COVID-19-Related Degree Requirement Changes
For information on how Materials Science and Engineering degree requirements have been affected by the pandemic, see the "COVID-19 Policies tab" in the "Materials Science and Engineering" of this bulletin. For University-wide policy changes related to the pandemic, see the "COVID-19 and Academic Continuity" section of this bulletin.
See the "Department of Materials Science and Engineering" section of this bulletin for additional information on the department, and its programs and faculty.
The department offers a B.S. as well as a minor in Materials Science and Engineering.
Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE/MATSCI)
Completion of the undergraduate program in Materials Science and Engineering leads to the conferral of the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering.
Mission of the Undergraduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering
The mission of the undergraduate program in Materials Science and Engineering is to provide students with a strong foundation in materials science and engineering with emphasis on the fundamental scientific and engineering principles which underlie the knowledge and implementation of material structure, processing, properties, and performance of all classes of materials used in engineering systems. Courses in the program develop students' knowledge of modern materials science and engineering, teach them to apply this knowledge analytically to create effective and novel solutions to practical problems, and develop their communication skills and ability to work collaboratively. The program prepares students for careers in industry and for further study in graduate school.
The B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering provides training for the materials engineer and also preparatory training for graduate work in materials science. Capable undergraduates are encouraged to take at least one year of graduate study to extend their course work through the coterminal degree program which leads to an M.S. in Materials Science and Engineering. Coterminal degree programs are encouraged both for undergraduate majors in Materials Science and Engineering and for undergraduate majors in related disciplines.
Learning Outcomes (Undergraduate)
The department expects undergraduate majors in the program to be able to demonstrate the following learning outcomes. These learning outcomes are used in evaluating students and the department's undergraduate program. Students are expected to demonstrate the ability to:
- Apply the knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to assess and synthesize scientific evidence, concepts, theories, and experimental data relating to the natural or physical world.
- Extend students' knowledge of the natural or physical world beyond that obtained from secondary education by refining their powers of scientific observation, the essential process by which data is gained for subsequent analysis.
- Design and conduct experiments, as well as understand and utilize the scientific method in formulating hypotheses and designing experiments to test hypotheses.
- Function on multidisciplinary teams, while communicating effectively.
- Identify, formulate, and solve engineering issues by applying conceptual thinking to solve certain problems, bypassing calculations or rote learning and relying on the fundamental meaning behind laws of nature.
- Understand professional and ethical responsibility.
- Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
- Demonstrate a working knowledge of contemporary issues.
- Recognize the need for, and engage in, lifelong learning.
- Apply the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
- Transition from engineering concepts and theory to real engineering applications and understanding the distinction between scientific evidence and theory, inductive and deductive reasoning, and understanding the role of each in scientific inquiry.
Degree Requirements
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics | ||
| 20 units minimum | ||
| Select one of the following: | 5 | |
| Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and Modern Applications | ||
| Vector Calculus for Engineers | ||
| Select one of the following: | 5 | |
| Integral Calculus of Several Variables | ||
| Linear Algebra and Partial Differential Equations for Engineers | ||
| Select one of the following: | 5 | |
| Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra | ||
| Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers | ||
| One additional course 1 | 5 | |
| Science | ||
| 20 units minimum | ||
| Must include a full year (15 units) of calculus-based physics or chemistry, with one quarter of study (5 units) in the other subject. 2 | 20 | |
| Technology in Society | ||
| One course minimum 3 | 3-5 | |
| Engineering Fundamentals | ||
| Two courses minimum | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Materials Science, Nanotechnology Emphasis 4 | ||
| Introduction to Materials Science, Energy Emphasis 4 | ||
| Introduction to Materials Science, Biomaterials Emphasis 4 | ||
| At least one additional courses 4 | 3-5 | |
| Department Requirements: MSE Fundamentals, Depth & Focus Areas | ||
| Materials Science Fundamentals: All of the following courses: | 16 | |
| Quantum Mechanics of Nanoscale Materials | ||
| Materials Structure and Characterization | ||
| Thermodynamic Evaluation of Green Energy Technologies | ||
| Kinetics of Materials Synthesis | ||
| Two of the following courses: | 8 | |
| Microstructure and Mechanical Properties | ||
| Electronic Materials Engineering | ||
| Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution | ||
| Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life | ||
| Organic and Biological Materials | ||
| Materials Chemistry | ||
| Atomic Arrangements in Solids | ||
| Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria | ||
| Waves and Diffraction in Solids | ||
| Defects in Crystalline Solids | ||
| Rate Processes in Materials | ||
| Mechanical Properties of Materials | ||
| Electronic and Optical Properties of Solids | ||
| Materials Science & Engineering Depth | 16 | |
| Four laboratory courses for Sixteen units; Four units must be WIM | ||
| Nanomaterials Laboratory | ||
| Energy Materials Laboratory (WIM) | ||
| X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory | ||
| Mechanical Behavior Laboratory | ||
| Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices Laboratory (WIM) | ||
| Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory | ||
| Data Science and Machine Learning Approaches in Chemical and Materials Engineering | ||
| Focus Area Options 5, 6 | 13 | |
| Total Units | 103-107 | |
| 1 | See a list of approved math courses at ughb.stanford.edu. AP/IB Credit may also be used to meet the 20 units minimum, but cannot replace the three required courses. |
| 2 | See a list of approved science courses at ughb.stanford.edu. AP/IB Credit may also be used to meet the 20 units minimum in some cases; see the AP chart in the Bulletin or check with the School of Engineering in 135 Huang Engineering Center. |
| 3 | See a list of approved Technology in Society courses at ughb.stanford.edu. Course chosen must be on the approved list the year taken. |
| 4 | See a list of approved Engineering Fundamentals Courses at ugh.stanford.edu. Course chosen must be on the approved list the year taken. |
| 5 | Focus Area Options: 13 units from one of the following Focus Area Options below. If the focus area contains only 12 units, but the combined unit total in major (SoE Fundamentals, MSE Fundamentals, MSE Depth and the Focus Area) is at 60 or more, it will be allowed and no petition is necessary. |
| 6 | The self-defined focus area option requires additional approval; program deviation forms for this option can be found on the MSE website. |
| 7 | A course may only be counted towards one requirement; it may not be double-counted. For the 2020-2021 academic year, all courses taken for the major may be taken for either a letter grade (if offered by the instructor) or for CR and count towards degree requirements. Minimum Combined GPA for all courses in Engineering Topics (Engineering Fundamentals and Depth courses) is 2.0. |
Focus Area Options (Four courses for a minimum of 13 units; select from one of the ten Focus Areas.)
| Bioengineering | ||
| Introduction to Bioengineering (Engineering Living Matter) | ||
| Introduction to Imaging and Image-based Human Anatomy | ||
| Tissue Engineering | ||
| Biomechanics of Movement | ||
| Orthopaedic Bioengineering | ||
| Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life | ||
| Organic and Biological Materials | ||
| Biochips and Medical Imaging | ||
| Nano-Biotechnology | ||
| Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine | ||
| Materials Advances for Neurotechnology: Materials Meet the Mind | ||
| Chemical Engineering | ||
| Foundations of Physical Chemistry | ||
CHEMENG 130 | ||
| Micro and Nanoscale Fabrication Engineering | ||
| Biochemical Engineering | ||
| Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| Inorganic Chemistry I | ||
| Inorganic Chemistry II | ||
| Foundations of Physical Chemistry | ||
| Physical Chemistry II | ||
| Physical Chemistry III | ||
| Biochemistry I | ||
| Biochemistry II | ||
| Biophysical Chemistry | ||
| Electronics & Photonics | ||
| Circuits I | ||
| Circuits II | ||
| Signal Processing and Linear Systems I | ||
| Signal Processing and Linear Systems II | ||
| Semiconductor Devices for Energy and Electronics | ||
| Introduction to Photonics | ||
| Engineering Electromagnetics (Formerly EE 141) | ||
| Green Electronics | ||
| Introduction to Mechatronics | ||
| Organic Semiconductors for Electronics and Photonics | ||
| Nanophotonics | ||
| Energy Technology | ||
| Fundamentals of Energy Processes | ||
| Green Electronics | ||
| Understanding Energy | ||
| Fundamentals of Energy Processes | ||
| Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution | ||
| Solar Cells | ||
| Principles, Materials and Devices of Batteries | ||
| Physics of Wind Energy | ||
| Materials Characterization Techniques | ||
| Nanocharacterization of Materials | ||
| Transmission Electron Microscopy | ||
| Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory | ||
| Thin Film and Interface Microanalysis | ||
| X-Ray Science and Techniques | ||
| Fundamentals and Applications of Spectroscopy | ||
| Advanced Imaging Lab in Biophysics | ||
| Electrons and Photons (PHOTON 201) | ||
| Mechanical Behavior & Design | ||
| Analysis of Structures | ||
| Mechanics of Composites | ||
| Mechanical Properties of Materials | ||
| Mechanical Behavior of Nanomaterials | ||
| Fracture and Fatigue of Materials and Thin Film Structures | ||
| Mechanics of Materials | ||
or CEE 101A | Mechanics of Materials | |
| Design and Manufacturing | ||
| Nanoscience | ||
| Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems | ||
| Mechanical Behavior of Nanomaterials | ||
| Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology | ||
| Nanocharacterization of Materials | ||
| Nanophotonics | ||
| Magnetic materials in nanotechnology, sensing, and energy | ||
| Nano-Biotechnology | ||
| Physics | ||
| Foundations of Modern Physics | ||
| Advanced Mechanics | ||
| Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism I | ||
| Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism II | ||
| Quantum Mechanics I | ||
| Quantum Mechanics II | ||
| Advanced Topics in Quantum Mechanics | ||
| Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Mechanics I | ||
| Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Mechanics II | ||
| Solid State Physics | ||
| Self-Defined Option | ||
Petition for a self-defined cohesive program. 7 | ||
For additional information and sample, programs see the Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs.
Honors Program
The Materials Science and Engineering honors program offers an opportunity for undergraduate Materials Science and Engineering majors with a GPA of 3.5 or higher to pursue independent research at an advanced level, supported by a faculty advisor and graduate student mentors. The main requirements are as follows:
- Application to the honors program (must be pre-approved by faculty advisor)
- Enrollment in MATSCI 150 Undergraduate Research and participation in an independent research project over three sequential full quarters
- Completion of a faculty-approved thesis
- Participation in either a poster or oral presentation of thesis work at a Stanford Symposium/event or, at your faculty advisor’s discretion, in a comparable public event.
Since this requires three full quarters of research in addition to a final written thesis and presentation following completion of the work, students must apply to the program no less than four quarters prior to their planned graduation date. Materials Science and Engineering majors pursuing a typical four-year graduation timeline should meet with student services no later than the Winter Quarter of their junior year to receive information on the application process.
All requirements for the honors program are in addition to the normal undergraduate program requirements.
To apply to the MATSCI Honors program
- Have an overall GPA of 3.5 or higher (as calculated on the unofficial transcript) prior to application.
- Seek out a faculty research advisor and agree on a proposed research topic. If the research advisor is not a member of the MSE faculty or not a member of the School of Engineering Academic Council, students must have a second advisor who fulfills these requirements.
- Compose a brief (less than 1 page) summary of proposed research, including a proposed title, and submit along with unofficial transcript and signed application/faculty endorsement.
- Submit application to MATSCI student services (Durand 113) at least four quarters prior to planned graduation.
To complete the MATSCI Honors program
- Overall GPA of 3.5 or higher (as calculated on the unofficial transcript) at graduation.
- Complete at least three quarters of research with a minimum of 9 units of MATSCI 150 (students may petition out of unit requirement with faculty adviser approval). All quarters must focus on the same topic. Maintain the same faculty adviser throughout, if possible.
- Present either a poster or oral presentation of thesis work at a Stanford event or, at the faculty advisor’s discretion, in a comparable public event.
- Submit final drafts of an honors thesis to two faculty readers (one must be your research advisor, and one must be an MSE faculty member/SoE Academic Council member) at least one quarter prior to graduation. Both must approve the thesis by completing the signature page.
- Submit to MATSCI student services (Durand 113) one copy of the honors thesis and signed signature page (in electronic or physical form) at least one quarter prior to graduation.
Materials Science and Engineering (MATSCI) Minor
A minor in Materials Science and Engineering allows interested students to explore the role of materials in modern technology and to gain an understanding of the fundamental processes that govern materials behavior.
The following courses fulfill the minor requirements:
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Engineering Fundamentals | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introduction to Materials Science, Nanotechnology Emphasis | ||
| Introduction to Materials Science, Energy Emphasis | ||
| Introduction to Materials Science, Biomaterials Emphasis | ||
| Materials Science Fundamentals and Engineering Depth | ||
| Select six of the following: | 24 | |
| Quantum Mechanics of Nanoscale Materials | ||
| Materials Structure and Characterization | ||
| Thermodynamic Evaluation of Green Energy Technologies | ||
| Kinetics of Materials Synthesis | ||
| Microstructure and Mechanical Properties | ||
| Electronic Materials Engineering | ||
| Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution | ||
| Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life | ||
| Nanomaterials Laboratory | ||
| Energy Materials Laboratory | ||
| X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory | ||
| Mechanical Behavior Laboratory | ||
| Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices Laboratory | ||
| Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory | ||
| Organic and Biological Materials | ||
| Materials Chemistry | ||
| Atomic Arrangements in Solids | ||
| Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria | ||
| Waves and Diffraction in Solids | ||
| Defects in Crystalline Solids | ||
| Rate Processes in Materials | ||
| Mechanical Properties of Materials | ||
| Electronic and Optical Properties of Solids | ||
| Total Units | 28 | |
