Major
Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering
Contents
Mission
The mission of the Materials Science and Engineering Program is to provide students with a strong foundation in materials science and engineering (MatSci). 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 MatSci 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.
Completion of the undergraduate program in MatSci leads to the conferral of the Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (additional info in the SoE Undergraduate Handbook). Electives are available so that students with broad interests can combine MatSci with work in another science or engineering department. Students also have the option of completing an undergraduate Honors thesis under the supervision of a Faculty Research Advisor as detailed in the Honors Program page. Capable undergraduates (MatSci majors and other majors) are encouraged to pursue graduate study to extend their coursework through the coterminal degree program, which leads to an MS in Materials Science and Engineering.
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 will be able to:
- Utilize the relationships between structure, properties, and processing to engineer materials with desired performance.
- Understand the relationship between characterization, synthesis, and prediction in materials design and properties.
- Deliver focused and practical materials solutions to satisfy design requirements for critical challenges in sustainability, medicine, technology, or other disciplines.
- Methodically design numerical and physical experiments and apply their knowledge from our courses to analyze and interpret data to obtain insights to identified challenges.
- Leverage the strong communication skills (written, oral, visual) we teach to effectively engage with a broad range of audiences about their science.
- Act as creative independent thinkers who have sufficient confidence in their skills as materials scientists to apply themselves to their chosen field (broad or narrow) as they choose their professional paths.
- Have a baseline understanding of the fundamentals to be inspired to continue to acquire and apply new knowledge.
Undergraduate MatSci curriculum
Introductory and career courses
The MatSci department offers many IntroSems and frosh-/soph-friendly courses! While these courses may not necessarily satisfy the MATSCI BS degree requirements, they aim to provide an accessible and engaging introduction to the field, and/or encourage students to think broadly about career options in MatSci.
| Courses | Units |
|---|---|
| MATSCI 10: Materials Matter | 1 |
| MATSCI 81N: Bioengineering to Heal the Body | 3 |
| MATSCI 82N: Science of the Impossible | 3 |
| MATSCI 83N: Great Inventions That Matter | 3 |
| MATSCI 86N: Metalheads of Modern Science | 3 |
| MATSCI 88Q: Edible Materials: The Science of Texture | 3 |
| MATSCI 122: Visual Communication in Materials Science | 3 |
| MATSCI 126: Invention to Innovation: The Process of Translation | 2 |
| MATSCI 159Q: Japanese Companies and Japanese Society | 3 |
BS degree requirements
A full list of available courses in MatSci can be found at Stanford’s ExploreCourses 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.
If you can't find what you are looking for (especially if deviating) or would like to setup an initial advising meeting, send our UG advising team an email at mse-ug-advising@stanford.edu.
| 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 Multivariable Calculus or CME 100/ENGR 154: Vector Calculus for Engineers | 5 |
| MATH 53: Differential Equations with Linear Algebra and Fourier Methods 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/E: Mechanics or PHYSICS 61: Mechanics and Special Relativity | |
| PHYSICS 43: Electricity and Magnetism or PHYSICS 81; Electricity and Magnetism Using Special Relativity and Vector Calculus | |
| 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 Fundamentals5 | |
| 25 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 Technologies | 4 |
| MATSCI 145: Kinetics of Materials Synthesis | 4 |
| MATSCI 131: Materials Scientists in Training | 1 |
| Two of the following 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 |
| Materials Science and Engineering Depth | |
| 15 units minimum | |
| Four of the following courses (One course must be a WIM)6 | |
| MATSCI 160: Nanomaterials Design (WIM) | 4 |
| MATSCI 161: Energy Materials Laboratory (WIM, Capstone) | 4 |
| MATSCI 162: X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory (WIM) | 4 |
| MATSCI 163: Mechanical Behavior Laboratory (Capstone) | 4 |
| MATSCI 164: Electronic and Photonic Materials and Devices Laboratory (WIM) | 4 |
| MATSCI 165: Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory (Capstone) | 4 |
| MATSCI 166: Data Science and Machine Learning Approaches in Chemical and Materials Engineering | 3 |
| Focus Area Options7 | 9 |
| Capstone Experience Requirement8 | -- |
1Basic Requirement 1 (23 units minimum): see a list of approved Math Courses.
2Basic Requirement 2 (16 units minimum): see a list of approved Science Courses.
3Basic Requirement 3 (one course minimum): see a list of approved Technology in Society Courses. Deviations require the appropriate petition form from SoE.
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 MatSci fundamental requirements.
5Substitutions/petitions for MatSci Fundamentals required courses (140 series) and elective course (150 series) will not be permitted.
6Students may choose to petition up to one 4-unit lab class from other departments to fulfill the MatSci 160 series depth requirement. Details are discussed on the deviation petitions page.
7Focus Area Options: 9 units from one of the listed Focus Area Options.
8All students would be required to complete a capstone experience in the department and would have the option to choose between three tracks: (1) Course-based track: complete two of the following courses: MATSCI 161 (Energy Materials Laboratory), MATSCI 163 (Mechanical Behavior Laboratory), and MATSCI 165 (Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory); (2) Research-based track: complete at least two consecutive quarters of independent research within the same research group, totaling at least 6 units of MATSCI 150 with the strong recommendation of completing the Honors Program. Students are expected to participate in either the annual Materials Science and Engineering Research Symposium or an alternative approved public oral/poster presentation; and (3) Internship-based track: 4 units total. Complete at least four quarters of MATSCI 169 (two instances of enrollment bridging an internship experience).
Focus Area
The Focus Area will allow you to specialize in a specific subfield of MatSci that is aligned with your personal and professional goals. You should choose one focus area from the listed examples, or define your own, that combines a set of advanced coursework into a cohesive program. We provide several examples as suggested pathways, but ultimately we encourage you to choose/define the area that feels best to you.
The Focus Area requires 3 courses total with a minimum of 9 units*. At least one of these courses must be in MATSCI and none of them can be 1-unit seminars. No IntroSems (freshman- or sophomore-level) can be used for the Focus Area. Students in the Honors Program may count up to six units of MATSCI 150 toward the Focus Area, but cannot use those units to replace the MATSCI course minimum.
MSE Major Unit Requirement
Combined units from the following group of courses must total a minimum of 56 units. Units cannot be counted under more than one category.
- SoE Fundamentals: 7 units
- MSE Fundamentals: 25 units
- MSE Depth: 15 units
- Focus Area Options: 9 units
By adding these 56 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 98 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
The Materials Science and Engineering Honors Program offers an opportunity for outstanding undergraduate MSE majors to pursue independent research at an advanced level, supported by a Faculty Advisor and graduate student mentors. All requirements for the Honors Program are in addition to the normal undergraduate program requirements. For more information, see the Honors Program page.