Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

Program Overview

The Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering program at Colorado State University equips students with the knowledge and hands-on training to solve global challenges in various sectors. Emphasizing a multidisciplinary approach and diverse faculty mentorship, the program offers two degree plans: Plan A (MS-Thesis) and Plan B (MS-Coursework). Students engage in active hands-on training, enhanced educational opportunities, and specialize in areas relevant to modern materials challenges, including energy, computing, healthcare, and transportation.

Program Outline

Degree Overview:

The Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program at Colorado State University is designed to educate and train the next generation of materials scientists and engineers. The program aims to equip students with the skills and knowledge to solve global challenges in various sectors, including energy, computing, transportation, impact protection, robotics, and global healthcare. The program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach, fostering students' ability to question current design paradigms and develop innovative materials and manufacturing solutions. It offers a comprehensive, experiential training program that includes:

• Active hands-on training: Students engage in practical training using the latest materials characterization and computational methods, materials-focused intellectual property protection and technology transfer, and professional soft skill development.
• Diverse faculty mentorship: Students benefit from guidance from faculty mentors who are driving advancements in controlling structure at the nanoscale, predictive property modeling, high-performance metal, polymer and ceramic composites, photovoltaics, and additive manufacturing.
The program offers two degree plans:
• Plan A (MS-Thesis): This plan combines coursework with a thesis, culminating in a research-based project.
• Plan B (MS-Coursework): This plan focuses on coursework and includes a seminar/paper component.
The overall objective of both plans is to develop students into science and engineering professionals who can utilize their multidisciplinary problem-solving skills to address global challenges in the field of materials science and engineering.

Outline:

Plan A (MS-Thesis):

Core Courses:

• MSE 501: Materials Technology Transfer (1 credit)
• MSE 502A: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Materials Structure and Scattering (1 credit)
• MSE 502B: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Computational Materials Methods (1 credit)
• MSE 503: Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3 credits)
• MSE 504: Thermodynamics of Materials (3 credits)
• MSE 699: Thesis (13 credits)
• MSE 793: Professional Development Seminar (2 credits)

Elective Courses:

• Select at least one course from the following:
• MSE 502C: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Materials Microscopy
• MSE 502D: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Materials Spectroscopy
• MSE 502E: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Bulk Properties and Performance
• MSE 502F: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Experimental Methods for Materials Research
• Select one course from the following:
• CHEM 511: Solid State Chemistry
• CHEM 517: Chemistry of Electronic Materials
• ECE 574: Optical Properties in Solids
• PH 531: Introductory Condensed Matter Physics
• Specialty Courses:
• Select at least 3 credits from the following:
• BIOM 570/MECH 570: Bioengineering
• BIOM 592: Seminar
• CBE 501: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• CBE 514: Polymer Science and Engineering
• CHEM 515: Polymer Chemistry
• CHEM 550A: Materials Chemistry: Hard Materials
• CHEM 550B: Materials Chemistry: Soft Materials
• CHEM 550C: Materials Chemistry: Nanomaterials
• CHEM 567: Crystallographic Computation
• CHEM 569: Chemical Crystallography
• CHEM 577: Surface Chemistry
• CIVE 560: Advanced Mechanics of Materials
• CIVE 565: Finite Element Method
• CIVE 662: Foundations of Solid Mechanics
• CIVE 664: Mechanics of Fatigue and Fracture
• ECE 505: Nanostructures: Fundamentals and Applications
• ECE 569/MECH 569: Micro-Electro-Mechanical Devices
• ECE 673: Thin Film Growth
• GRAD 544: Ethical Conduct of Research
• MATH 535: Foundations of Applied Mathematics
• MATH 550/ENGR 550: Numerical Methods in Science and Engineering
• MATH 560: Linear Algebra
• MATH 561: Numerical Analysis I
• MATH 750: Numerical Methods and Models I
• MECH 525/BIOM 525: Cell and Tissue Engineering
• MECH 530: Advanced Composite Materials
• MECH 531/BIOM 531: Materials Engineering
• MECH 532/BIOM 532: Materials Issues in Mechanical Design
• MECH 573/BIOM 573: Structure and Function of Biomaterials
• MECH 628: Applied Fracture Mechanics
• MSE 505: Kinetics of Materials
• PH 631: Modern Topics in Condensed Matter Physics
• PH 731: Condensed Matter Theory
• MSE 651: Special Topics in Materials Science
• MSE 695: Independent Study
• MSE 784: Supervised College Teaching Program

Plan B (MS-Coursework):

Core Courses:

• MSE 501: Materials Technology Transfer (1 credit)
• MSE 502A: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Materials Structure and Scattering (1 credit)
• MSE 502B: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Computational Materials Methods (1 credit)
• MSE 503: Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3 credits)
• MSE 504: Thermodynamics of Materials (3 credits)
• MSE 695: Independent Study (13 credits)
• MSE 793: Professional Development Seminar (2 credits)

Elective Courses:

• Select at least one course from the following:
• MSE 502C: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Materials Microscopy
• MSE 502D: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Materials Spectroscopy
• MSE 502E: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Bulk Properties and Performance
• MSE 502F: Materials Science & Engineering Methods: Experimental Methods for Materials Research
• Select one course from the following:
• CHEM 511: Solid State Chemistry
• CHEM 517: Chemistry of Electronic Materials
• ECE 574: Optical Properties in Solids
• PH 531: Introductory Condensed Matter Physics
• Specialty Courses:
• Select at least 6 credits from the following:
• BIOM 570/MECH 570: Bioengineering
• BIOM 592: Seminar
• CBE 501: Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics
• CBE 514: Polymer Science and Engineering
• CHEM 515: Polymer Chemistry
• CHEM 550A: Materials Chemistry: Hard Materials
• CHEM 550B: Materials Chemistry: Soft Materials
• CHEM 550C: Materials Chemistry: Nanomaterials
• CHEM 567: Crystallographic Computation
• CHEM 569: Chemical Crystallography
• CHEM 577: Surface Chemistry
• CIVE 560: Advanced Mechanics of Materials
• CIVE 565: Finite Element Method
• CIVE 662: Foundations of Solid Mechanics
• CIVE 664: Mechanics of Fatigue and Fracture
• ECE 505: Nanostructures: Fundamentals and Applications
• ECE 569/MECH 569: Micro-Electro-Mechanical Devices
• ECE 673: Thin Film Growth
• GRAD 544: Ethical Conduct of Research
• MATH 535: Foundations of Applied Mathematics
• MATH 550/ENGR 550: Numerical Methods in Science and Engineering
• MATH 560: Linear Algebra
• MATH 561: Numerical Analysis I
• MATH 750: Numerical Methods and Models I
• MECH 525/BIOM 525: Cell and Tissue Engineering
• MECH 530: Advanced Composite Materials
• MECH 531/BIOM 531: Materials Engineering
• MECH 532/BIOM 532: Materials Issues in Mechanical Design
• MECH 573/BIOM 573: Structure and Function of Biomaterials
• MECH 628: Applied Fracture Mechanics
• MSE 505: Kinetics of Materials
• PH 631: Modern Topics in Condensed Matter Physics
• PH 731: Condensed Matter Theory
• MSE 651: Special Topics in Materials Science

Other:

• The program is designed to engage students with active hands-on training, enhanced educational opportunities, and diverse faculty mentorship.
• The program emphasizes a multidisciplinary approach to problem-solving.
• The program is motivated by modern materials challenges in various sectors, including energy, computing, transportation, impact protection, robotics, and global healthcare.
• The program is designed to arm graduates with a modernized skill set tailored to confront those challenges head-on.
• The program is designed to develop students into science and engineering professionals who can utilize their multidisciplinary problem-solving skills to address global challenges in the field of materials science and engineering.
• The program is offered in two degree plans: Plan A (MS-Thesis) and Plan B (MS-Coursework).
• The program requires a minimum of 30 credit hours for completion.
• Students must register for 1 credit of MSE 793 each of their first 2 semesters in the program.
• A project/report is required for satisfactory completion of MSE 695.
• Students must complete a minimum of 3 credits of MSE 699 for Plan A.
• Students must complete a minimum of 3 credits of MSE 695 for Plan B.