Program Overview

PhD in Materials Science – Degree Requirements

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree requires 33 total credits, which include 24 credit hours of course work and 9 credits of doctoral dissertation work on a research topic approved by the advisor.

Program Requirements

The requirements for the PhD in Materials Science are outlined below:

1. Required Core Courses (9 credits) must take the following three courses:

• MSEG608 – Structure and Properties of Materials I (3 credits)
• MSEG803 – Equilibria in Materials Systems (3 credits)
• MSEG804 – Kinetics in Materials Systems (3 credits)

2. Required Non-Core Courses (6-12 credits) must be chosen from the approved list of four non-core courses:

• MSEG640 – Applied Quantum Mechanics I (3 credits)
• MSEG841 – Solid State Materials I (3 credits)
• MSEG832 – Principles of Polymer Synthesis (3 credits)
• MSEG835 – Polymer Physics (3 credits) Students must choose a minimum of two from the above courses. If more than two are taken, they can count as electives.

3. Technical Elective Courses (9 credits) must be chosen from the list of non-core courses above or other courses approved by the student's research advisor:

• Elective courses will be chosen after discussion with the student's advisor and will usually be related to the student's area of research.
• Students can choose 600-800 level technical courses from any of the departments within the College of Engineering, Physics, or Chemistry.
• Additional courses from the list above can be used to fulfill this requirement.

4. Ph.D. Dissertation Requirements (9 credits) must be obtained by completing the Doctoral Dissertation:

• Complete and pass the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination and be admitted into Doctoral Candidacy
• MSEG969 – Doctoral Dissertation (9 credits)
• Data Defense – approximately 6 months prior to defending
• Defense – each student must defend their research work to their Committee.
• Ph.D. Dissertation: The dissertation must be of publishable quality, containing original results of the student's research effort and must be presented to and approved by the student's research advisor, Committee, and the Department Chairperson.

5. Additional Requirements

• All graduate students are expected to take four 800-level courses to earn the degree.
• Students must earn a grade of B- or higher in all courses counting towards the degree requirement.
• The University requires graduate students to have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to earn their degree.
• Attend departmental seminars.

Student Expectations

• Must take four 800-level courses to earn the degree.
• Students must earn a grade of B- or higher in all courses counting towards the degree requirement.
• The University requires graduate students to have a GPA of 3.0 or higher to earn their degree.
• Attend departmental seminars.

Program Structure

The PhD in Materials Science is designed to provide students with a comprehensive education in materials science, including coursework, research, and dissertation requirements. The program is structured to allow students to specialize in their area of interest while also providing a broad foundation in materials science.