Curriculum in Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering
A candidate for the M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering must comply with the rules and regulations outlined in the WVU Graduate catalog as well as the specific requirements of the Statler College and the department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.
Program Requirements
All M.S. degree candidates are required to follow a planned program of study. The student’s research advisor, in conjunction with the student’s Advising and Examining Committee (AEC) will be responsible for determining the plan of study appropriate to the student’s needs. The underlying principle of the planned program is to provide the students with the necessary support to complete their degree and prepare them for their career.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 is required in all courses | ||
| Course Requirements | ||
| A maximum of three 3-credit courses at the 400 level will be accepted towards the coursework requirements. | ||
| Plan of Study | ||
| Core Courses | ||
| MAE 583 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Materials | 3 |
| MAE 580 | Crystallography and Crystals | 3 |
| MAE 649 | Microscopy of Materials | 3 |
| MAE 686 | Materials Science and Engineering Seminar | 1 |
| Complete 1 of the following options: | 21 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
Technical Electives or Mathematics Technical Electives(15 hours) | ||
| Research (6 hours) | ||
Final Oral or Written Examination | ||
Thesis | ||
| Problem Report Option | ||
Technical Electives or Mathematics Technical Electives (18 hours) | ||
| Research (3 hours) | ||
Final Oral or Written Examination | ||
Formal written report or professional report/paper | ||
| Total Hours | 31 | |
Technical Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| MAE 446 | Mechanics of Composite Materials | 3 |
| MAE 528 | Introduction to Fuel Cell Technology | 3 |
| MAE 543 | Advanced Mechanics of Materials | 3 |
| MAE 593 | Special Topics (Requires AEC approval) | 1-6 |
| MAE 640 | Continuum Mechanics | 3 |
| MAE 641 | Theory of Elasticity 1 | 3 |
| MAE 643 | Inelastic Behavior of Engineering Materials | 3 |
| MAE 645 | Energy Methods in Applied Mechanics | 3 |
| MAE 646 | Advanced Mechanics of Composite Materials | 3 |
| MAE 648 & 648L | Experimental Stress Analysis and Experimental Stress Analysis Laboratory | 3 |
| MAE 687 | Materials Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 461 | Polymer Science and Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 462 | Polymer Processing | 3 |
| CHE 463 | Polymer Composites Processing | 3 |
| CHE 466 | Electronic Materials Processing | 3 |
| CHE 471 | Biochemical Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 565 | Corrosion Engineering | 3 |
| CHE 720 | Applied Statistical and Molecular Thermodynamics | 3 |
| CHE 726 | Catalysis | 3 |
| CHEM 422 | Inorganic Chemistry 2 | 3 |
| CHEM 422L | Inorganic Synthesis Laboratory | 2 |
| CHEM 444 | Colloid and Surface Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 514 | Mass Spectrometry Principles and Practices | 3 |
| CHEM 521 | Organometallic Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 547 | Chemical Crystallography | 3 |
| CHEM 713 | Electrochemistry and Instrumentation | 3 |
| CHEM 723 | Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry | 3 |
| EE 528 | Biomedial Microdevices | 3 |
| EE 550 | Advanced Semiconductor Electronics | 3 |
| EE 650 | Optoelectronics | 3 |
| PHYS 471 | Solid State Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 771 | Advanced Solid State Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 772 | Semiconductor Physics | 3 |
| PHYS 773 | Collective Phenomena in Solids | 3 |
| PHYS 774 | Optical Properties of Solids | 3 |
Mathematics Technical Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| CHE 531 | Mathematical Methods in Chemical Engineering | 3 |
| EE 463 | Digital Signal Processing Fundamentals | 3 |
| EE 465 | Introduction to Digital Image Processing | 3 |
| EE 515 | Linear Control Systems | 3 |
| EE 517 | Optimal Control | 3 |
| IENG 518 | Technology Forecasting | 3 |
| IENG 553 | Applied Linear Programming | 3 |
| MAE 515 | Analytical Methods in Engineering | 3 |
| MAE 623 | Conduction Heat Transfer | 3 |
| MAE 633 | Computational Fluid Dynamics | 3 |
| MAE 640 | Continuum Mechanics | 3 |
| MAE 645 | Energy Methods in Applied Mechanics | 3 |
| MATH 420 | Numerical Analysis 1 | 3 |
| MATH 441 | Applied Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 456 | Complex Variables | 3 |
| MATH 521 | Numerical Analysis | 3 |
| MATH 522 | Numerical Solution of PDE | 3 |
| MATH 541 | Modern Algebra 1 | 3 |
| MATH 543 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
| MATH 545 | Number Theory 1 | 3 |
| MATH 551 | Real Variables 1 | 3 |
| MATH 555 | Complex Variables 1 | 3 |
| MATH 560 | Introduction to Dynamical Systems and Applications | 3 |
| MATH 563 | Mathematical Modeling | 3 |
| MATH 564 | Intermediate Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 566 | Intermediate Partial Differential Equations | 3 |
| MATH 567 | Advanced Calculus 1 | 3 |
| MATH 568 | Advanced Calculus | 3 |
| MATH 573 | Graph Theory | 3 |
| STAT 513 | Design of Experiments | 3 |
| STAT 545 | Applied Regression Analysis | 3 |
| STAT 561 | Theory of Probability and Statistics 1 | 3 |
| STAT 562 | Theory of Probability and Statistics 2 | 3 |
| PHYS 461 | Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics | 3 |
| PHYS 611 | Introduction to Mathematical Physics | 3 |
Final Examination
M.S. students following the thesis or problem report option must prepare a written research proposal. The proposal must be approved by the student's AEC at least one semester prior to the final oral examination.
All students, regardless of option, are required to pass a final oral or written examination, administered by their AEC, covering the thesis or problem report and/or related course material.
Suggested Plan of Study
The plan below illustrates the Thesis Option. It is important for students to take courses in the order specified as much as possible; all prerequisites and concurrent requirements must be observed. A typical M.S.M.S.E. degree program that completes degree requirements in one and a half years is as follows.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MAE 580 | 3 | Technical Elective 1 | 3 |
| MAE 583 | 3 | Technical Elective 2 | 3 |
| MAE 649 | 3 | Technical Elective 3 | 3 |
| MAE 686 | 1 | MAE 697 | 3 |
| 10 | 12 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | ||
| Technical Elective 4 | 3 | ||
| Technical Elective 5 | 3 | ||
| MAE 697 | 3 | ||
| 9 | |||
| Total credit hours: 31 | |||
Major Learning Outcomes
Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSMSE)
Upon graduation, with a Masters of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering, students will have:
- An expert level understanding of the advanced principles of their engineering specialty
- Ability to apply advanced methodologies in their specialty area
- Ability to design and conduct original experiments, analyze and interpret data, and develop recommendations with a high degree of independence
- Advanced ability to use contemporary techniques, skills, and tools necessary for engineering practice in education, industry, and/or government
- Ability to effectively communicate technical information in the form of a thesis, scientific publication or presentation
- Understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
- Ability to understand the impact of engineering solutions in global and societal context
- Recognition of the need to engage in life-long learning
- Foundational preparation to pursue doctoral studies