Major

Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

Mission 

The mission of the Materials Science and Engineering Program is to provide students with a strong foundation in materials science and engineering. The program’s curriculum places special emphasis on the fundamental scientific and engineering principles that underlie the knowledge and implementation of materials 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 and teach them to apply this knowledge analytically to create effective, novel solutions to practical problems while developing their communication skills and ability to work collaboratively. The program prepares students for careers in industry or further study in graduate school.

The undergraduate program provides training in solid-state fundamentals and materials engineering. Students desiring to specialize in this field during their undergraduate period may do so by following the curriculum outlined in the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering section of the Stanford Bulletin as well as the School of Engineering Undergraduate Handbook. Electives are available so that students with broad interests can combine materials science and engineering with work in another science or engineering department.

Students interested in the minor should see the Materials Science and Engineering Minor section of the Stanford Bulletin.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Design and conduct experiments, as well as understand and utilize the scientific method in formulating hypotheses and designing experiments to test hypotheses.
4. Function on multidisciplinary teams while communicating effectively.
5. 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.
6. Understand professional and ethical responsibility.
7. Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
8. Demonstrate a working knowledge of contemporary issues.
9. Recognize the need for, and engage in, lifelong learning.
10. Apply the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for engineering practice.
11. 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.

Materials Science and Engineering (MATSCI) program requirements

Completion of the undergraduate program in Materials Science and Engineering leads to the conferral of the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering, which 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 MS 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.

Courses and requirements

A full list of available courses in MatSci can be found at Stanford’s explore courses website.

For the most accurate/up-to-date course requirements, see the relevant section of the Stanford Bulletin.

For additional information and sample programs, see the Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs.

¹Basic Requirement 1 (20 units minimum): see a list of approved Math Courses.

²Basic Requirement 2 (20 units minimum): see a list of approved Science Courses.

³Basic Requirement 3 (one course minimum): see a list of approved Technology in Society Courses.

⁴Students may choose to count a second ENGR 50/50E/50M course (one must be taken as an SoE fundamental requirement) as part of the MSE fundamental requirements.

⁵ENGR 30 Engineering Thermodynamics (if taken 2016-17 or before) can be substituted for MATSCI 144 as long as the total MATSCI program units total 60 or more. If ENGR 30 is substituted for MATSCI 144, MSE Fundamentals may contain only 23 units.

⁶Focus Area Options: 13 units from one of the following Focus Area Options below.

Focus Area Options (Choose one area; 4 courses with a minimum of 13 units*)

*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.

MSE Major Unit Requirement:

Combined Units from the following group of courses must total a minimum of 60 units. Units cannot be counted under more than one category.

SoE Fundamentals: 7 units

MSE Fundamentals: 20 units

MSE Depth: 15 units

Focus Area Options: 13 units

By adding these 55 units to the 39 required math and science units and the minimum of 3 units for the Technology in Society course, your Materials Science undergraduate major program will require a minimum of 97 units of the 180 you need to graduate. Your advanced placement math and science units from high school may count toward the 39 units of basic math and science, thereby allowing you more electives during your Stanford career.

Honors Program

Overview:

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:

1. Application to the honors program (must be pre-approved by faculty advisor)
2. Enrollment in MATSCI 150 and participation in an independent research project over three sequential full quarters
3. Completion of a faculty-approved thesis
4. Participation in either the yearly Materials Science and Engineering Research Symposium OR an alternate, approved public oral/poster presentation

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 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 the proposed research, including a proposed title, and submit along with an unofficial transcript and signed MSE Honors Application form, the form will require your chosen research faculty endorsement.
• Submit application to MATSCI Student Services (Durand 104) 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 for a letter grade (students may petition out of unit requirement with faculty advisor approval). All quarters must focus on the same topic. Maintain the same faculty advisor throughout, if possible.
• Present either a poster or oral presentation of thesis work in the Materials Science and Engineering Research Symposium held during Spring Quarter 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 a Signature Page and returning it to student services.
• Submit to MATSCI student services one copy of the honors thesis in electronic form at the same time as the final hard copy. Submit one copy of the thesis, with the signature page indicating approval of both readers, to the School of Engineering’s Office of Student Affairs in 135 Huang.
• Submit to MATSCI student services (Durand104) one copy of the honors thesis and signed signature page (in electronic or physical form) at least one quarter prior to graduation.