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Major: Materials Science and Engineering

Accredited by ABET (see inside front cover).

Offered by: Department of Materials Science and Engineering
214 Bard Hall, 255.9159, www.mse.cornell.edu

Program Objectives

Our undergraduate Major is based on the following educational objectives:

•    Preparation: To prepare students to excel in graduate school or technical careers through a world-class, rigorous, and competitive program.

•    Core Competence: To train students across the spectrum of basic and applied materials science, recognizing and exploiting common descriptions in disparate systems.

•    Breadth: To train students with sufficient scientific and engineering breadth to design and create novel solutions to materials problems in engineering systems.

•    Professionalism: To develop in students professional and ethical attitudes, effective communication and teamwork skills, and an ability to place science and engineering issues and solutions within the broader societal context.

•    Learning Environment: To provide students with an academic environment committed to excellence and innovation that contributes to developing leadership, professionalism, and life-long learning for their professional careers.

Common Curriculum Recommendations

CHEM 209: General Chemistry

Engineering Distributions

ENGRD 261: Mechanical Properties of Materials: From Nanodevices to Superstructures

ENGRD 262: Electronic Materials for the Information Age

Either course (ENGRD 261 or 262) satisfies the Major entry requirement.

Other Relevant Engineering Distributions

ENGRD 202: Mechanics of Solids

ENGRD 210: Introduction to Circuits for Electrical and Computer Engineers

ENGRD 219: Mass and Energy Balances

ENGRD 252: The Physics of Life

ENGRD 260: Principles of Biological Engineering

ENGRD 264: Computer-Instrumentation Design

ENGRD 270: Basic Engineering Probability and Statistics

ENGRD 320: Engineering Computation

Required Major Courses

MS&E 206: Atomic and Molecular Structure of Matter

MS&E 261: Mechanical Properties of Materials: From Nanodevices to Superstructures (required unless used to affiliate)

MS&E 262: Electronic Materials for the Information Age (unless used to affiliate)

MS&E 301: Materials Chemistry

MS&E 303: Thermodynamics of Condensed Systems

MS&E 304: Kinetics, Diffusion, and Phased Transformation

MS&E 305: Electronic, Magnetic, and Dielectric Properties of Materials

MS&E 307: Materials Design Concepts Ia

MS&E 311–312: Junior Laboratory I and II

MS&E 402: Mechanical Properties of Materials, Processing, and Design

MS&E 403–404: Senior Materials Laboratory I and IIb

MS&E 407: Materials Design Concepts II

Electivesc

Two materials-related electives covering two groups of different materialsc

Three materials application–related electives in at least two different types of applications. Two of the materials application–related electives must be taken from outside MS&E.d

One additional technical elective must be taken from outside MS&E.e



Materials Science and Engineering Major Check List

	Minimum Credit Hours	√ When Done
MATH 191	4	❑
MATH 192	4	❑
MATH 293	4	❑
MATH 294	4	❑
CHEM 209 (or 215)	4	❑
PHYS 112 (or 116)	4	❑
PHYS 213 (or 217)	4	❑
PHYS 214 (or 218)	4	❑
CS 100	4	❑
CS 101	1	❑
Introduction to Engineering: (ENGRI 1XX)	3	❑
Engineering Distribution 1: ENGRD 261 or 262	3	❑
Engineering Distribution 2: ENGRD 2XXc	3	❑
First Year Writing Seminar 1a	3	❑
First Year Writing Seminar 2	3	❑
Liberal Studies Distribution—six courses (18-credit minimum)f
Liberal Studies 1		❑
Liberal Studies 2		❑
Liberal Studies 3		❑
Liberal Studies 4		❑
Liberal Studies 5		❑
Liberal Studies 6		❑
Approved Elective (two courses; 6-credit minimum)		❑
Approved Elective		❑
Physical Education (two semesters) and swim test		❑
Required Major Courses (53-credit minimum)
MS&E 261 or MS&E 262	3	❑
MS&E 206	4	❑
MS&E 301	3	❑
MS&E 303	4	❑
MS&E 304	4	❑
MS&E 305	3	❑
MS&E 307	2	❑
MS&E 311	1	❑
MS&E 312	1	❑
MS&E 402	3	❑
MS&E 403/405	3/4	❑
MS&E 404/406	3/4	❑
MS&E 407	2	❑
Materials-related elective I	3	❑
Materials-related elective II	3	❑
Applications-related MS&E-numbered elective I	3	❑
Applications-related elective II	3	❑
Applications-related non–MS&E-numbered elective IIIg	3	❑
Outside non–MS&E-numbered Technical Elective IIIg	3	❑
Total Required Credits	128 minimum
Additional Elective Courses (0 credits minimum, no maximum)		❑
Technical Writing Requirementf		❑

   
Notes

a.    In addition to the first-year writing seminars, a technical writing course must be taken as an engineering distribution, liberal studies, approved elective or Major course. The combination of MS&E 307/407 with MS&E 403/404 or MS&E 405/406 satisfies this requirement.

b.    Research-oriented students may replace MS&E 403 and 404 (senior lab) with MS&E 405 and 406 (senior thesis).

c.    In addition to other Major requirements, a course involving significant computational or mathematical modeling or advanced mathematics is required. This requirement is typically fulfilled by one of the engineering distribution, approved elective, materials application–related elective, or outside technical elective courses. Courses satisfying this requirement will generally have MATH 293, MATH 294, or equivalent courses as a pre- or co-requisite. A list of example courses meeting this requirement is available in the MS&E office, or online at www.mse.cornell.edu.

d.    A list of approved materials-related and materials application–related courses is available in the MS&E office or online at www.mse.cornell.edu.

e.    The outside technical elective must be an upper level (200 or above) technical course and may be selected from engineering or other colleges subject to advisor approval.

f.    The six courses must be chosen from at least three of the following six groups: (1) Cultural Analysis (CA), (2) Historical Analysis (HA), (3) Literature and the Arts (LA), (4) Knowledge, Cognition, and Moral Reasoning (KCM), (5) Social and Behavioral Analysis (SBA), (6) Foreign Languages (not literature courses). At least two of the six courses must be at 200-level or higher.

g.    Nine credits of elective courses must be taken from outside MS&E. These are satisfied by the outside technical elective and by 6 credits of the Major materials application–related electives.

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