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Courses

Undergraduate Core Materials Science Education

The following courses are recommended for a core materials science education for undergraduate students:

  • General Materials Science and Engineering – Complete 1 course
    • Science of Engineering Materials (Me En 250)
    • Science of Engineering Materials (Ch En 378)
  • Basic chemistry – Complete 1 course
    • General Chemistry (Chem 105)
    • General Chemistry (Chem 111)
  • Quantum mechanics and Thermodynamics – Complete 1 option
    • Option 1 – Complete 1 course
      • Physical Chemistry for Engineers (Chem 467)
    • Option 2 – Complete 2 courses
      • Physical Chemistry I (Chem 462)
      • Physical Chemistry II (Chem 463)
    • Option 3 – Complete 2 groups
      • Group 1 – complete 1 course
        • Phys 222
        • Phys 581
      • Group 2 – complete 1 course
        • Phys 360

Graduate Core Materials Science Education

For a strong and diverse core materials science education for graduate students we recommend the following:

  • For students new to materials science, the General Materials Science and Engineering option listed above is recommended
  • Quantum Mechanics and Thermodynamics - complete the options listed above or find equivalent graduate courses
  • Mechanical Behavior of Materials (Mechanical Engineering 553) - Mechanical behavior of the various classes of materials
  • Kinetics of Materials (Mechanical Engineering 554) - Kinetic processes of materials

All Materials Science Courses

Below is a list of materials courses taught across different departments in the university.

Dept Course Course Name Description
Chem 467 Physical Chemistry for Engineers Quantum mechanics, atomic and molecular structure, spectroscopy, computational methods, statistical mechanics, thermodynamics and equilibria, states of matter, kinetic-molecular theory, kinetics.
Chem 514 Inorganic Chemistry In-depth treatment of theoretical concepts in inorganic chemistry and solid state, organmetallic, and bioinorganic chemistry.
Chem 571 Polymer and Materials Chemistry
Taught every other year, offered Winter 2024
Chem 575 X-ray Diffraction New course officially starting fall 2022
Chem 729R Microfabrication/nanotechnology Special topics courses that are taught every 2-3 years
Chem 729R Surface chemistry and analysis Special topics courses that are taught every 2-3 years
CH EN 378 Science of Engineering Materials Fundamental principles of solid materials and their properties and behavior in engineering applications of metals, polymers, ceramics, and glasses.
CH EN 578 Polymer Science and Engineering Foundation science and theory of polymer chemistry and physics and their implications in engineering applications. Topics include polymerization chemistry, structure-property relationships, polymer physics, and transport properties.
CH EN 593R Colloids and Surface Science Introduction to colloidal and interfacial interactions with an overview of theoretical treatments of colloidal processes, experimental methods, and industrial applications. Topics include flocculation, colloidal forces, surfactant, detergency, cohesion, adhesion, wetting, and electrokinetic phenomena. The course is intended seniors, and graduate students in engineering, chemistry, physics, materials science, and biological sciences.
CH EN 593R Theory of Soft Materials
Specialized course (varies year to year) on topics of interest for the theory of soft materials including: equilibrium and non-equilibrium statistical mechanics, polymer and colloid physics, statistical field theories, parallel/GPU programming, simulation software development, numerical methods, and mathematical techniques (e.g. stochastic methods, perturbation theory, PDEs).
CH EN 593R/693R
Electrochemical Methods
The course focuses on developing a fundamental foundation for understanding and interpreting electrochemical measurements (e.g., cyclic voltammetry). Practical aspects of making electroanalytical measurements will also be covered.
EC EN 450 Introduction to Semiconductor Devices Physics of electronic and optical solid state devices; includes semiconductor materials, bipolar and FET device physics and modeling, optical properties of semiconductors, and lasers.
EC EN 452 Experiments in Integrated Circuit Development Measurements of key silicon properties and fabrication of integrated circuits.
EC EN 550 Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Design, fabrication, and applications of MEMS. Mechanical properties governing their design and reliability and the processing technologies used to fabricate them.
EC EN 555 Optoelectronic Devices Design, operation, and fabrication of modern optoelectronic devices, including photodiodes, photovoltaics, LEDs, and lasers.
EC EN 560 Electromagnetic Wave Theory Principles and methods of modern electromagnetic wave theory: anisotropic media, dyadic green functions, Huygen's principle, contour integration methods, asymptotic integration. Applications in radiation and scattering.
EC EN 661 Advanced Optical Engineering Theory and analysis of optical systems, including beam propagation, image formation, and modern optical systems.
EC EN 667 Electromagnetic Properties of Materials
Understand special topics in electromagnetics, Fall/Winter on even years
ME EN 250 Materials Science & Engineering Principles and properties of solid materials and their behavior as applied to engineering.
ME EN 450
Engineering Materials: Selection for Design
Instruction emphasizes optimal materials selection techniques, practical materials-focused design, and an overview of commonly used engineering materials.
ME EN 456 Composite Material Design Macro- and micro-mechanical analysis and design of uni- and multidirectional composite materials.
ME EN 553 Mechanical Behavior of Materials Engineering methods for modeling deformation, fracture and fatigue of materials, including metals, polymers, composites and ceramics. Deformation modes include elastic, plastic, viscoelastic and creep.
ME EN 554 Kinetics of Materials A unified treatment of kinetic processes in materials,including transport, chemical reactions, phase transformations, and microstructure evolution. Emphasis is placed on crystalline materials, but application to glasses, polymers and other material systems are discussed throughout. Specific topics include: kinetic theory of gases,rate theory, reaction kinetics, irreversible thermodynamics,diffusion in a broad spectrum of material classes (both atomistic mechanisms and phenomenological/continuum level models), influence of defects of diffusion, evolution of surfaces, phase transformations (solidification, nucleation and growth, spinodal decomposition), coarsening, grain growth, and morphological instabilities.
ME EN 556 Materials Modeling Theory and application of various computer simulations to model, understand, and predict the properties of real materials. Specific topics include: first-principles atomistic models, empirical potential atomistic models, mesoscale models, and continuum finite element analysis.
ME EN 557
Materials in Extreme Environments
This class introduces students to models and empirical data that predict safe operational ranges for materials in high temperature, irradiated, and corrosive environments. Methods to measure material properties and performance in each environment are discussed, as well as the fundamental mechanisms that cause changes in material properties.
ME EN 558 Metallurgy Fundamental principles of physical metallurgy and their application to design.
ME EN 651 Microstructure and Properties Representations of inhomogenous material microstructure, crystallography, orientation distribution functions, Fourier representations, bounding theories for defect-insensitive properties, grain boundaries and grain boundary engineering, microstructure sensitive design.
MFGEN 331 Metals Processes Capabilities and applications of common metal-processing methods, including relationships between part design, material, and process parameters.
MFGEN 355 Plastics Materials and Processing Understanding plastic materials, properties, and uses. Survey of plastic-manufacturing processes. Designing plastic products and manufacturing systems.
MFGEN 465 Composite Materials and Processes Structure, processing, properties, and uses of composite materials, including various manufacturing methods and the relationship between properties and fabrication.
Physics 581 Solid-State Physics Introduction to the physics of solids. Crystal structure and symmetry, X-ray diffraction, lattice vibrations, metals and semiconductors, superconductivity, thermal properties, magnetic properties, and dielectric and optical properties.
Physics 583 Physics of Nanostructures, Surfaces, and Interfaces Properties of nanostructures, surfaces, and interfaces; experimental methods. Applications to emerging problems and opportunities in science and technology. Emphasis on concepts.
Physics 585 Thin-film Physics Preparation, characterization, use, and special properties of modern thin films; interdisciplinary treatment. Of interest to students in applied physics and engineering.
Physics 586 Transmission Electron Microscopy for Physical Science and Engineering Practical and theoretical aspects of sample preparation, basic and advanced imaging, electron diffraction, and other analytical materials characterization techniques on the transmission electron microscope (TEM).
Physics 587 Physics of Semiconductor Devices Device physics, with an in-depth study of the MOS transistor and other nanoscale computing devices.
Physics 588 Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM) for Physical Science and Engineering Theoretical aspects of sample preparation, basic and advanced imaging, X-ray energy dispersive spectrometry, and other analytical materials characterization techniques on the scanning electron microscope (SEM).
Physics 781 Modern Theory of Solids Quantum theory of solids, emphasizing the unifying principles of symmetry, energy-band theory, dynamics of electrons and of periodic lattices, and cooperative phenomena.