Materials Science and Engineering Program
2023-24 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 2023. 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
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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 (39 units combined, minimum)
◦ Math (23 units minimum): Must include
- MATH 19/20/21 or up to 10 units AP BC credit AND placement into MATH 51/CME 100 via Math Diagnostic, taken prior to first year start
- CME100/ENGR 154 or MATH 51
- CME 102/ENGR 155A or MATH 53
- 1 additional math/statistics course1
◦ Science (16 units minimum)2,3: Must include
- PHYSICS 41 or 61 + PHYSICS 43 or 81 + CHEM 31A or 31M + one additional course from SoE-approved list -- see Note 3
AP credit is also acceptable and must be approved by the Dean’s office
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
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 (20 units minimum)
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 |
| One additional course: Choose one of the MATSCI 150, 180, or 190 series courses for the MSE Fundamental elective. Students preparing for advanced graduate study or seeking additional depth are encouraged to take more than one MatSci Fundamental elective. Full list provided at bulletin.stanford.edu/programs/MATSC-BS |
One course from either Undergraduate Core Courses or 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 |
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 |
| Note: | MATSCI 160 recommended as the first MSE Depth course. Students must choose at least one of MATSCI 160, MATSCI 161, or MATSCI 164 to satisfy the WIM requirement | |
Focus Area Options
(Choose one area; 4 courses with a minimum of one MATSCI course 8)
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
CHEM 31A/B or 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.
| Course | Title | Units |
| BIOE 80 | Introduction to Bioengineering | 4 |
| BIOE 220 | Intro to Imaging and Image-based Human Anatomy | 3 |
| BIOE 231 | Protein Engineering | 3 |
| BIOE 260 | Tissue Engineering | 4 |
| BIOE 279 | Computational Biology: Structure and Organization of Biomolecules and Cells | 3 |
| BIOE 381 | Orthopaedic Bioengineering | 3 |
| ENGR 55 | Foundational Biology for Engineers | 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 |
| MATSCI 385 | Biomaterials for Drug Delivery |
Chemical Properties of Materials
CHEM 31A/B or 31M 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 | 4 | |
| CHEM 173 | Physical Chemistry II | 3 | |
| CHEMENG 130A | Microkinetics – Molecular Principles of Chemical Kinetics | 3 | |
| CHEMENG 140 | Micro and Nanoscale Fabrication Engineering | 3 | |
| CHEMENG 150 | Biochemical Engineering | 3 | |
| CHEMENG 174 | Environmental Microbiology I | 3 | |
| CHEMENG 175X |
| 3 | |
| MATSCI 181 | Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria | 4 | |
| MATSCI 182 | Rate Processes in Materials | 4 | |
| MATSCI 310 | Statistical Mechanics for Materials & Materials Chemistry | 4 |
Computational Materials Science
Physics 41, 43, & 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.
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| CME 107 | Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory | 5 |
| CME 108 | Intro to Scientific Computing | 3 |
| ENERGY 160 | Uncertainty Quantification in Data-Centric Simulations | 3 |
| MATSCI 165 | Nanoscale Materials Physics Computation Laboratory | 4 |
| MATSCI 166 | Data Science and Machine Learning Approaches in Chemical and Materials Engineering | 3 |
| MATSCI 331 | Atom-based Computational Methods for Materials | 3 |
| ME 123 | Computational Engineering | 4 |
| ME 335A | Finite Element Analysis | 3 |
| ME 346B | Intro to Molecular Simulations | 3 |
Electronics and Photonic Properties of Materials
Physics 41, 43, & 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.
| Course | Title | Units |
| EE 101A | Circuits I | 4 |
| EE 102A | Signal Processing and Linear Systems I | 4 |
| EE 116 | Semiconductor Device Physics | 3 |
| EE 134 | Introduction to Photonics | 4 |
| EE 153 | Power Electronics | 3 |
| EE 157 | Electric Motors for Renewable Energy, Robotics & EV | 3 |
| EE 212 | Integrated Circuit Fabrication Processes | 3 |
| EE 216 | Principles and Models of Semiconductor Devices | 3 |
| EE 218 | Power Semiconductor Devices and Technology | 3 |
| ENGR 240 | Intro to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems | 3 |
| ENGR 241 | Advanced Micro and Nano Fabrication Laboratory | 3 |
| ME 210 | Introduction to Mechatronics | 4 |
| MATSCI 152 | Electronic Materials Engineering | 4 |
| MATSCI 199 | Electronic and Optical Properties of Solids | 4 |
| MATSCI 317 | Defects in Semiconductors | 3 |
| MATSCI 341 | Quantum Theory of Electronic and Optical Excitations in Materials | 3 |
| MATSCI 343 | Organic Semiconductors for Electronics and Photonics | 3 |
| MATSCI 346 | Nanophotonics | 3 |
Materials for Energy Technology
Either Chemistry or Physics
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 | 5 | |
| CHEM 174 | Electrochemical Measurements Lab | 3 | |
| EE 153 | Power Electronics | 4 | |
| EE 237 | Solar Energy Conversion | 3 | |
| EE 293B | Fundamentals of Energy Processes | 3 | |
| ENERGY 153 | Carbon Capture and Sequestration | 4 | |
| ENERGY 293 | Energy Storage and Conversion: Solar Cells, Fuel Cells, Batteries and Supercapacitors | 3 | |
| ENERGY 295 |
| 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 | |
| PHYSICS 240 | Intro to the Physics of Energy | 3 |
Materials Characterization
Either Chemistry or Physics
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 |
| BIOE 220 | Introduction to Imaging and Image-based Human Anatomy | 3 |
| CHEM 131 | Instrumental Analysis Principles and Practice | 5 |
| CHEM 174 | Electrochemical Measurements Lab | 3 |
| CHEM 176 | Spectroscopy Laboratory | 3 |
| 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 |
Materials Physics
Physics 61 and 81 recommended, with Physics 45 or 71 as the science electiveStudents 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.
| Course | Title | Units |
| MATSCI 184 | Structure and Symmetry | 4 |
| MATSCI 185 | Quantum Mechanics for Materials Science | 4 |
| MATSCI 195 | Waves and Diffraction in Solids | 4 |
| MATSCI 310 | Statistical Mechanics for Materials & Materials Chemistry | 4 |
| MATSCI 341 | Quantum Theory of Electronic and Optical Excitations in Materials | 3 |
| APPPHYS 201 | Electrons and Photons | 4 |
| APPPHYS 204 | Quantum Materials | 4 |
| PHYSICS 71 | Quantum and Thermal Physics | 4 |
| PHYSICS 81 | Electricity and Magnetism Using Special Relativity and Vector Calculus | 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 |
Mechanical Behavior and Materials Processing
Physics 41, 43, & 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.
| Course | Title | Units |
| AA 240 | Analysis of Structures | 3 |
| AA 256 | Mechanics of Composites | 3 |
| AA 280 | Smart Structures | 3 |
| CHEMENG 140 | Micro and Nanoscale Fabrication Engineering | 3 |
| CHEMENG 170X | Mechanics of Soft Matter: Rheology | 3 |
| ENGR 240 | Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems | 3 |
| ENGR 241 | Advanced Micro and Nano Fabrication Laboratory | 3 |
| MATSCI 151 | Microstructure and Mechanical Properties | 4 |
| MATSCI 183 | Defects and Disorder in Materials | 4 |
| MATSCI 198 | Mechanical Properties of Materials | 4 |
| MATSCI 312 | New Methods in Thin Film Synthesis | 3 |
| MATSCI 358 | Fracture and Fatigue of Engineering Materials | 3 |
| ME 127 | Design for Additive Manufacturing | 3 |
| ME 152 | Material Behaviors and Fairlure Prediction | 3 |
| ME 303 | Soft Composites and Soft Robotics | 4 |
| ME 335A | Finite Element Analysis | 3 |
| ME 340 | Mecahnics - Elasticity and Inelasticity | 3 |
| ME 345 | Fatigue Design and Analysis | 3 |
| ME 348 | Experimental Stress Analysis | 3 |
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.
| Course | Title | Units | |
| ENGR 240 | Introduction to Micro and Nano Electromechanical Systems | 3 | |
| ENGR 241 |
| 3 | |
| MATSCI 316 | Nanoscale Science, Engineering and Technology | 3 | |
| MATSCI 320 | Nano-characterization of Materials | 3 | |
| MATSCI 346 | Nanophotonics | 3 | |
| MATSCI 380 | Nano-Biotechnology | 3 |
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
8 Choose one of the nine focus area tracks listed above, or choose the self-defined focus area option. Minimum one MATSCI course in the focus area. Each focus area course must be at least 3 units and may not include seminars. For students pursuing the Honor's Program, you may count up to six units of MATSCI 150 towards the focus area, but cannot use these units to replace the MATSCI course minimum
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 Options4 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.
MATSC Coterm Information
| Dept | Application Deadline | Contact | Informational Website |
| MATSC | 10/14/22 for Win 22-23 01/20/23 for Spr 22-23 05/19/23 for Aut 23-24 | Anjani Varma
| https://mse.stanford.edu/academics-admissions/coterminal-masters |
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 and unofficial transcript to our Student Services Officer Joanna Peralta Arenas, joannapa@stanford.edu. 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 majors.