ph.D., Stanford University; Carnegie Mellon, 1993–

JACK BEUTH, Professor, Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., Harvard University; Carnegie Mellon, 1992–

PHIL CAMPBELL, Research Professor, Institute for Complex Engineered Systems – Ph.D., The Pennsylvania State University; Carnegie Mellon, 2000–

KAUSHIK DAYAL, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering – Ph.D., California Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2008–

MAARTEN DE BOER, Professor of Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., University of Minnesota; Carnegie Mellon, 2007–

AMIR BARATI FARIMANI, Assistant Professor – Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Carnegie Mellon, 2018–

RANDALL FEENSTRA, Professor, Physics – Ph.D., California Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon; Carnegie Mellon, 1995–

ERICA FUCHS, Professor – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2007–

STEPHEN GAROFF, Professor Emeritus, Physics – Ph.D., Harvard University; Carnegie Mellon, 1988–

REEJA JAYAN, Associate Professor, Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin; Carnegie Mellon, 2015–

DAVID KINDERLEHRER, Professor, Mathematical Sciences – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1990–

JOHN KITCHIN, Professor of Chemical Engineeering – Ph.D., University of Delaware; Carnegie Mellon, 2006–

TOMEK KOWALWESKI, Professor of Chemistry – Ph.D., Polish Academy of Sciences; Carnegie Mellon, 2000–

SHAWN LITSTER, Professor, Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., Stanford University; Carnegie Mellon, 2008–

SARA MAJETICH, Professor, Physics – Ph.D., University of Georgia; Carnegie Mellon, 1990–

CARMEL MAJIDI, Professor of Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., University of California; Carnegie Mellon, 2011–

JONATHAN MALEN, Professor – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 2009–

KRZYSZTOF MATYJASZEWSKI, J.C. Warner Professor of Natural Sciences, Department of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering – Ph.D., Polytechnical University of Łódź, Poland; Carnegie Mellon, 1985–

ALAN MCGAUGHEY, Professor of Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2005–

SNEHA PRABHA NARRA, Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon, 2021–

O. BURAK OZDOGANLAR, Professor of Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., University of Michigan; Carnegie Mellon, 2004–

RAHUL PANAT, Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign; Carnegie Mellon, 2017–

ROBERT SEKERKA, University Professor Emeritus, Physics, Mathematics and Materials Science – Ph.D., Harvard; Carnegie Mellon, 1969–

SHENG SHEN, Professor, Mechanical Engineering – Ph.D. , Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2011–

ROBERT SUTER, Professor Emeritus – Ph.D. , Clark University; Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon, 1978, 1981–

FATMA ZEYNEP TEMEL, Assistant Professor, Robotics Institute – Ph.D., Sabanci University; Carnegie Mellon, 2019–

ZACHARY ULISSI, Associate Professor, Chemical Engineering – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon University; Carnegie Mellon, 2016–

NEWELL R. WASHBURN, Associate Professor of Chemistry, Biomedical Engineering and Materials Science and Engineering – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 2004–

MICHAEL WIDOM, Professor of Physics – Ph.D., University of Chicago; Carnegie Mellon, 1985–

LINING YAO, Assistant Professor of Human-Computer Interaction Institute and College of Engineering – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2017–

JIAN-GANG ZHU, Professor, Electrical and Computer Engineering – Ph.D., University of California at San Diego,; Carnegie Mellon, 1997–

Emeriti Faculty

ROBERT F. DAVIS, Professor Emeritus – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 2004–

WARREN M. GARRISON, Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering – Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1984–

ANDREW GELLMAN, Professor Emeritus, Chemical Engineering – Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1992–

DAVID E. LAUGHLIN, Professor Emeritus – Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 1974–

PAUL WYNBLATT, Professor Emeritus of Materials Science and Engineering – Ph.D., University of California at Berkeley; Carnegie Mellon, 1981–

Adjunct Faculty

AHARON INSPEKTOR, Adjunct Faculty, Materials Science and Engineering – Ph.D., Technion Israel Institute of Technology; Carnegie Mellon, 2019–