Program Overview

Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Materials

This course from MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering introduces the fundamental principles of quantum mechanics, solid state physics, and electricity and magnetism. We use these principles to describe the origins of the electronic, optical, and magnetic properties of materials, and we discuss how these properties can be engineered to suit particular applications, including diodes, optical fibers, LEDs, and solar cells.

In this course, you will find out how the speed of sound is connected to the electronic band gap, what the difference is between a metal and a semiconductor, and how many magnetic domains fit in a nanoparticle. You will explore a wide range of topics in the domains of materials engineering, quantum mechanics, solid state physics that are essential for any engineer or scientist who wants to gain a fuller understanding of the principles underlying modern electronics.

What you'll learn

• Discover the quantum mechanical origins of materials properties
• Explain the origin of electronic bands in semiconductors
• Learn the operating principles of solid state devices such as solar cells and LEDs
• Understand the materials physics that underlies the optical and magnetic behavior of materials

Prerequisites

• Differential and Integral Calculus
• University-level Electricity & Magnetism
• Fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering, or a knowledge structure and bonding in solid state materials.

Instructors

• Jessica Sandland: Principal Lecturer and Digital Learning Scientist
• Polina Anikeeva: Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering

Who can take this course?

Because of U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) restrictions and other U.S. federal regulations, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba, Syria, North Korea and the Crimea, Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic regions of Ukraine.

Course Details

• Start: Anytime
• End: September 16, 2026
• Course Format: Self-paced
• Estimated: 15 weeks, 11-13 hours per week
• Price: Free to Learn, Certificate Track: $187.00
• Payment deadline: September 6, 2026

Instructor Profiles

Jessica Sandland

Jessica Sandland is a principal lecturer in MIT’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE), where she leads online learning initiatives--developing massive open online courses (MOOCs), collaborating with faculty, researching best practices in online learning, and designing blended learning experiences for the MIT community. She has overseen the development of a wide variety of DMSE’s online courses. Jessica is one of the co-founders and leads of the MICRO program, whose mission is to provide a remote research and education experience for engineering undergraduates from disadvantaged backgrounds. She also serves as a senior member of Open Learning’s Digital Learning Laboratory. Her current research interests include the utility of peer review in open online courses and the use of humor in MOOCs.

Polina Anikeeva

Polina Anikeeva is the Matoula S. Salapatas Professor of Materials Science and Engineering and Professor of Brain and Cognitive Sciences at MIT. She also serves as the director of the K. Lisa Yang Brain-Body Center at the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and is an associate director of the Research Laboratory of Electronics. Anikeeva received her BS in physics from St. Petersburg State Polytechnic University in 2003 and a PhD in materials science and engineering from MIT in 2009. She completed her postdoctoral training at Stanford University, where she created devices for optical stimulation and recording from brain circuits. Professor Anikeeva’s research draws inspiration from neurobiology to create minimally invasive materials and devices to interface with the nervous system. The technologies developed in her Bioelectronics Group are advancing the fundamental neuroscience of brain-organ communication and paving the way to minimally invasive treatments of neurological and psychiatric conditions.