Program Overview

Materials Science and Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering involves the study and application of materials and their properties to enable technologies by controlling the structure through systematic synthesis and subsequent processing routes.

Program Contact

The program is part of the Faculty of Engineering.

Degree Options

• Materials Science and Engineering (MASc)
  • Description: Materials Science & Engineering is about unravelling the fundamental principles governing the behavior of materials to enable technologies across a broad range of applications. This includes performance functionalities of all classes of materials across length scale ranging from the macro-scale down to nano-scale.
  • Areas of Research:
    • nanotechnology
    • nanomaterials
    • energy and fuel cells
    • automotive materials and corrosion
    • steel and steelmaking
    • recycling
    • electrochemical technology
    • biomaterials
    • electronic materials
    • computational modelling
    • physical metallurgy
    • polymers
  • Length: 2 years
  • Type: Thesis
  • Options: Full-Time, Part-Time
  • Typical Entry: September, January, May
  • Typical Deadline:
    • September entry – March 1 (International), June 1 (Canadian)
    • January entry – July 1 (International), October 1 (Canadian)
    • May entry – December 1 (International), February 1 (Canadian)
• Materials Science and Engineering (PhD)
  • Description: Materials Science & Engineering is about unravelling the fundamental principles governing the behaviour of materials to enable technologies across a broad range of applications. This includes performance functionalities of all classes of materials across length scale ranging from the macro-scale down to nano-scale.
  • Areas of Research:
    • Nanotechnology
    • nanomaterials
    • energy and fuel cells
    • automotive materials and corrosion
    • steel and steelmaking
    • recycling
    • electrochemical technology
    • biomaterials
    • electronic materials
    • computational modelling
    • physical metallurgy
    • polymers
  • Length: 4 years
  • Type: Thesis
  • Options: Full-Time, Part-Time
  • Typical Entry: September, January, May
  • Typical Deadline:
    • September entry – March 1 (International), June 1 (Canadian)
    • January entry – July 1 (International), October 1 (Canadian)
    • May entry – December 1 (International), February 1 (Canadian)

Scholarships

• Bertram Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: May 26, 2025
  • Amount: $20,000
  • Description: In recognition of the growing importance of good governance to all Canadian institutions, the Canadian Foundation for Governance Research is offering annual Bertram Scholarships to PhD students registered at Canadian universities.
• Dr. J. A. Campbell Young Investigator Award
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: April 30, 2023
  • Amount: $5,000
  • Description: The Dr. J. A. Campbell Young Investigator Award is available to students and those who have recently completed degrees for any kind of research into celiac disease and / or gluten sensitivity.
• E. G. Bolotkin Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 1991 with funds from the estate of Eugene G.Bolotkin. To be awarded annually by the School of Graduate Studies to incoming or currently registered Canadian citizens or Permanent Residents in the Departments of Physics & Astronomy, Engineering Physics, and Materials Science & Engineering.
• Fulbright Canada Student Awards
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: November 15, 2023
  • Amount:
  • Description: Traditional Fulbright Canada Student awards are intended for Canadian citizens who are graduate students, prospective graduate students, or promising young professionals who wish to study and/or conduct research in the United States.
• Health Research Postdoctoral Opportunities
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: A comprehensive list of funding sources and agencies for postdoctoral fellows in the Faculty of Health Sciences and those doing health-related research.
• Iranian Student Memorial Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in honour of McMaster Faculty of Engineering PhD students Iman Aghabali and Mehdi Eshaghian, and a former Faculty of Health Science Post-Doctoral Fellow, who lost their lives on the downing of Ukrainian International Airlines Flight PS752.
• John Charles Polanyi Prize
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: December 2, 2024
  • Amount:
  • Description: In honour of the achievement of John Charles Polanyi, recipient of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Government of the Province of Ontario has established a fund to provide annually up to five prizes to outstanding researchers in the early stages of their career.
• Lyle Makosky Values and Ethics in Sport Fund
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: April 30, 2024
  • Amount:
  • Description: This award is through the True Sport Foundation of Canada.
• Manulife Life Lessons Scholarship Program
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: March 31, 2023
  • Amount:
  • Description: Manulife has introduced the first Life Lessons Scholarship Program in Canada, for students who’ve experienced the death of a parent or guardian with little to no life insurance.
• Maple Leaf Centre for Food Security
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: February 23, 2024
  • Amount:
  • Description: Four scholarships open to master’s and PhD students who are conducting research on determinants, impacts, and policy or program interventions into food insecurity in Canada.
• Mary Buzzell Graduate Scholarship for Resilient Aging
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: December 1, 2024
  • Amount:
  • Description: The Mary Buzzell Graduate Scholarship for Resilient Aging will be awarded to an outstanding student enrolled in any Master’s Degree program at McMaster University who is preparing for a career in the multidisciplinary field of Aging.
• McMaster Graduate General Bursary
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: A bursary is based solely on financial need.
• McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) Postdoctoral Fellowship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Prospective postdoctoral fellows are invited to submit a research plan that focuses on interdisciplinary, impact-driven approaches in the study of optimal aging.
• MIRA Graduate Scholarship Program
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: November 25, 2024
  • Amount:
  • Description: The McMaster Institute for Research on Aging (MIRA) provides funding to support interdisciplinary research on aging led by McMaster researchers from across all six Mac Faculties.
• Mitacs-JSPS Summer Program
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: November 13, 2024
  • Amount:
  • Description: The Mitacs-JSPS Summer program is offered in partnership with the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science and Mitacs.
• MURA Academic Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2020 the McMaster University Retirees Association (MURA).
• Rainbow Fund
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: To be granted to graduate students enrolled in any program who identify as 2SLGBTQIA+ students and demonstrate financial need.
• Senior Women Academic Administrators of Canada Graduate Student Award of Merit
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: At least three awards, each in the amount of $4000, will be awarded annually to the women graduate students who have demonstrated outstanding leadership in the university or general community while maintaining exemplary academic records.
• The Angela Manolescu Memorial Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2020 by family in loving memory of Angela Manolescu ‘77, the first female Ph.D in Metallurgy at McMaster University.
• The Barkleys of Avonmore Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: The Barkley’s of Avonmore Scholarship was established in 1977 through the generosity of Fred Barkley to assist a student from a developing country to pursue advanced studies at McMaster University.
• The CHEPA Doctoral Research Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2022 by David Feeny and George Torrance, founding members of the Centre for Health Economics and Policy Analysis (CHEPA).
• The Don Morrison Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2022 by Heather Sheardown, B. Eng. (Class of ’89) in memory of her father, Don Morrison, a man who valued both work and recreation, connected through his music, and loved deeply.
• The Dr. Colin Webber Graduate Scholarship
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2013 to honour the memory of Dr. Colin Webber, McMaster University professor, physicist, radiation safety expert, teacher, mentor, and leader in the field of bone research.
• The Edna Howard Bursary
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2022 by the family of Edna Howard, this bursary honours the support Edna offered graduate students through her work as a cook at The Phoenix Bar and Grill.
• The H. Vincent Elliott Memorial Travel Bursary
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: The H.Vincent Elliott Memorial Travel Bursary was established in 2010 by Dr. Susan J.Elliott (MA 97 and PhD92), esteemed former Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences, professor of Geography and Earth Sciences, and senior research fellow at the United Nations Institute on Water (UNU-IWEH), Environment and Health, in memory of her father, H.Vincent Elliott.
• The James F. Harvey and Helen S. Harvey Travel Scholarships
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 1995 with funds from the estate of Helen S. Harvey.
• The Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada Graduate Award
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2022 by the Lambda Scholarship Foundation Canada.
• The Myra Baillie Academic Grant
  • Category: External
  • Amount:
  • Description: Established in 2005 by the Surgical Associates in memory of Myra Baillie.
• The School of Graduate Studies Grant in Aid for Research Travel
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: March 7, 2025
  • Amount:
  • Description: The SGS Grant is intended to be a grant in aid of research; students should not expect the grants to cover the full cost of travel or field work.
• Wilson Leadership Scholar Award
  • Category: External
  • Deadline Date: March 28, 2022
  • Amount:
  • Description: The Wilson Leader Scholarship Award for graduate students is different. Valued at $12,000 in direct funding and up to $2,000 for experiential funding, it’s a leadership development and career launcher program that builds on your studies.