Materials Science and Technology
Materials Science and Technology major will focus on the properties of materials needed for modern technology, and how they relate to the underlying physical and chemical structure.
Materials are the functional components of modern technology - electrodes for rechargeable batteries, semiconductors, conductors, and insulators in electronics for classical and quantum computers, polymers/plastics, sensors, and much more. Materials scientists invent new materials and study the connections between underlying atomic/molecular structure of a material, its properties, its processing methods, and its performance in applications.
Admission
Students will be required to apply for admission into the MSTC major after completing the foundational course sequences in physics (PHYS 201/2/3 or 251/2/3 + lab), chemistry (CH 221/2/3 or 224/5/6H + lab), materials science (MSTC 231/232), and the CH329 Research Immersion course. Students will be asked to provide their academic transcript, their choice of physics or chemistry emphasis, and potential research/industry area of interest as part of the application.
The requirement for admission is achieving a GPA of 3.0 or better in the foundational courses. Students not meeting this requirement, but with a strong academic record that demonstrates steady progress towards acquiring the quantitative and critical thinking skills necessary for success in the program, can petition for admission to the program through additional review. In addition to application materials listed above, applicants will be asked to provide a CV; short essay responses to prompts that aim to evaluate their clarity of purpose and dedication with regard to academic/career goals, ability to overcome obstacles, and ability to tackle open-ended research questions; and references from 1-2 instructors in the foundational courses. Applications will be evaluated by a three-member committee with members drawn from chemistry and physics faculty.
See program's website for more details.
Program Administration
Jayson Paulose, Program Director, Physics
Victoria DeRose, Department Head, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Richard Taylor, Department Head, Physics
Advisory Committee
Matthias Agne, Chemistry
Scott Fisher, Physics
Michael Koscho, Chemistry and Biochemistry
Ben McMorran, Physics
Celeste Melamed, Chemistry
Program Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this program, students will be able to:
- Materials Science and Technology majors will be able to connect the atomic and molecular structure of materials to their properties, understanding based on the foundations of physics and chemistry, how to design and test materials for advanced applications in energy, computation, transportation, bioengineering, mechanical applications and more. They will learn and apply modern techniques in data, programming, and computation to solve problems and develop technology specializations that launch their career in industry, national laboratories or academia.
Materials Science and Technology Major Requirements
Courses used to fulfill the major requirements must be taken for a letter grade and passed with a grade of C- or better.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation courses | ||
| CH 224H–226H | Honors General Chemistry 1 | 12 |
| CH 329 | Research Immersion Laboratory | 3 |
| MSTC 231 | Fundamentals of Materials in Technology I | 4 |
| MSTC 232 | Fundamentals of Materials in Technology II | 4 |
| PHYS 251–253 | Foundations of Physics I 2 | 12 |
| Select one of the lab options: | 3-4 | |
| Option A: | ||
| Foundations of Physics Laboratory (Taken three times) | ||
| Option B: | ||
| Introductory Physics Laboratory | ||
| Introductory Physics Laboratory | ||
| Option C: 3 | ||
| General Chemistry I Laboratory and Chemistry Tools I | ||
| General Chemistry II Laboratory and Chemistry Tools II | ||
| Mathematics and Computation | ||
| MATH 251Z–253Z | Calculus: Differential, Integral, and Sequences & Series | 12 |
| MATH 256 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 4 |
| MATH 281 | Several-Variable Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 341 | Elementary Linear Algebra | 4 |
| Advanced Math/Computation Elective - select one | 4 | |
| Computer Science I | ||
or CS 211 | Computer Science II | |
or CS 212 | Computer Science III | |
| Several-Variable Calculus II | ||
| Partial Differential Equations: Fourier Analysis I | ||
| Partial Differential Equations: Fourier Analysis II | ||
| Mathematical Methods | ||
| Fundamentals of Materials Science 4 | ||
| Select one of the emphasis (see below) | 22-24 | |
| Materials Science and Technology Core | ||
| MSTC 431 | Thermal Physics of Advanced Materials | 4 |
| MSTC 432 | Kinetics and Transport in Advanced Materials | 4 |
| MSTC 441 | Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Materials I | 4 |
| MSTC 442 | Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Materials II | 4 |
| Upper-Division Electives | ||
| Three upper-division or graduate level materials science, chemistry, or physic courses on top of the courses outlined above. Courses are expected to be 400-level or above. | 12 | |
| Total Credits | 116-119 | |
- 1
Students can petition to count CH221Z-223Z instead.
- 2
Students can petition to count PHYS 201-203 instead.
- 3
Students who transfer CH 227/228 credits from other schools may be waived corresponding CH 217/218.
- 4
Students are expected to follow the physics or chemistry emphasis; courses from different emphasis may be mixed by petition as long as all categories/prerequisites are fulfilled.
Physics Emphasis
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| PHYS 351 | Foundations of Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 352 | Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics I | 4 |
| PHYS 353 | Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics II | 4 |
| CH 341 | Majors Track Organic Chemistry I 1 | 4 |
| Advanced Lab Courses - select two of the following: 2 | 8 | |
| Foundations of Data Science I | ||
| Physics Experimentation Data Analysis Laboratory | ||
| Analog Electronics | ||
| Digital Electronics | ||
| Design of Experiments | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
CH 331 may be substituted.
- 2
The requirement of Advanced Lab credits may be partially met by undergraduate research credits (PHYS 401, PHYS 491, PHYS 492, PHYS 493, CH 401) instead of courses listed.
Chemistry Emphasis
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| CH 341 | Majors Track Organic Chemistry I 1 | 4 |
| CH 411 | Physical Chemistry | 4 |
| Select one of the Advanced Chemistry Sequence | 8 | |
| Organic Chemistry 2 | ||
| Majors Track Organic Chemistry II | ||
| Majors Track Organic Chemistry III | ||
| Physical Chemistry | ||
| Physical Chemistry | ||
| Physical Chemistry | ||
| Select one of the Advanced Lab Sequence 3 | 6-8 | |
| Organic Chemistry Lab Sequence 4 | ||
| Majors Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | ||
| Organic Chemistry Laboratory for Majors | ||
| Physical Chemistry Lab Sequence | ||
| Physical Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Physical Chemistry Laboratory | ||
| Total Credits | 22-24 | |
- 1
CH 331 may be substituted.
- 2
CH 335/CH 336 may be substituted.
- 3
The requirement of Advanced Lab credits may be partially met by undergraduate research credits (PHYS 401, PHYS 491, PHYS 492, PHYS 493, CH 401) instead of courses listed.
- 4
CH 337/CH 338 may be substituted.
Four-Year Degree Plan
The degree plan shown is only a sample of how students may complete their degrees in four years. There are alternative ways. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best path for them.
Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Technology (Physics Emphasis)
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Milestones | Credits | |
| CH 111 | Introduction to Chemical Principles | 4 | |
| MATH 111Z | Precalculus I: Functions | 4 | |
| WR 121Z | Composition I | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Winter | |||
| CH 221Z | General Chemistry I | 4 | |
| MATH 112Z | Precalculus II: Trigonometry | 4 | |
| WR 122Z | Composition II | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Spring | |||
| CH 222Z | General Chemistry II | 4 | |
| MATH 251Z | Differential Calculus | 4 | |
| DSCI 101 | Foundations of Data Science I | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | |||
| CH 223Z | General Chemistry III | 4 | |
| PHYS 251 | Foundations of Physics I | 4 | |
| PHYS 290 | Foundations of Physics Laboratory | 1 | |
| MSTC 231 | Fundamentals of Materials in Technology I | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 17 | ||
| Winter | |||
| MATH 252Z | Integral Calculus | 4 | |
| PHYS 252 | Foundations of Physics I | 4 | |
| PHYS 290 | Foundations of Physics Laboratory | 1 | |
| MSTC 232 | Fundamentals of Materials in Technology II | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 17 | ||
| Spring | |||
| MATH 253Z | Calculus: Sequences and Series | 4 | |
| PHYS 253 | Foundations of Physics I | 4 | |
| PHYS 290 | Foundations of Physics Laboratory | 1 | |
| CH 329 | Research Immersion Laboratory | 3 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | |||
| PHYS 351 | Foundations of Physics II | 4 | |
| CH 341 | Majors Track Organic Chemistry I | 4 | |
| MATH 256 | Introduction to Differential Equations | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Winter | |||
| PHYS 352 | Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics I | 4 | |
| PHYS 391 | Physics Experimentation Data Analysis Laboratory | 4 | |
| MATH 281 | Several-Variable Calculus I | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 16 | ||
| Spring | |||
| PHYS 353 | Thermal Physics and Statistical Mechanics II | 4 | |
| MATH 341 | Elementary Linear Algebra | 4 | |
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Electives | 2 | ||
| Credits | 14 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | |||
| MSTC 431 | Thermal Physics of Advanced Materials | 4 | |
| MATH 282 | Several-Variable Calculus II | 4 | |
| UD Elective for MSTC major | 4 | ||
| Credits | 12 | ||
| Winter | |||
| MSTC 441 | Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Materials I | 4 | |
| UD Elective for MSTC major | 4 | ||
| Core Ed | 4 | ||
| Credits | 12 | ||
| Spring | |||
| MSTC 432 | Kinetics and Transport in Advanced Materials | 4 | |
| MSTC 442 | Electronic, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Materials II | 4 | |
| UD Elective for MSTC major | 4 | ||
| Credits | 12 | ||
| Total Credits | 180 | ||