Materials Science Ph.D.
All students must meet the Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy Degree
Overview
The Materials Science Ph.D. leads to a degree in 5 years. Students must engage in research and defend a dissertation. Successful completion of a comprehensive exam within the first 2 years of the program is required.
Specific Requirements
Requirements for Admission to Graduate Studies for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
An accredited Master's Degree (or equivalent) in physics, chemistry, metallurgy, engineering, mathematics, or materials science.
Minimum Degree Requirements
In addition to the above, the following are required:
- A minimum of 75 graduate credits including a minimum of 20 in dissertation research. An overall grade point average in graduate courses of 3.00 or better
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Completion of at least one 3-credit course in 5 of the following 6 categories (other appropriate core area courses may be approved by the Program Director). Note that 2 of the selected courses need to be from the following categories: Quantum Properties of Materials, Computational Materials Science, Synthesis and Characterization of Materials, and 3 of the selected courses need to be from the following categories: Electrical and Optical Properties of Materials, Thermodynamics and Kinetics, and Mechanical Properties of Materials.
| Electrical and Optical Properties of Materials - Core Courses: | ||
| Intro to Solid State Physics | ||
| Solid State Physics | ||
| Semiconductor Materials/Device | ||
| Thermodynamics and Kinetics - Core Courses: | ||
| Advanced Physical Chemistry (cannot be double-counted to simultaneously satisfy 2 categories) | ||
| Thermal & Statistical Physics | ||
| Biothermodynamics | ||
| Mechanical Properties of Materials - Core Courses: | ||
| Mechanical Behavior Materials | ||
| Adv Engineering Materials | ||
| Biomaterials Engineering | ||
| Quantum Properties of Materials - Core Courses: | ||
| Advanced Physical Chemistry (cannot be double-counted to simultaneously satisfy 2 categories) | ||
| Quantum Mechanics I | ||
| Quantum Mechanics II | ||
| Computational Materials Science - Core Courses: | ||
| Computational Physics | ||
| Computational Chemistry | ||
| Multiscale Modeling | ||
| Synthesis and Characterization of Materials - Core Courses: | ||
| Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | ||
| Polymer Chemistry | ||
| Analytical Spectroscopy | ||
- Satisfactory completion of a Ph.D. dissertation including its defense at an oral examination
Comprehensive Examination
Full-time Materials Science Ph.D. candidates are required to pass a written Comprehensive (Qualifying) Exam with a score of 50% or better, no later than 4 semesters after joining the program. Failure to pass the test will result in dismissal from the program. The deadline for part-time students is the semester they complete 24 credits. All students (full and part-time) are allowed a maximum of 2 attempts to pass the exam. Offered annually, the 3-hour exam requires students to solve a minimum of 4 problems that cover the following topics: electrical and optical properties of materials, thermodynamics and kinetics, mechanical properties of materials, quantum properties of materials, computational materials science, synthesis and characterization of materials or equivalent core course requirements.
Requirements for Advancement to Candidacy for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy
Successful completion of a comprehensive examination in Materials Science.