Minor in Materials Science & Engineering (MEMS)
Materials Science & 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, and it 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.
For more information, students should contact the advisor for the Minor in Materials Science & Engineering: Professor Katharine Flores (MEMS).
Some courses have prerequisites. Students will be approved for the minor after discussing appropriate course selection with the advisor for the minor.
Requirements
Units required: 17
| Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| Three required courses | 8 |
| Two courses from specialization "pick lists" | 6 |
| One additional coure from any list | 3 |
| Total Units | 17 |
Required Courses
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 1701 | General Chemistry I | 3 |
or CHEM 1601 | Principles of General Chemistry I | |
| CHEM 1751 | General Chemistry Laboratory I | 2 |
or MEMS 2050 | Mechanics and Materials Science Laboratory | |
| MEMS 2610 | Materials Science | 3 |
or EECE-E44 3520 | Materials Science | |
| Total Units | 8 | |
Specialization "Pick Lists"
Students should select at least two courses (6 units) from any one of the following categories:
Structural Materials
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MEMS 5506 | Experimental Methods in Solid Mechanics | 3 |
| MEMS 5507 | Fatigue and Fracture Analysis | 3 |
| MEMS 5601 | Mechanical Behavior of Materials | 3 |
| MEMS 5605 | Mechanical Behavior of Composites | 3 |
| MEMS 5615 | Metallurgy and Design of Alloys | 3 |
| MEMS 5616 | Defects in Materials | 3 |
Electronic/Optical Materials
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 5014 | Physical Properties of Quantum Nanostructures | 3 |
| ESE 4290 | Basic Principles of Quantum Optics and Quantum Information | 3 |
| ESE 4360 | Semiconductor Devices | 3 |
| ESE 5310 | Nano and Micro Photonics | 3 |
| MEMS 5803 | Nanotechnology Concepts and Applications | 3 |
| MEMS 5611 | Principles and Methods of Micro and Nanofabrication | 3 |
| MEMS 5801 | Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems I | 3 |
| MEMS 5617 | Advanced Study of Solid-State Electronics | 3 |
| MEMS 5618 | Electronic Behavior of Materials | 3 |
| PHYSICS 5072 | Solid State Physics | 3 |
or PHYSICS 4072 | Solid State Physics |
Biomaterials/Soft Materials
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| BME 4790 | Biofabrication & Medical Devices | 3 |
| BME 4320 | Physics of Biopolymers | 3 |
or BME 5320 | Physics of Biopolymers and Bioinspired Polymers | |
| BME 5230 | Biomaterials Science | 3 |
| CHEM 4511 | Synthetic Polymer Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 4570 | Synthetic Polymer Chemistry Laboratory | 3 |
| EECE 5420 | Polymers for Energy, Sustainability, and Human Health | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| CHEM 4360 | Inorganic Electrochemistry and Photochemistry | 3 |
| EECE 5040 | Aerosol Science and Technology | 3 |
| EECE 5050 | Aquatic Chemistry | 3 |
| EECE 5200 | Electrochemical Engineering | 3 |
| EECE 5420 | Polymers for Energy, Sustainability, and Human Health | 3 |
| EEPS 3360 | Minerals and Rocks in the Environment | 3 |
| EEPS 5670 | Planetary Materials | 3 |
Materials Design and Manufacturing
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MEMS 4101 | Manufacturing Processes | 3 |
| MEMS 5611 | Principles and Methods of Micro and Nanofabrication | 3 |
| MEMS 5612 | Atomistic Modeling of Materials | 3 |
| MEMS 5621 | Materials Selection in Design | 3 |
| MEMS 5615 | Metallurgy and Design of Alloys | 3 |
| MEMS 5801 | Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems | 3 |
Materials Chatacterization
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| MEMS 5506 | Experimental Methods in Solid Mechanics | 3 |
| MEMS 5603 | Materials Characterization Techniques I | 3 |
| MEMS 5604 | Materials Characterization Techniques II | 3 |
Fundamentals of MSE
These are core courses for the PhD program in Materials Science and Engineering. Pursue with caution!
| Code | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| PHYSICS 4072 | Solid State Physics | 3 |
or PHYSICS 5072 | Solid-State Physics | |
| CHEM 4620 | Solid-State and Materials Chemistry | 3 |
or CHEM 5620 | Solid-State and Materials Chemistry | |
| MEMS 5610 | Quantitative Materials & Engineering | 3 |
| MEMS 5619 | Thermodynamics of Materials | 3 |
| MEMS 5620 | Kinetics of Materials | 3 |
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CHEM 4620 and CHEM 5620 are co-taught covering the same material. CHEM 4620 is intended for undergraduates, while CHEM 5620 is intended for graduate students. Students with credit for one may not be allowed to enroll in the other, and only one version of the course can be counted toward the minor.
Free Electives: To complete the minor, students may select one additional course from any category above. Students may also fulfill the free elective with 3 credits of MEMS 4999 Independent Study for an independent study project on a materials science and engineering topic. The project topic and description must be preapproved by the advisor for the minor.