Materials Science and Engineering M.S.

• Introduction
• Requirements

Introduction

The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program welcomes students interested in a Master in Science (M.S.) degree. M.S. students develop laboratory, computational, and analytical theory skills which are of value in many fields, including semiconductor materials and device processing, computer simulation and visualization, cryogenics, x-ray scattering, electronic, magnetic, and photonic measurements, and bioelectronics among others. Each M.S. student is assigned a faculty adviser who helps to design a coursework plan suited to the student’s interests. The MSE program is interdisciplinary by nature and program faculty are formal members of academic departments in the Physical & Biological Sciences (PBSci) Division and the Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE). A list of MSE faculty may be found here.

MSE graduate students and faculty use several UC Santa Cruz research facilities, including laboratory facilities located on campus in the BSOE, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the interdisciplinary Westside Research Park research building. Proximity to the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides additional local research opportunities. UC Santa Cruz faculty and graduate students also participate in research programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Collaborations with industrial partners, such as IBM, Advanced Materials, and other companies are also available for some projects.

The application procedure and requirements for the M.S. program are identical to those of the Ph.D. program. Application materials and brochures describing the materials M.S. and Ph.D. graduate programs in more detail may be obtained by visiting the MSE program website or by contacting the Division of Graduate Studies.

Students pursuing the Ph.D. degree can apply for a master's degree upon successful completion of the requirements for a master's degree.

Requirements

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Course Requirements Expand and Collapse

M.S. Plan I: Thesis Students Expand and Collapse

M.S. Plan I students must complete 45 credits of graduate or upper-division undergraduate course work, of which at least 30 credits must be graduate level credits. Students must complete at least one course from three of the five areas of Materials Science and Engineering: (1) Quantum and Thermodynamic Foundations of Materials, (2) Condensed Matter and Structure, (3) Materials Characterization Techniques, (4) Functional Materials , and (5) Materials Synthesis and Processing. Students must also take MSE 200, Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering, at least once and MSE 280, Colloquium in Materials Science and Engineering, at least five times.

Students must enroll in MSE 200 the first time it is offered during their residency. At least one enrollment in MSE 280 must be taken for a letter grade. A letter grade in this course entails giving one of the colloquia. The course of study needs to be approved each quarter by the research adviser (who will supervise the research project) and the MSE graduate adviser.

The research project, along with Area 3, 4, and 5 courses, will provide significant practical professional development for students because these techniques are widely used in industry. The degree will be awarded when all these requirements are met, and the thesis has been submitted successfully. Expected time to degree is six quarters (two years).

The Master’s Plan I degree is open to students that have enrolled in the Ph.D. program.

Master’s Plan II: Comprehensive Exam Students Expand and Collapse

M.S. Plan II students must complete 45 credits of graduate or upper-division undergraduate course work, of which at least 30 credits must be graduate level credits. Students must complete at least one course from three of the five areas of Materials Science and Engineering: (1) Quantum and Thermodynamic Foundations of Materials, (2) Condensed Matter and Structure, (3) Materials Characterization Techniques, (4) Functional Materials , and (5) Materials Synthesis and Processing. Students must also take MSE 200, Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering, at least once, and MSE 280, Colloquium in Materials Science and Engineering, at least five times.

Students must enroll in MSE 200 the first time it is offered during their residency. At least one enrollment in MSE 280 must be taken for a letter grade. Students can take Directed Studies a maximum of six times. The course of study needs to be approved each quarter by the MSE graduate adviser. Students will take a written comprehensive examination to complete the degree. The examination emphasizes the fundamental knowledge of the study area rather than the specifics covered in individual courses.

The degree will be awarded when all these requirements are met. Expected time to degree is six quarters (two years).

The Master’s Plan II degree is only open to students enrolling in the terminal M.S. degree and is not open to students that have enrolled in the Ph.D. program. Plan II Master’s students who would like to transfer to the doctoral program will have to have satisfied all the coursework requirements for the master’s program, passed the oral qualifier exam, and obtained the MSE Graduate Committee’s approval.

MSE Fundamentals Courses Expand and Collapse

MSE 200	Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering	2
MSE 280	Colloquium in Materials Science and Engineering	2

Areas of Study Courses Expand and Collapse

Area 1 Courses: Quantum and Thermodynamic Foundations of Materials

CHEM 262	Statistical Mechanics	5
CHEM 263	Quantum Mechanics	5
PHYS 215	Introduction to Non-Relativistic Quantum Mechanics	5
PHYS 219	Statistical Physics	5
PHYS 262	Phase Transformations in Materials	5

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Area 2 Courses: Condensed Matter and Structure

CHEM 268	Solid State and Materials Chemistry	5
ECE 102	Properties of Materials	5
ECE 102L	Properties of Materials Laboratory	2
ECE 227	Fundamentals of Semiconductor Physics	5
PHYS 156	Applications of Quantum Materials	5
PHYS 157	Frontier of Quantum Materials	5
PHYS 231	Introduction to Condensed Matter Physics	5
PHYS 232	Condensed Matter Physics	5

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Area 3 Courses: Materials Characterization Techniques

CHEM 256D	X-ray Crystallography	5
CHEM 261	Foundations of Spectroscopy	5
CHEM 264	Computational Materials	5
ECE 203	Nanocharacterization of Materials	5
PHYS 291B	X-rays and Magnetism	2

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Area 4 Courses: Functional Materials

ECE 201	Introduction to Nanotechnology	5
ECE 204	Bioelectronics	5
ECE 205	Fundamentals of Nanoelectronics	5
ECE 223	Advanced Solid-State Devices	5
ECE 230	Optical Fiber Communication	5
ECE 232	Integrated Biophotonics	5
PHYS 234	Soft Condensed Matter Physics	5
PHYS 240	Polymer Physics	5
PHYS 261	Fundamentals of Mesoscopic Systems	5

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Area 5 Courses: Materials Synthesis and Processing

ECE 207	Nanomaterials and Nanometer-Scale Devices	5
ECE 225	Semiconductor Processing and Bandgap Engineering	5
ECE 228	Engineering of Thin Film Deposition	5

Applying for Graduation Expand and Collapse

Students must apply for graduation to receive their M.S. degree. The form can be found on the graduate division forms page and should be submitted to the Graduate Division.