Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

The Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering degree intends for the successful student to demonstrate the ability to do independent research in engineering or applied science with close faculty guidance. In addition to research, this degree program requires that the student achieve an overall grade point average of at least 3.0 in the 25 course credits beyond the BS level to be distributed as follows:

*Maximum of 2 courses at 5xxx level in MSE
*Maximum of 3 courses at 5xxx level in total
*Minimum of 2 courses in MSE beyond core

• The program of study includes one credit of MSE seminar (MSE 7820).
• The program of study includes four electives beyond the MSE core. These electives are at the 5xxx, 6xxx and 7xxx levels, are approved by the graduate student’s advisor, and are selected from SEAS-course offerings or other UVa Science/Mathematics courses. Up to six credits of 5xxx-level MSE courses, with a maximum of nine credits of 5xxx-level SEAS courses are permitted. No more than six elective credits may be earned in faculty-supervised independent study courses.
• MSE 6050 and MSE 6060 may be taken for elective credit only by those students who do not have an undergraduate degree in MSE, or upon petition to the MSE Graduate Director by the graduate student’s advisor.
• Students who have earned graduate course credits at UVa or at another institution may transfer up to six credits into the MSE-MS program of study provided those courses were not used to earn another degree. Transferred courses may be used to satisfy part of the MSE core requirement, if deemed equivalent by the faculty member teaching the course, or to satisfy the elective requirement, subject to approval by the MSE Graduate Director and the Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. The student must document the syllabus content of a transferred MSE core course, and the 6xxx or 7xxx level of a transferred elective course. Transferred courses may have been taken in MSE or in another field of engineering or science, but may not have been applied to achieve any other earned degree.
• The sequence in which core elective classes are taken is defined by the student and advisor, considering that core courses provide an important foundation for many of the elective courses and research.
• The MS degree requires at least six credits of research, under the supervision of a faculty advisor, and culminates in a written thesis, that is presented and defended in a public forum.
• The four core courses, written thesis, and public defense of the thesis are departmental requirements for the MS degree and cannot be waived.
• The MS candidate must write and defend publicly his/her thesis at a time that precedes the deadline for the SEAS binding receipt by at least four weeks. The MS defense will conclude with a faculty evaluation and decision on thesis acceptability and additional requirements, if any.
• All members of the thesis defense committee must receive the completed thesis at least seven calendar days prior to the defense date. Faculty members may request additional time when the defense date is being set.
• After public defense of the MS thesis, each MS student will be assessed by faculty based on his or her ability to perform graduate-level engineering research, proficiency at technical writing, and oral presentation skills.