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 | ||
| MSEN 583 | Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Materials | 3 |
| MSEN 580 | Crystallography and Crystals | 3 |
| MSEN 649 | Microscopy of Materials | 3 |
| MSEN 686 | Materials Science and Engineering Seminar | 1 |
| Complete 1 of the following options: | 21 | |
| Thesis Option | ||
Technical Electives or Mathematics Technical Electives(15 hours) | ||
MSEN 697 | Research (6 hours) | |
Final Oral or Written Examination | ||
Thesis | ||
| Problem Report Option | ||
Technical Electives or Mathematics Technical Electives (18 hours) | ||
MSEN 697 | 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 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 |
| MSEN 580 | 3 | Technical Elective 1 | 3 |
| MSEN 583 | 3 | Technical Elective 2 | 3 |
| MSEN 649 | 3 | Technical Elective 3 | 3 |
| MSEN 686 | 1 | MSEN 697 | 3 |
| 10 | 12 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | ||
| Technical Elective 4 | 3 | ||
| Technical Elective 5 | 3 | ||
| MSEN 697 | 3 | ||
| 9 | |||
| Total credit hours: 31 | |||
Accelerated Bachelor's in Mechanical Engineering / Master's in Materials Science and Engineering
Students must fulfill all degree requirements for the B.S.M.E. in Mechanical Engineering and all the requirements of the M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. Students must also meet all the requirements of the ABM.
ABM Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate Coursework | 117 | |
| Shared Bachelor's/Master's Coursework | 9 | |
| Graduate Coursework | 22 | |
| Total Hours | 148 | |
Shared Coursework Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Courses completed must be at the 400 or 500 level. | ||
| See BSME and MSMSE for list of elective course options. * | ||
| Courses | ||
| BSME Technical Elective | 3 | |
| BSME Technical Elective | 3 | |
| BSME Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 9 | |
Suggested Plan of Study
It is important for students to take courses in the order specific as much as possible; all prerequisite and concurrent requirements must be observed. A typical ABM B.S.M.E. & M.S.M.S.E. degree program completes degree requirements in five years is as follows.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| CHEM 115 & 115L (GEF 2B) | 4 | ENGR 102 or MAE 102 | 3 |
| ENGL 101 (GEF 1) | 3 | MATH 156 (GEF 8) | 4 |
| ENGR 101 | 2 | PHYS 111 & 111L (GEF 8) | 4 |
| ENGR 191 | 1 | GEF 5, 6, or 7 | 3 |
| MATH 155 (GEF 3) | 4 | GEF 5, 6, or 7 | 3 |
| GEF 5, 6, or 7 | 3 | ||
| 17 | 17 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MAE 202 | 1 | ENGL 102 | 3 |
| MAE 211 & 211L | 3 | AOE Course | 1 |
| MAE 212L | 1 | MAE 242 | 3 |
| MAE 216L | 1 | MAE 243 | 3 |
| MAE 241 | 3 | MAE 320 | 3 |
| MATH 251 | 4 | MATH 261 | 4 |
| PHYS 112 & 112L | 4 | ||
| 17 | 17 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| EE 221 & 221L | 4 | ECON 201 | 3 |
| MAE 316 | 3 | IENG 302 | 2 |
| MAE 331 | 3 | MAE 342 | 3 |
| MAE 353 | 3 | CHEM 116 & 116L (AOE Course) | 4 |
| MSEN 350 | 3 | AOE Course | 3 |
| 16 | 15 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MAE 456 & 456L | 3 | MAE 423 | 3 |
| MAE 471S | 3 | MAE 472S | 3 |
| BSME Technical Elective* | 3 | BSME Technical Elective* | 3 |
| AOE Course | 3 | BSME Technical Elective* | 3 |
| AOE Course | 3 | ||
| 15 | 12 | ||
| Fifth Year | |||
| Fall | Hours | Spring | Hours |
| MSEN 580 | 3 | MSEN 583 | 3 |
| MSEN 686 | 1 | MSEN 649 | 3 |
| MSEN 697 | 3 | MSEN 697 | 3 |
| MSMSE Elective | 3 | MSMSE Elective | 3 |
| 10 | 12 | ||
| Total credit hours: 148 | |||
- *
- Indicates that this course will be shared with the MS requirements.
- +
See BSME degree for list of area of emphasis courses. Students completing the Area of Emphasis in Materials Science are prohibited from counting MSEN 449, MSEN 480, and MSEN 483 toward their degree requirements.
- ++
See BSME degree for list of technical electives. The following courses are not approved as technical electives for the ABM program. MAE 491, MAE 495, MAE 496, MAE 497, MSEN 491, MSEN 495, MSEN 496, MSEN 497, ROBE 491, ROBE 495, ROBE 496, ROBE 497.
- +++
See MSMSE degree for list of technical electives and mathematics technical electives.
Degree Progress
The Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering requires the following milestones for all Master's students. According to the graduate catalog, students will receive a yearly evaluation. This requirement may be waived for students in good standing who are expected to graduate in spring or summer.
Students who are either not making adequate degree progress or who are failing to uphold professional standards may receive notice of probation, suspension or dismissal. Students may be notified of academic consequences outside of routine evaluation processes if an issue must be addressed immediately.
Each year, no later than the first day of classes of the Fall semester, the department will distribute an updated version of the graduate handbook.
Benchmarks
- Year 1:
- Submit Preliminary Plan of Study to Department (graduate coordinator or program assistant)
- Penultimate Semester:
- Submit Final Plan of Study
- Final Semester:
- Apply to Graduate (Registrar Form)
- Submit Request for Final Defense two weeks prior to defense date
- Abstract two weeks prior to defense date. (Thesis and Problem Report)
- Prepare ETD by deadline (See for dates and document formatting) (Thesis and Problem Report)
Satisfactory Progress
- Maintain a 3.0 GPA in all coursework.
- For Thesis and Problem Report, students must earn a grade of Satisfactory in the research course.
More information on policies regarding student progress can be found on the Statler College Policies page.
Major Learning Outcomes
Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSMSE)
Upon graduation with a Master 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