Master of Science
MS in Materials Science and Engineering
The graduate program in materials science and engineering at Rutgers offers a master of science degree in all areas and classes of materials. The program has particular strengths in the areas of materials characterization and materials synthesis with the materials being applied to many important technological areas. These include nanotechnology, energy storage, biomedical diagnostics and therapeutics, plasmonics, glass and structural ceramics, polymer recycling and sustainable materials.
The Master of Science degree requires 30 credits. There are several different approaches to obtaining an MS in Materials Science and Engineering:
Accordion Content
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Students must complete 30 credits. A final presentation of a paper in front of a faculty committee is required. The topic of the paper must be within the field of Materials Science and Engineering. The curriculum for a 30 credit taught MS program that runs over 12-24 month period.
Fall Semester
Students typically take 9 credits but may take up to 15 credits.Core Courses
Students register for:
635:527 Thermodynamics of Materials Systems (3 credits)
635:513 Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3 credits)Elective Courses
Students choose 1, 2 or 3 of the following:
635:505 Advanced Optical Materials (3 credits)
635:525 Properties of Materials Surfaces (3 credits)
635:529 Applied Colloid and Surface Chemistry (3 credits)
635:566 Electron Microscopy (3 credits)
635:567 Electron Microscopy Lab (1 credit)
635:601 Materials Seminar (1 credit) *Spring Semester
Students typically take 9 credits but may take up to 15 credits.Core Courses
Students register for:
635:503 Theory of Solid State Materials (3 credits)
635:532 Kinetics of Materials Systems (3 credits)Elective Courses
Students choose 1, 2 or 3 of the following:
635:506 Advanced Glass (3 credits)
635:509 Advanced Electroceramics (3 credits)
635:516 Molecular Behavior or Glasses (3 credits)
635:524 Advanced Materials Characterization (3 credits)
635:528 Modern Electrochemistry (3 credits)
635:602 Materials Seminar (1 credit) **Note: MS students may take a maximum of 3 credits of Materials Seminar
Summer Session
Students may take 3 to 6 credits.635:603 Special Problems in Materials (credits vary)
635:604 Special Problems in Materials (credits vary)
Any graduate level class offered at Rutgers-New Brunswick (one 3 credit course per summer)Final Paper
Write and present a review paper on a specific topic in Materials Science and Engineering.Credits Outside MSE Graduate Program**
Students are permitted to take a small number of courses for credit outside of our graduate program, for instance:
• Graduate courses offered by other programs at Rutgers – always check with course lecturer first (BME, CBE, MAE, ECE, Physics, Chemistry),
• MSE advanced undergraduate courses – always check with course lecturer first (examples are 14:635:433 Optical Materials, 14:635:312 Glass Engineering,…others),
• Transferred credits from other institutions – check with graduate program director (typically from prior graduate level study).
**Note: Maximum allowed is 12 credits for taught MS -
A student completing a research MS is required to have completed 24 credits of taught courses and 6 credits of research under the supervision of a member of the MSE graduate faculty. The MS degree culminates in the student writing a research dissertation that is presented to an MS thesis committee. This degree usually takes around two years to complete as a full time student.
For a research MS the student must:
- Have a research advisor who is a member of the MSE program’s graduate faculty
- Have a research project relevant to the MSE graduate program
- Take a total of 6 research credits
- Take a total of 24 taught credits
- Write a MS dissertation (thesis) and present this to a dissertation committee
The curriculum for the 30 credits (24 taught plus 6 research) runs over a 18-24 month period.
Fall Semester
Students typically take 9 credits but may take up to 12 credits.Core Courses
635:527 Thermodynamics of Materials Systems (3 credits)
635:513 Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3 credits)Elective Courses
Students choose 1, 2 or 3 of the following:635:505 Advanced Optical Materials (3 credits)
635:525 Properties of Materials Surfaces (3 credits)
635:529 Applied Colloid and Surface Chemistry (3 credits)
635:566 Electron Microscopy (3 credits)
635:567 Electron Microscopy Lab (1 credit)
635:601 Materials Seminar (1 credit) *
635:701 Research in Materials (1 to 3 credits)Spring Semester
Students typically take 9 credits but may take up to 12 credits.Core Courses
635:503 Theory of Solid State Materials (3 credits)
635:532 Kinetics of Materials Systems (3 credits)Elective Courses
Students choose 1, 2 or 3 of the following:635:506 Advanced Glass (3 credits)
635:509 Advanced Electroceramics (3 credits)
635:516 Molecular Behavior or Glasses (3 credits)
635:524 Advanced Materials Characterization (3 credits)
635:528 Modern Electrochemistry (3 credits)
635:602 Materials Seminar (1 credit) *
635:702 Research in Materials (1 to 3 credits)*Note: MS students may take a maximum of 3 credits of Materials Seminar
Summer Session
Students may take 3 to 6 credits.635:603 Special Problems in Materials (credits vary)
635:604 Special Problems in Materials (credits vary)
635:701 Research in Materials (1 to 3 credits)Any graduate level class offered at Rutgers-New Brunswick (one 3 credit course per summer)
Credits Outside MSE Graduate Program**
Students are permitted to take a small number of courses for credit outside of our graduate program, for instance:
• Graduate courses offered by other programs at Rutgers – always check with course lecturer first (BME, CBE, MAE, ECE, Physics, Chemistry),
• MSE advanced undergraduate courses – always check with course lecturer first (examples are 14:635:433 Optical Materials, 14:635:312 Glass Engineering,…others),
• Transferred credits from other institutions – check with graduate program director (typically from prior graduate level study).**Note: Maximum allowed is 12 credits for taught MS