Materials Science, M.S.

Materials Science and Engineering

School of Graduate Engineering and Applied Science: Degree Programs    

MS Degree

The Master of Science (M.S.) 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 credits, this degree program requires 25 course credits beyond the bachelors level.

The course requirements are as follows:

• 4 MSE Core Courses - 12 credits
• 4 Elective Courses from MSE, SEAS or UVA Sci/Math - 12 credits
• Graduate Seminar - 1 credit
• TOTAL: 25 credits

Additional Information:

• The M.S. program requires at least two elective courses in MSE in addition to the MSE four core courses.
• The electives are at the 6xxx and 7xxx levels, must be approved by the graduate student’s advisor, and selected from SEAS-course offerings or other UVA Science/Mathematics courses. No more than six elective credits may be earned in faculty-supervised independent study courses.
• Students should refer to “Transfer Credit” in the School of Engineering and Applied Science—Academic Rules section of the Record for information regarding transferring courses toward their 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 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 M.S. 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 M.S. degree and cannot be waived.
• The M.S. candidate must write and defend publicly their thesis at least four weeks prior to the Libra Upload date published by SEAS in order to graduate within a given semester. The M.S. 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 M.S. thesis, each M.S. student will be assessed by faculty based on their ability to perform graduate-level engineering research, proficiency at technical writing, and oral presentation skills.
• The appropriate forms needed to be completed and submitted to the registrar can be found here: Graduate Forms
• For more information on MSE Degrees, please visit: MSE Graduate Programs