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.

Courses	Units
Mathematics
23 units minimum
MATH 19/20/21 or up to 10 units AP/IB credit AND placement into MATH 51/CME 100 via Math Diagnostic, taken prior to first-year start	9-10
MATH 51: Linear Algebra and Differential Calculus of Several Variables or CME 100/ENGR 154: Vector Calculus for Engineers	5
MATH 53: Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra or CME 102/ENGR 155A: Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers	5
One additional math/statistics course; see Basic Requirement 11	3-5
Science
16 units minimum
PHYSICS 41: Mechanics or PHYSICS 61: Mechanics and Special Relativity
PHYSICS 43: Electricity and Magnetism or PHYSICS 81; Electricity, Magnetism, and Waves
CHEM 31A: Chemical Principles I or CHEM 31M/MATSCI 31: Chemical Principles: From Molecules to Solids
One additional science course; see Basic Requirement 22
Technology in Society
3 units minimum
One course; see Basic Requirement 33	3-5
Engineering Fundamentals
7 units minimum
One of the following courses:
ENGR 50: Introduction to Materials Science, Nanotechnology Emphasis4	4
ENGR 50E: Introduction to Materials Science, Energy Emphasis4	4
ENGR 50M: Introduction to Materials Science, Biomaterials Emphasis4	4
One additional course from the SoE ENGR Fundamentals list on the Approved Page of the UGHB website; may not be a second ENGR 50.	3-5
Materials Science and Engineering Fundamentals
20 units minimum
All of the following courses:
MATSCI 142: Quantum Mechanics of Nanoscale Materials	4
MATSCI 143: Materials Structure and Characterization	4
MATSCI 144: Thermodynamic Evaluation of Green Energy Technologies5	4
MATSCI 145: Kinetics of Materials Synthesis	4
One of the following courses:
Undergraduate Core Courses
MATSCI 151: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties	4
MATSCI 152: Electronic Materials Engineering	4
MATSCI 156: Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution	4
Advanced Level Courses
MATSCI 181: Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria	4
MATSCI 182: Rate Processes in Materials	4
MATSCI 183: Defects and Disorder in Materials	4
MATSCI 184: Structure and Symmetry	4
MATSCI 185: Quantum Mechanics for Materials Science	4
MATSCI 190: Organic and Biological Materials	4
MATSCI 198: Mechanical Properties of Materials	4
MATSCI 199: Electronic and Optical Properties of Solids	4
Materials Science and Engineering Depth
16 units minimum
Four of the following courses (One course must be a WIM)
MATSCI 160: Nanomaterials Laboratory	4
MATSCI 161: Nanocharacterization Laboratory (WIM)	4
MATSCI 162: X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory	4
MATSCI 163: Mechanical Behavior Laboratory	4
MATSCI 164: Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices Laboratory (WIM)	4
MATSCI 165: Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory	4
MATSCI166: Data Science and Machine Learning Approaches in Chemical and Materials Engineering	4
Focus Area Options6	13

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.

Biological Properties of Materials
CHEM 31A and B or CHEM 31M recommended.
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about biocompatible, biomimetic, or even naturally occurring biological materials, along with how they can be engineered or otherwise created.
MATSCI 190: Organic and Biological Materials
MATSCI 225: Biochips and Medical Imaging
MATSCI 380: Nano-Biotechnology
MATSCI 381: Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine
MATSCI 384: Materials Advances in Neurotechnology
MATSCI 385: Biomaterials for Drug Delivery
BIOE 80: Introduction to Bioengineering
BIOE 220: Introduction to Imaging and Image-based Human Anatomy
BIOE 231: Protein Engineering
BIOE 260: Tissue Engineering
BIOE 279: Computational Biology: Structure and Organization of Biomolecules and Cells
BIOE 281: Biomechanics of Movement
ENGR 55: Foundational Biology for Engineers
Chemical Properties of Materials
CHEM 31A and B or CHEM 31M recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will learn about the thermodynamic principles governing materials, the chemistry involved in the synthesis of materials, as well as the design of the systems and processes necessary to create them.
MATSCI 181: Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria
MATSCI 182: Rate Processes in Materials
MATSCI 310: Statistical Mechanics for Materials & Materials Chemistry
CHEM 171: Physical Chemistry I
CHEM 173: Physical Chemistry II
CHEMENG 130A: Microkinetics – Molecular Principles of Chemical Kinetics
CHEMENG 140: Micro and Nanoscale Fabrication Engineering
CHEMENG 150: Biochemical Engineering
CHEMENG 174: Environmental Microbiology I
CHEMENG 175X: Electrochemical Water Treatment: Materials and Processes
Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials
PHYSICS 41, 43, and 45 recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about the design and function of electronic and/or photonic devices, as well as the underlying principles of physics relevant to their operation.
MATSCI 152: Electronic Materials Engineering
MATSCI 199: Electronic and Optical Properties of Solids
MATSCI 317: Defects in Semiconductors
MATSCI 341: Quantum Theory of Electronic and Optical Excitations in Materials
MATSCI 343: Organic Semiconductors for Electronics and Photonics
MATSCI 346: Nanophotonics
APPPHYS 201: Electrons and Photons
APPPHYS 204: Quantum Materials
APPPHYS 207: Laboratory Electronics
EE 101A: Circuits I
EE 102A: Signal Processing and Linear Systems I
EE 116: Semiconductor Device Physics
EE 124: Introduction to Neuroelectrical Engineering
EE 134: Introduction to Photonics
EE 153: Power Electronics
EE 157: Electric Motors for Renewable Energy, Robotics, and Electric Vehicles
EE 212: Integrated Circuit Fabrication Processes
EE 216: Principles and Models of Semiconductor Devices
EE 218: Power Semiconductor Devices and Technology
ENGR 240: Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems
ENGR 241: Advanced Micro and Nano Fabrication Laboratory
ME 210: Introduction to Mechatronics
ME 220: Introduction to Sensors
Materials for Energy Technology
Either Physics or Chemistry
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about materials used in modern energy technologies, potentially including solar cells, wind turbines, batteries, and fuel cells, as well as other emerging energy production or storage devices.
MATSCI 156: Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution
MATSCI 302: Solar Cells
MATSCI 303: Principles, Materials and Devices of Batteries
CEE 107A: Understanding Energy
CHEM 174: Electrochemical Measurements Lab
EE 116: Semiconductor Devices for Energy and Electronics
EE 153: Power Electronics
EE 237: Solar Energy Conversion
EE 293B: Fundamentals of Energy Processes
ENERGY 153: Carbon Capture and Sequestration
ENERGY 293: Energy Storage and Conversion: Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, Batteries and Supercapacitors
ENERGY 295: Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems: Modeling and Estimation
PHYSICS 240: Introduction to the Physics of Energy
Materials Characterization
Either Physics or Chemistry
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about the tools and techniques used in advanced materials characterization, particularly at the micro- and nanoscale.
MATSCI 320: Nanocharacterization of Materials
MATSCI 321: Transmission Electron Microscopy
MATSCI 322: Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory
MATSCI 323: Thin Film and Interface Microanalysis
MATSCI 326: X-Ray Science and Techniques
APPPHYS 201: Electrons and Photons
BIOE 220: Introduction to Imaging and Image-based Human Anatomy
BIO 232: Advanced Imaging Lab in Biophysics
CHEM 131: Instrumental Analysis Principles and Practice
CHEM 174: Electrochemical Measurements Lab
CHEM 176: Spectroscopy Laboratory
CHEMENG 345: Fundamentals and Applications of Spectroscopy
Mechanical Behavior and Materials Processing
PHYSICS 41, 43, and 45 recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about the mechanical behavior of materials, including how to characterize them, and how these mechanical properties influence the design of technologies.
MATSCI 151: Microstructure and Mechanical Properties
MATSCI 183: Defects and Disorder in Materials
MATSCI 198: Mechanical Properties of Materials
MATSCI 312: New Methods in Thin Film Synthesis
MATSCI 358: Fracture and Fatigue of Materials and Thin Film Structures
AA 240A: Analysis of Structures
AA 240B: Analysis of Structures
AA 256: Mechanics of Composites
AA 280: Smart Structures
CHEMENG 140: Micro and Nanoscale Fabrication Engineering
CHEMENG 170X: Mechanics of Soft Matter: Rheology
ENGR 240: Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems
ENGR 241: Advanced Micro and Nano Fabrication Laboratory
ME 127: Design for Additive Manufacturing
ME 152: Material Behaviors and Failure Prediction
ME 303: Soft Composites and Soft Robotics
ME 335A: Finite Element Analysis
ME 340: Mechanics – Elasticity and Inelasticity
ME 345: Fatigue Design and Analysis
ME 348: Experimental Stress Analysis
Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology
Either Physics or Chemistry
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about how materials properties change at the nanoscale, including the new and interesting ways in which these changes can be exploited for novel technologies.
MATSCI 316: Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology
MATSCI 320: Nanocharacterization of Materials
MATSCI 346: Nanophotonics
MATSCI 380: Nano-Biotechnology
ENGR 240: Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems
ENGR 241: Advanced Micro and Nano Fabrication Laboratory
Materials Physics
PHYSICS 41, 43, and 45 recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will gain a deep foundational knowledge of materials physics, with topics focusing on quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and waves and diffraction, and other advanced topics.
MATSCI 184: Structure and Symmetry
MATSCI 185: Quantum Mechanics for Materials Science
MATSCI 195: Waves and Diffraction in Solids
APPPHYS 201: Electrons and Photons
APPPHYS 204: Quantum Materials
PHYSICS 70: Foundations of Modern Physics
PHYSICS 110: Advanced Mechanics
PHYSICS 120: Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism I
PHYSICS 121: Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism II
PHYSICS 130: Quantum Mechanics
PHYSICS 131: Quantum Mechanics II
PHYSICS 134: Advanced Topics in Quantum Mechanics
PHYSICS 170: Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Mechanics I
PHYSICS 171: Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Mechanics II
PHYSICS 172: Solid State Physics
Computational Materials Science
PHYSICS 41, 43, and 45 recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about computational methods used to study materials structure-property relationships and how to make materials predictions.
MATSCI 165: Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory
MATSCI166: Data Science and Machine Learning Approaches in Chemical and Materials Engineering
MATSCI 331: Atom-based Computational Methods for Materials
CME 107: Introduction to Machine Learning
CME 108: Introduction to Scientific Computing
ENERGY 160: Uncertainty Quantification in Data-Centric Simulations
ME 123: Computational Engineering
ME 335A: Finite Element Analysis
ME 346B: Introduction to Molecular Simulations
Self-Defined Focus
Either Physics or Chemistry
Students may also define their own focus area containing a minimum of 13 units (4 courses) that comprise a cohesive program of study. Many students use this option to create an interdisciplinary focus area that combines parts of the listed focus area options above. Students should also choose this option if including courses not listed in one of the focus area tracks and should include a petition form along with their final program sheet when conferring their degree.

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 application/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.