Materials Science & Engineering BS / Materials Science & Engineering MS
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Degree Awarded: Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (BSMSE) and Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSMSE)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Total Credit Hours: 225.5
Co-op Options: Three Co-op (Five years)
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 14.1801
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 17-2131
About the Program
The Materials Science and Engineering BS/MS program allows students to develop technical depth and breadth in their professional and related area, which enhances their professional productivity, whether in industry or as they proceed to the PhD. Their undergraduate courses provide the necessary technical prerequisite understanding and skills for the graduate studies, a natural progression. Because the technical concepts of engineering are common, the MS in a related discipline is readily achieved.
Admission Requirements
Students must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.4 and have taken coursework sufficient to demonstrate a readiness to undertake graduate coursework.
Degree Requirements
| General Education/Liberal Studies Requirements | ||
| CIVC 101 | Introduction to Civic Engagement | 1.0 |
| COOP 101 | Career Management and Professional Development * | 1.0 |
| ECON 201 | Principles of Microeconomics | 4.0 |
| ECON 202 | Principles of Macroeconomics | 4.0 |
| ENGL 101 | Composition and Rhetoric I: Inquiry and Exploratory Research | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 111 | English Composition I | |
| ENGL 102 | Composition and Rhetoric II: Advanced Research and Evidence-Based Writing | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 112 | English Composition II | |
| ENGL 103 | Composition and Rhetoric III: Themes and Genres | 3.0 |
| or ENGL 113 | English Composition III | |
| PHIL 315 | Engineering Ethics | 3.0 |
| UNIV E101 | The Drexel Experience | 1.0 |
| General Education Electives ** | 12.0 | |
| Specialization Track Courses *** | 6.0 | |
| Free Electives | 6.0 | |
| Foundation Requirements | ||
| BIO 107 | Cells, Genetics & Physiology | 3.0 |
| BIO 108 | Cells, Genetics and Physiology Laboratory | 1.0 |
| CHE 350 | Statistics and Design of Experiments | 3.0 |
| CHEC 353 | Physical Chemistry and Applications III | 4.0 |
| CHEM 101 | General Chemistry I | 3.5 |
| CHEM 102 | General Chemistry II | 4.5 |
| CHEM 241 | Organic Chemistry I | 4.0 |
| ENGR 111 | Introduction to Engineering Design & Data Analysis | 3.0 |
| ENGR 113 | First-Year Engineering Design | 3.0 |
| ENGR 131 | Introductory Programming for Engineers | 3.0 |
| or ENGR 132 | Programming for Engineers | |
| ENGR 210 | Introduction to Thermodynamics | 3.0 |
| ENGR 220 | Fundamentals of Materials | 4.0 |
| ENGR 231 | Linear Engineering Systems | 3.0 |
| ENGR 232 | Dynamic Engineering Systems | 3.0 |
| MATH 121 | Calculus I | 4.0 |
| MATH 122 | Calculus II | 4.0 |
| MATH 200 | Multivariate Calculus | 4.0 |
| PHYS 101 | Fundamentals of Physics I | 4.0 |
| PHYS 102 | Fundamentals of Physics II | 4.0 |
| PHYS 201 | Fundamentals of Physics III | 4.0 |
| Professional Requirements | ||
| MATE 214 | Introduction to Polymers | 4.0 |
| MATE 230 | Fundamentals of Materials II | 4.0 |
| MATE 240 | Thermodynamics of Materials | 4.0 |
| MATE 245 | Kinetics of Materials | 4.0 |
| MATE 280 | Advanced Materials Laboratory | 4.0 |
| MATE 315 | Processing Polymers | 4.5 |
| MATE 341 | Defects in Solids | 3.0 |
| MATE 345 | Processing of Ceramics | 4.5 |
| MATE 351 | Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials | 4.0 |
| MATE 355 | Structure and Characterization of Crystalline Materials | 3.0 |
| MATE 366 [WI] | Processing of Metallic Materials | 4.5 |
| MATE 370 | Mechanical Behavior of Solids | 3.0 |
| MATE 410 | Case Studies in Materials | 3.0 |
| MATE 455 | Biomedical Materials | 3.0 |
| MATE 460 | Engineering Computational Laboratory | 4.0 |
| MATE 491 [WI] | Senior Project Design I † | 2.0 |
| MATE 492 | Senior Project Design II † | 3.0 |
| MATE 493 [WI] | Senior Project Design III † | 3.0 |
| Master's Degree Courses | ||
| Required Core Courses: | ||
| MATE 510 | Thermodynamics of Solids | 3.0 |
| MATE 512 | Introduction to Solid State Materials | 3.0 |
| Four additional Selected Core (SC) courses from the following: †† | 12.0 | |
| Structure and Properties of Polymers | ||
| Kinetics | ||
| Experimental Technique in Materials | ||
| Numerical Engineering Methods | ||
| Ceramics | ||
| Mechanical Behavior of Solids | ||
| Biomedical Materials I | ||
Any additional related courses if approved by the graduate advisor. | ||
| Technical Electives (TE) ‡ | 18.0 | |
| Thesis and Alternatives | 9.0 | |
| 9.0 credits of MATE 898 (MS Thesis) or 9.0 credits of Technical Electives (TE). | ||
| Total Credits | 225.5 | |
| * | Co-op cycles for Materials Science & Engineering are only Spring/Summer. COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101. |
| ** | |
| *** | 6.0 credits of undergraduate Specialization Track courses may be shared with MATE graduate courses. Specialization tracks allow upper-class students to focus on a specific area of materials science and engineering. Combining foundational knowledge of materials with a tailored topic gives students a customized educational experience that has relevance for co-op, graduate school and future career opportunities. Students select a track in their third (pre-junior) year, with the option of choosing from five pre-determined tracks or creating their own path. The pre-determined tracks are:
|
| † | Students pursuing the non-thesis option must complete the undergraduate senior design sequence, in lieu of MATE 898 [WI] (MS Thesis). MSE students pursuing the thesis option are not required to take MATE 491 [WI] , MATE 492, MATE 493 [WI] , and are required to complete 9.0 credits of MATE 898 [WI] (MS thesis). In addition, these students need to complete an additional 8 credits of UG MATE Electives. |
| †† | Selected Core Courses: 12.0 credits (4 courses) from the following or other MATE courses as approved by the MSE Graduate Advisor: MATE 501, MATE 507, MATE 515, MATE 535, MATE 563, MATE 610, MATE 661 |
| ‡ | Of the 18.0 technical elective credits, which may include up to 6.0 credits of MATE 897, at least 9.0 credits must be taken as Materials Science and Engineering (MATE) courses, while the rest may be taken within the College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, or at other colleges if consistent with the student's plan of study (and given advance written approval by their advisor). At least 9.0 of these 18.0 technical electives must be exclusive of independent study courses or research credits. Any graduate-level course in a STEM field (Engineering, Physical Sciences, or Computing/Data), as approved by the MSE Graduate Advisor, excluding MATE 536 (Materials Seminar), MATE 503 (Introduction to Materials Engineering) and MATE 504 (Art of Being a Scientist). |
Writing-Intensive Course Requirements
In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.
A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.
Sample Plan of Study
5 year, 3 coop: Non-thesis option
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| CHEM 101 | 3.5 | CHEM 102 | 4.5 | COOP 101* | 1.0 | VACATION | |
| ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ||
| ENGR 111 | 3.0 | ENGR 131 or 132 | 3.0 | ENGR 113 | 3.0 | ||
| MATH 121 | 4.0 | MATH 122 | 4.0 | MATH 200 | 4.0 | ||
| UNIV E101 | 1.0 | PHYS 101 | 4.0 | PHYS 102 | 4.0 | ||
| (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | ||||
| 17.5 | 16.5 | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 107 | 3.0 | CHEM 241 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| BIO 108 | 1.0 | ENGL 103 or 113 | 3.0 | ||||
| ENGR 220 | 4.0 | ENGR 210 | 3.0 | ||||
| ENGR 231 | 3.0 | ENGR 232 | 3.0 | ||||
| PHYS 201 | 4.0 | MATE 230 | 4.0 | ||||
| (UG) Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
| 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| ECON 201 | 4.0 | ECON 202 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| MATE 214 | 4.0 | MATE 245 | 4.0 | (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 | (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 |
| MATE 240 | 4.0 | MATE 315 | 4.5 | ||||
| MATE 355 | 3.0 | MATE 341 | 3.0 | ||||
| MATE 370 | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | ||||
| 18 | 18.5 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| CHEC 353 | 4.0 | MATE 345 | 4.5 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| MATE 280 | 4.0 | MATE 351 | 4.0 | MATE 897 (or (GR) MATE Technical Elective) | 3.0 | MATE 897 (or (GR) Technical Elective (TE)) | 3.0 |
| MATE 366 | 4.5 | PHIL 315 | 3.0 | ||||
| MATE 455 | 3.0 | (UG) Track Elective | 3.0 | ||||
| (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 | MATE 510 | 3.0 | ||||
| 18.5 | 17.5 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Fifth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| CHE 350 | 3.0 | MATE 492† | 3.0 | MATE 410 | 3.0 | ||
| MATE 460 | 4.0 | (UG) Free Electives | 3.0 | MATE 493† | 3.0 | ||
| MATE 491† | 2.0 | (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | ||
| (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | MATE 512 | 3.0 | (UG) Track Elective | 3.0 | ||
| (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | ||
| (GR) MATE Technical Elective (counts as (UG) Track Elective)*** | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Technical Elective (counts as (UG) Track Elective)*** | 3.0 | (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 | ||
| 18 | 18 | 18 | |||||
| Total Credits 225.5 | |||||||
| * | Co-op cycles for Materials Science & Engineering are only Spring/Summer. COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101. |
| ** | |
| *** | 6.0 credits of undergraduate Specialization Track courses may be shared with MATE graduate courses. Specialization tracks allow upper-class students to focus on a specific area of materials science and engineering. Combining foundational knowledge of materials with a tailored topic gives students a customized educational experience that has relevance for co-op, graduate school and future career opportunities. Students select a track in their third (pre-junior) year, with the option of choosing from five pre-determined tracks or creating their own path. The pre-determined tracks are:
|
| † | Students pursuing the non-thesis option must complete the undergraduate senior design sequence, in lieu of MATE 898 [WI] (MS Thesis). |
| †† | Selected Core Courses: 12.0 credits (4 courses) from the following or other MATE courses as approved by the MSE Graduate Advisor: MATE 501, MATE 507, MATE 515, MATE 535, MATE 563, MATE 610, MATE 661 |
| ‡ | Of the 18.0 technical elective credits, which may include up to 6.0 credits of MATE 897, at least 9.0 credits must be taken as Materials Science and Engineering (MATE) courses, while the rest may be taken within the College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, or at other colleges if consistent with the student's plan of study (and given advance written approval by their advisor). At least 9.0 of these 18.0 technical electives must be exclusive of independent study courses or research credits. Any graduate-level course in a STEM field (Engineering, Physical Sciences, or Computing/Data), as approved by the MSE Graduate Advisor, excluding MATE 536 (Materials Seminar), MATE 503 (Introduction to Materials Engineering) and MATE 504 (Art of Being a Scientist). |
5 year, 3 coop: Thesis option
| First Year | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| CHEM 101 | 3.5 | CHEM 102 | 4.5 | COOP 101* | 1.0 | VACATION | |
| ENGL 101 or 111 | 3.0 | CIVC 101 | 1.0 | ENGL 102 or 112 | 3.0 | ||
| ENGR 111 | 3.0 | ENGR 131 or 132 | 3.0 | ENGR 113 | 3.0 | ||
| MATH 121 | 4.0 | MATH 122 | 4.0 | MATH 200 | 4.0 | ||
| UNIV E101 | 1.0 | PHYS 101 | 4.0 | PHYS 102 | 4.0 | ||
| (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | ||||
| 17.5 | 16.5 | 18 | 0 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| BIO 107 | 3.0 | CHEM 241 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| BIO 108 | 1.0 | ENGL 103 | 3.0 | ||||
| ENGR 220 | 4.0 | ENGR 210 | 3.0 | ||||
| ENGR 231 | 3.0 | ENGR 232 | 3.0 | ||||
| PHYS 201 | 4.0 | MATE 230 | 4.0 | ||||
| (UG) Free Elective | 3.0 | ||||||
| 18 | 17 | 0 | 0 | ||||
| Third Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| ECON 201 | 4.0 | ECON 202 | 4.0 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| MATE 214 | 4.0 | MATE 245 | 4.0 | (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 | (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 |
| MATE 240 | 4.0 | MATE 315 | 4.5 | ||||
| MATE 355 | 3.0 | MATE 341 | 3.0 | ||||
| MATE 370 | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | ||||
| 18 | 18.5 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| CHEC 353 | 4.0 | MATE 345 | 4.5 | COOP EXPERIENCE | COOP EXPERIENCE | ||
| MATE 280 | 4.0 | MATE 351 | 4.0 | MATE 897 | 3.0 | MATE 897 | 3.0 |
| MATE 366 | 4.5 | PHIL 315 | 3.0 | ||||
| MATE 455 | 3.0 | (UG) Track Elective | 3.0 | ||||
| (GR) Technical Elective (TE)‡ | 3.0 | MATE 510 | 3.0 | ||||
| 18.5 | 17.5 | 3 | 3 | ||||
| Fifth Year | |||||||
| Fall | Credits | Winter | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| CHE 350 | 3.0 | (UG) Free Elective | 3.0 | MATE 410 | 3.0 | ||
| MATE 460 | 4.0 | (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | (UG) General Education Elective** | 3.0 | ||
| (UG) MSE Elective† | 2.0 | (UG) MSE Elective† | 3.0 | (UG) MSE Elective† | 3.0 | ||
| MATE 898† | 3.0 | MATE 512 | 3.0 | (UG) Track Elective | 3.0 | ||
| (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | MATE 898† | 3.0 | MATE 898† | 3.0 | ||
| (GR) MATE Technical Elective (counts as (UG) Track Elective)*** | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Technical Elective (counts as (UG) Track Elective)*** | 3.0 | (GR) MATE Selected Core Course†† | 3.0 | ||
| 18 | 18 | 18 | |||||
| Total Credits 225.5 | |||||||
| * | Co-op cycles for Materials Science & Engineering are only Spring/Summer. COOP 101 registration is determined by the co-op cycle assigned and may be scheduled in a different term. Select students may be eligible to take COOP 001 in place of COOP 101. |
| ** | |
| *** | 6.0 credits of undergraduate Specialization Track courses may be shared with MATE graduate courses. Specialization tracks allow upper-class students to focus on a specific area of materials science and engineering. Combining foundational knowledge of materials with a tailored topic gives students a customized educational experience that has relevance for co-op, graduate school and future career opportunities. Students select a track in their third (pre-junior) year, with the option of choosing from five pre-determined tracks or creating their own path. The pre-determined tracks are:
|
| † | MSE students pursuing the thesis option are not required to take MATE 491 [WI] , MATE 492, MATE 493 [WI] , and are required to complete 9.0 credits of MATE 898 [WI] (MS thesis). In addition, these students need to complete an additional 8 credits of UG MATE Electives. |
| †† | Selected Core Courses: 12.0 credits (4 courses) from the following or other MATE courses as approved by the MSE Graduate Advisor: MATE 501, MATE 507, MATE 515, MATE 535, MATE 563, MATE 610, MATE 661 |
| ‡ | Of the 18.0 technical elective credits, which may include up to 6.0 credits of MATE 897, at least 9.0 credits must be taken as Materials Science and Engineering (MATE) courses, while the rest may be taken within the College of Engineering, College of Arts and Sciences, or at other colleges if consistent with the student's plan of study (and given advance written approval by their advisor). At least 9.0 of these 18.0 technical electives must be exclusive of independent study courses or research credits. Any graduate-level course in a STEM field (Engineering, Physical Sciences, or Computing/Data), as approved by the MSE Graduate Advisor, excluding MATE 536 (Materials Seminar), MATE 503 (Introduction to Materials Engineering) and MATE 504 (Art of Being a Scientist). |
