Materials Science and Engineering (BS)

Materials Science & Engineering

Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering

Coursework Location(s)

Main/Tucson, Tianjin - Hebei Univ of Tech

Areas of Interest

• Biological & Biomedical Science
• Engineering & Technology
• Physical & Space Sciences

Overview

Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is at the interface between scientific ideas and technological application. We work across disciplines to apply our fundamental knowledge of matter to engineer novel material structures and properties that will enable new technologies with broad impact to society and the global community. MSE faculty are pursuing new materials innovations and their application to critical challenges in such areas as high-efficiency, renewable energy generation and storage, environmental sensing and remediation, high-fidelity computational materials modeling for new materials design and prediction, hypersonic materials for aerospace and space-based systems, off-planet 3-D printing and extreme environment manufacturing, new quantum computing and encryption architectures for enhanced data security, and microelectronic, photonic and even phononic (sound-based) signal and data processing. With a high percentage of our undergraduates involved in faculty-led research projects, the pursuit of a degree in Materials Science and Engineering can involve working on key scientific and technological challenges while exploring MSE's impact across multiple engineering and science fields through collaborative teaming and interdisciplinary problem solving.

An engaged, teaching-active faculty and academic programs office provide insight and guidance as students pursue their degree on their own terms, building from a strong core curriculum and flexible elective options that incorporate hands-on laboratories addressing material structure, processing and properties across ceramics, metallurgy, polymers, and semiconductor systems. Students learn about fundamental materials behavior, its relationship to atomistic and micro-scale structure and the principles necessary to tune material structure and properties through traditional and cutting-edge synthesis and processing methods. From metallurgical processing and alloy development to electronic and optical materials design and synthesis to biologically inspired structures and applications, students are exposed to the concepts and phenomena that serve as the basis for the technologies that drive our industrialized society and its high-tech infrastructure.

Learning Outcomes

• Identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
• Apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• Communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• Recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• Function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
• Develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
• Acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Program Details

Sample Courses

• MSE 345: Thermodynamics
• MSE 365: Physical Properties of Materials
• MSE 415: Transport
• Kinetics

Career Fields

• Energy
• Defense
• Optics
• Aerospace
• Medicine
• Manufacturing
• Information technology