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Materials Science and Engineering Program

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2022-23 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

The latest versions of the Excel docs will be posted soon

MATSC Program Sheet

MATSC 4-Year

MATSC Flowchart

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/IB 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

See “Approved Courses” page of this website for a list of SoE approved Mathematics & Statistics courses; CME 106 or STATS 110 are recommended.

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 (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

  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

Electrochemical Water Treatment: Materials and Processes

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

Electrochemical Energy Storage Systems: Modeling and Estimation

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

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

Advanced Micro and Nano Fabrication Laboratory

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

Materials Physics

Physics 41, 43, 45 recommended

Students pursuing this focus area will gain a deep foundational knowledge of physics, with topics focusing on quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and waves and diffraction, and other advanced topics

Course

Title

Units

APPPHYS 201 Electrons and Photons 4
APPPHYS 204 Quantum Materials 4
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 and Materials Chemistry 4
MATSCI 341 Quantum Theory of Electronic and Optical Excitations in Materials 3

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

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

advarma@stanford.edu

 

 

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 Anjani Varma, advarma@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 major