Materials Science and Engineering Program
2021-22 Materials Science & Engineering UG Program (BS, BSH, MINOR)
Materials Science and Engineering (MSE/MATSCI) essential to the development of modern devices and technologies. All facets of engineering depend critically on the materials utilized for specific applications, including semiconductors for electronic devices, ceramics for energy conversion and storage, and polymers for new biotechnologies.
A core component of MatSci is the investigation of materials processing in order to alter the structure of materials and thereby control their properties. Materials scientists and engineers also utilize a distinctive suite of characterization techniques such as advanced electron microscopes that probe materials structure down to the atomic level. This field combines approaches from Physics, Chemistry, and Biology in a unified discipline in order tackle global problems of technological, engineering, and scientific significance.
Students who are interested in both science and its application to important interdisciplinary problems should consider a career in Materials Science and Engineering. The Undergraduate Program in Materials Science and Engineering provides basic training for those who wish to become materials engineers, and prepares students for careers in a variety of STEM fields by exposing students to broad scientific concepts and applied research and design techniques. Teaching and research topics in MatSci include nanoscale materials, biomaterials and regenerative medicine, energy and environmental materials, photovoltaic and photonic materials, metals and alloys, metamaterials, thin film materials, semiconductor devices, advanced materials characterization techniques, and computer modeling of materials behavior. Materials Science and Engineering undergraduates are encouraged to take at least one year of graduate study in the Stanford Coterminal degree program (see application deadlines at the bottom of this page) to extend their coursework and to obtain training in research. Coterminal degree programs are also recommended for any related undergraduate majors.
Research Experience for Undergraduates
The Materials Science and Engineering Department welcomes undergraduates to participate in our Summer Research Experience for Undergraduates (REU) Program. Students have the opportunity to gain hands-on research experience and work directly with MATSCI faculty and their research groups. Research in our department focuses on several of the Grand Challenges in Engineering, including projects on energy conversion and storage, regenerative medicine and tissue engineering, and nanomaterials synthesis and characterization. Whether you are well into your major or still testing the waters, all engineering students are strongly encouraged to apply to our REU Program.
The department plans to continue its REU Program through a grant from the School of Engineering/Vice Provost for Undergraduate Education in Summer 2021. Application information will be posted to our REU webpage (http://mse.stanford.edu/REU) around the end of Autumn Quarter. Students are encouraged to reach out to MATSCI faculty to learn about the variety of research projects being conducted in our department. A full list of our faculty can be found at http://mse.stanford.edu/people/faculty along with their associated research webpages.
Students who wish to receive further information about the programs in Materials Science and Engineering should contact:
Dr. Rajan Kumar, Lecturer and Director of Undergraduate Studies
2021-22 Versions will be posted soon
MATSC 4-Year & Flex Quarter Plans
Program Requirements
School of Engineering (SoE) Requirements
This set of requirements is monitored by the SoE and is required for all engineering majors. Petitions to transfer credit, deviate from the requirements, or approve appropriate AP credit must be made to the SoE Dean’s Office of Student Affairs in 135 Huang .
Mathematics and Science (40 units combined, minimum)
◦ Math (20 units minimum): Must include
-
CME100/ENGR 154 or MATH 51
-
CME 104/ENGR 155B or MATH 52
-
CME 102/ENGR 155A or MATH 53
-
1 additional course1
◦ Science (20 units minimum)2,3,4: Must include a
-
Full year of either physics or chemistry
-
At least one quarter of study in the other subject. AP credit is also acceptable and must be approved by the Dean’s office (see “Approved Courses” page of this website for courses that fulfill the science requirement)
1 See “Approved Courses” page of this website for a list of SoE approved Mathematics & Statistics courses; CME 106 or STATS 110 are recommended.
2 See “Approved Courses” page of this website for a list of SoE approved Science courses. AP credit is also acceptable with SoE Dean’s Office approval.
3 Choice of Physics or Chemistry may affect choice of MatSci Focus Area. See Focus Area listings later in this section
4 To reach the required 15 units in one year under the Physics option, students should enroll in both the appropriate 4-unit Physics courses and accompanying 1-unit lab courses.
Technology in Society (One course; 3-5 units)
See the “Approved Courses” page of this website for courses that fulfill the TIS requirement.The course chosen must be on the Approved list the year it is taken.
School of Engineering (SoE) Fundamentals
(Two courses minimum: one of the ENGR 50 options and one elective)
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
One of the following courses: |
||
|
ENGR 50 |
Introduction to Materials Science – Nanotechnology3 |
4 |
|
ENGR 50E |
Introduction to Materials Science – Energy3 |
4 |
|
ENGR 50M |
Introduction to Materials Science – Biomaterials3 |
4 |
|
One additional course from the SoE ENGR Fundamentals list on Approved Page of UGHB website (3-5 units); may not be a second ENGR 50. |
||
Departmental Requirements: MSE Fundamentals, Depth, & Focus Area Options
These requirements are specified and monitored by the department of Materials Science and Engineering. Petitions for exceptions must be made to the department. The MATSCI 140-150 series represents a stand-alone curriculum, which is recommended for undergraduates. The 180 and 190 series courses are advanced level courses, which may be substituted for the equivalent 150 series courses or can be taken as follow-on courses. MATSCI 142, 143, 144, and 145 are required MSE fundamentals.
MSE Fundamentals (24 units)
All of the following courses:
| Course | Title | Units |
|
MATSCI 142 |
Quantum Mechanics of Nanoscale Materials |
4 |
|
MATSCI 143 |
Materials Structure and Characterization |
4 |
|
MATSCI 1444 |
Thermodynamic Evaluation of Green Energy Technologies4 |
4 |
|
MATSCI 145 |
Kinetics of Materials Synthesis |
4 |
Two courses from Undergraduate Core Courses and Advanced Level Courses:
Undergraduate Core Courses
| Course | Description | Units |
| 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 |
| MATSCI 158 | Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life | 4 |
Advanced Level Courses:
| Course | Description | Units |
| 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 |
MSE Depth (15-16 units)
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
4 of the following courses (at least one course must be WIM) |
|
|
|
MATSCI 160 |
Nanomaterials Laboratory (satisfies WIM requirement) |
4 |
|
MATSCI 161 |
Nanocharacterization Laboratory (satisfies WIM requirement) |
4 |
|
MATSCI 162 |
X-Ray Diffraction Laboratory |
4 |
|
MATSCI 163 |
Mechanical Behavior Laboratory |
4 |
|
MATSCI 164 |
Electronic & Photonic Materials and Devices Lab (satisfies WIM requirement) |
4 |
|
MATSCI 165 |
Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory |
4 |
| MATSCI 166 | Data Science and Machine Learning Approaches in Materials Engineering | 3 |
Focus Area Options
(Choose one area; 4 courses with a minimum of 13 units 7)
Given the interdisciplinary nature of MATSCI as a field of study, all undergraduates select a focus area to complement their MATSCI Fundamentals and Depth coursework. Each focus area option below includes a short description and lists several recommended courses. These course lists are not exhaustive and only serve as a guide. Students are encouraged to explore the full catalog of relevant STEM courses when designing a focus area option, including the Self-Defined option described below.
BioEngineering
One year of Chemistry 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.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
BIOE 80 |
Introduction to Bioengineering |
4 |
|
BIOE 220 |
Intro to Imaging and Image-based Human Anatomy |
3 |
|
BIOE 260 |
Tissue Engineering |
4 |
|
BIOE 281 |
Biomechanics of Movement |
3 |
| BIOE 381 | Orthopaedic Bioengineering | 3 |
|
MATSCI 158 |
Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life |
4 |
|
MATSCI 190 |
Organic and Biological Materials |
3 |
| MATSCI 225 | Bio-Chips and Medical Imaging | 3 |
|
MATSCI 380 |
Nano-Biotechnology |
3 |
|
MATSCI 381 |
Biomaterials in Regenerative Medicine |
3 |
|
MATSCI 384 |
Materials Advances in Neurotechnology: Materials Meeting the Mind |
3 |
Chemical Engineering
One year of Chemistry recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about the chemistry involved in the synthesis of materials, as well as the design of the systems and processes necessary to create them.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
CHEM 171 |
Physical Chemistry I |
3 |
|
CHEMENG 130 |
Separation Processes |
3 |
|
CHEMENG 140 |
Micro and Nanoscale Fabrication Engineering |
3 |
|
CHEMENG 150 |
Biochemical Engineering |
3 |
|
MATSCI 158 |
Soft Matter in Biomedical Devices, Microelectronics, and Everyday Life |
4 |
Chemistry
One year of Chemistry recommended, including CHEM 35
Students pursuing this focus area will gain a deep foundational knowledge of chemistry
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
| CHEM 151 | Inorganic Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 153 | Inorganic Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 171 | Physical Chemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 173 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 175 | Physical Chemistry III | 3 |
| CHEM 181 | Biochemistry I | 3 |
| CHEM 183 | Biochemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 185 | Biophysical Chemistry | 3 |
Electronics and Photonics
One year of Physics 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.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
EE 101A |
Circuits I |
4 |
|
EE 101B |
Circuits II |
4 |
|
EE 102A |
Signal Processing and Linear Systems I |
4 |
|
EE 102B |
Signal Processing and Linear Systems II |
4 |
|
EE 116 |
Semiconductor Device Physics |
3 |
|
EE 134 |
Introduction to Photonics |
4 |
|
EE 142 |
Engineering Electromagnetics |
4 |
|
EE 155 |
Green Electronics |
4 |
|
ME 210 |
Introduction to Mechatronics |
4 |
|
MATSCI 343 |
Organic Semiconductors for Electronics and Photonics |
3 |
|
MATSCI 346 |
Nanophotonics |
3 |
Energy Technology
One year of Physics recommended
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.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
CEE 107A |
Understanding Energy |
3-5 |
|
EE 155 |
Green Electronics |
4 |
|
EE 293B |
Fundamentals of Energy Processes |
3 |
|
MATSCI 156 |
Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, and Batteries: Materials for the Energy Solution |
3 |
|
MATSCI 302 |
Solar Cells |
3 |
|
MATSCI 303 |
Principles, Materials, and Devices of Batteries |
3 |
|
ME 262 |
Physics of Wind Energy |
3 |
Materials Characterization Techniques
One year of Physics recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will learn more about the tools and techniques used in advanced materials characterization, particularly at the micro- and nanoscale.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
| APPPHYS 201 | Electrons and Photons | 4 |
|
BIO 232 |
Advanced Imaging Lab in Biophysics |
4 |
|
CHEMENG 345 |
Fundamentals and Applications of Spectroscopy |
3 |
|
MATSCI 320 |
Nanocharacterization of Materials |
3 |
|
MATSCI 321 |
Transmission Electron Microscopy |
3 |
|
MATSCI 322 |
Transmission Electron Microscopy Laboratory |
3 |
|
MATSCI 323 |
Thin Film and Interface Microanalysis |
3 |
|
MATSCI 326 |
X-Ray Science and Techniques |
3 |
Mechanical Behavior and Design
One year of Physics 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.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
AA 240 |
Analysis of Structures |
3 |
|
AA 256 |
Mechanics of Composites |
3 |
|
MATSCI 198 |
Mechanical Properties of Materials |
4 |
|
MATSCI 241 |
Mechanical Behavior of Nanomaterials |
3 |
|
MATSCI 358 |
Fracture and Fatigue of Engineering Materials |
3 |
|
ME 80 |
Mechanics of Materials |
3 |
|
ME 203 |
Design and Manufacturing |
4 |
Nanoscience
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.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
ENGR 240 |
Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems |
3 |
|
MATSCI 241 |
Mechanical Behavior of Nanomaterials |
3 |
|
MATSCI 316 |
Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology |
3 |
|
MATSCI 320 |
Nano-characterization of Materials |
3 |
|
MATSCI 346 |
Nanophotonics |
3 |
|
MATSCI 347 |
Magnetic Materials in Nanotechnology, Sensing, and Energy |
3 |
|
MATSCI 380 |
Nano-Biotechnology |
3 |
Physics
One year of Physics recommended
Students pursuing this focus area will gain a deep foundational knowledge of physics.
|
Course |
Title |
Units |
|
PHYSICS 70 |
Foundations of Modern Physics |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 110 |
Advanced Mechanics |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 120 |
Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism I |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 121 |
Intermediate Electricity and Magnetism II |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 130 |
Quantum Mechanics I |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 131 |
Quantum Mechanics II |
4 |
|
PHYSCIS 134 |
Advanced Topics in Quantum Mechanics |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 170 |
Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory & Statistical Mechanics I |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 171 |
Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory & Statistical Mechanics II |
4 |
|
PHYSICS 172 |
Solid State Physics |
3 |
Self-Defined Focus
Either Physics or Chemistry
Student may petition for approval of a self-defined option containing a minimum of 12 units (4 courses) that comprise a cohesive program of study.
7 If the focus area option contains only 12 units, but the combined unit total in major (SoE Fundamentals, MSE Fundamentals, MSE Depth, MSE 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 7-9 units
MSE Fundamentals 24 units
MSE Depth 15-16 units
Focus Area Options4 13 units
By adding these 60 units to the 40 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 103 units of the 180 you need to graduate. Your advanced placement math and science units from high school may count toward the 40 units of basic math and science, thereby allowing you more electives during your Stanford career.
MATSC Coterm Information
| Dept | Application Deadline | Contact | Informational Website |
| MATSC | 10/08/21 for Win 21-22 01/21/22 for Spr 21-22 07/15/22 for Aut 22-23 |
Mara Violanti
|
https://mse.stanford.edu/academics/undergraduate-program/coterminal-mas… msestudentservices@stanford.edu |
Declaring a Major in Materials Science & Engineering
• Enter your major declaration for Materials Science and Engineering in Axess. Do not choose the Honors option in Axess unless you have already submitted an honors application to the department.
• Send an email to the Director of Undergraduates Studies, Dr. Rajan Kumar, to set up an initial MATSCI advising appointment. The purpose of the meeting is to review the basics of getting a BS in MATSCI and to assign a faculty advisor.
• Download and complete the MATSCI Program Sheet from the School of Engineering website. When completing the Program Sheet, include courses you plan to take as well as those you have already taken. Download a copy of your unofficial Stanford transcript from Axess and attach to your Program Sheet.
• Meet with your faculty advisor to review your Program Sheet and transcript; have your advisor sign your Program Sheet to approve it.
• Procedures and forms for requesting transfer credit, AP credits, and program deviations are described in detail on the Petitions page. SoE petitions must be approved by SoE Dean’s Office of Student Affairs; email to dlazar@stanford.edu or bring into Huang 135.
• Email your completed and signed Program Sheet to Dr. Rajan Kumar. The MATSCI Student Services Office will update Axess to reflect your completed major declaration, major advisor assignment, and add you to the MSE undergraduate email listserv.
• Congratulations and Welcome to MATSCI!
Note: Stanford requires the declaration of a major by the end of sophomore year. The department will accept later declarations from students who change major