Materials science and engineering (MSE) is an interdisciplinary field that applies the fundamental knowledge of the physical sciences to create engineering innovations. In general, the term engineering refers to actively designing a system for a given application; MSE enables the design of systems from the atoms up. MSE focuses on the interrelationship between a material's structure (from the subatomic level to the macro scale) and the properties or behaviors that the material exhibits. Materials synthesis and processing techniques enable engineers to control and change the material structure in order to obtain the desired properties. Understanding the structure–properties–processing relationship requires a fundamental knowledge of the underlying chemistry and physics; this is key to obtaining materials with the desired performance for engineering applications in a wide variety of fields, from computing to medicine to energy.
The minor in MSE builds upon the fundamental insights into material structure and properties gained through required introductory courses in chemistry and materials science. Students then select at least two courses from specialization "pick lists" to gain depth in a particular application area. A free elective provides the opportunity to gain additional depth in the fundamentals or exposure to another application area.
Students will be approved for the minor after discussing appropriate course selection with the adviser for the minor. Some courses have prerequisites.
Requirements
Units required: 17
| Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Three required courses | 8 |
| Two courses from specialization "pick lists" | 6 |
| One free elective | 3 |
| Total | 17 |
Required courses*:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Chem 111A | General Chemistry I | 3 |
| or Chem 105 | Introductory General Chemistry I | |
| Chem 151 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
| MEMS 3610 | Materials Science | 3 |
| or EECE 305 | Materials Science | |
| Total Units | 8 | |
| * | Students majoring in geology, geophysics, geochemistry or environmental earth science may substitute EPSc 352 Earth Materials for the required combination of Chem 111A and Chem 151. In this case, EPSc 352 may not be used to fulfill the specialization pick list or free elective requirements. |
Specialization "Pick Lists"
Students should select at least two courses from any one of the following categories.
Structural Materials:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MEMS 3601 | Materials Engineering | 3 |
| MEMS 5506 | Experimental Methods in Solid Mechanics | 3 |
| MEMS 5507 | Fatigue and Fracture Analysis | 3 |
| MEMS 5560/BME 4904 | Interfaces and Attachments in Natural and Engineered Structures | 3 |
| MEMS 5601 | Mechanical Behavior of Materials | 3 |
| MEMS 5602 | Non-metallics | 3 |
| MEMS 5605 | Mechanical Behavior of Composites | 3 |
| MEMS 5612 | Atomistic Modeling of Materials | 3 |
| MEMS 5615 | Metallurgy and Design of Alloys | 3 |
Electronic/Optical Materials:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| L07 Chem 542 | Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry (The Chemistry of Energy Storage) | 3 |
| L07 Chem 543 | Physical Properties of Quantum Nanostructures | 3 |
| ESE 436 | Semiconductor Devices | 3 |
| ESE 531 | Nano and Micro Photonics | 3 |
| ESE 536 | Introduction to Quantum Optics | 3 |
| MEMS 463 | Nanotechnology Concepts and Applications | 3 |
| Physics 472 | Solid State Physics | 3 |
Biomaterials/Soft Materials:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BME 432/BME 532 | Physics of Biopolymers and Bioinspired Polymers | 3 |
| BME 523 | Biomaterials Science | 3 |
| MEMS 5560/BME 4904 | Interfaces and Attachments in Natural and Engineered Structures | 3 |
| MEMS 5606 | Soft Nanomaterials | 3 |
| MEMS 5607 | Introduction to Polymer Blends and Composites | 3 |
| MEMS 5608 | Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering | 3 |
| MEMS 5613 | Biomaterials Processing | 3 |
| MEMS 5614 | Polymeric Materials Synthesis and Modification | 3 |
Materials for Energy and Environmental Technologies:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| L07 Chem 542 | Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry (The Chemistry of Energy Storage) | 3 |
| EECE 504 | Aerosol Science and Technology | 3 |
| EECE 505 | Aquatic Chemistry | 3 |
Natural Materials:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| EPSc 336 | Minerals and Rocks in the Environment | 3 |
| EPSc 352 | Earth Materials | 5 |
Free Electives
To complete the minor, students may select one additional course from the categories above or from the list of courses below:
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| Chem 465 | Solid-State and Materials Chemistry | 3 |
| MEMS 4101 | Manufacturing Processes | 3 |
| MEMS 5102 | Materials Selection in Design | 3 |
| MEMS 5603 | Materials Characterization Techniques I | 3 |
| MEMS 5604 | Materials Characterization Techniques II | 3 |
| MEMS 5610 | Quantitative Materials Science & Engineering | 3 |
| MEMS 5612 | Atomistic Modeling of Materials | 3 |
| MEMS 5801 | Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems I | 3 |
| Physics 217 | Introduction to Quantum Physics | 3 |
| Physics 318 | Introduction to Quantum Physics II | 3 |
| L31 Physics 537 | Kinetics of Materials | 3 |
For more information, email Professor Katharine Flores, adviser for the minor in materials science and engineering (MEMS).