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DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING

DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS SCIENCE & ENGINEERING
UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM NOTE

Information for the Master of Science and PhD

FAMU—FSU COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Department of Materials Science & Engineering Website

Interim Chair: Tarik Dickens

Materials Science and Engineering is a graduate-only department, which was created in 2023, that leads to the degrees of Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Materials Science and Engineering. Students interested in this program have a wide variety of backgrounds: engineering disciplines including: the disciples of aeronautical, aerospace, biomedical, civil, chemical, computer, engineering physics, environmental, industrial, manufacturing, materials science, mechanical, and nuclear engineering, applied mathematics, biology, chemistry, geology, and physics.

The curriculum requires core and specialization courses, plus a thesis or dissertation. The core courses are designed to give students from the various disciplines a common background in materials.

Admission Requirements — MS and PhD

Students apply to Materials Science and Engineering through the program's Graduate Admissions Requirements webpage. Complete applications including all supporting documents must be received by December 15th to be considered for financial aid for the following Fall semester. Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • 3.0 undergraduate GPA (4.0 scale) as an upper-level undergraduate

  • GRE scores of at least the 75th percentile for the Quantitative section and the 55th percentile for the Verbal section

  • MS applicants are not required to take the GRE exam.

  • Three recent letters of recommendation from individuals who are able to assess the applicant's academic and research potential

  • Transcripts—International applicants or degrees earned from international institutions must submit official transcripts through a NACES approved evaluator. We recommend using The Evaluation Company (formerly SpanTran) for your course-by-course evaluation. We are unable to review applications with unofficial transcripts from international institutions. The University will not waive this requirement.

  • Test of English for applicants whose native language is not English—International applicants whose native language is not English are required to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) examination and obtain a minimum score of 550 on the paper-based or 80 on the Internet-based TOEFL examination. International students expecting to receive appointments as teaching assistants are required to pass a test of spoken English administered by the FSU Center for Intensive English Studies (Center for Intensive English Studies website) when they arrive at Florida State University.

Degree Requirements — MS (Thesis)

Overall requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering are:

  • Admission to Materials Science and Engineering

  • A minimum of 30 credit hours as follows:

    • Twelve credits of letter graded core courses consisting of three required core courses plus one elective core course

    • Twelve credits of letter graded specialization courses

    • Six credits of MS thesis research

    • Interdisciplinary seminar series all Fall and Spring semesters

  • Complete master's research in materials science and engineering

  • Submit and successfully defend an acceptable master's thesis

A list of the core and specialization courses can be found on the Department of Materials Science & Engineering website.

Degree Requirements — MS (Coursework Only)

Overall requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering are:

  • Admission to Materials Science and Engineering

  • A minimum of 30 credit hours as follows:

    • Twelve credits of letter graded core courses consisting of three required core courses plus one elective core course

    • Fifteen credits of letter graded specialization courses

    • Three additional credits of letter graded specialization courses or S/U graded Directed Independent Study

    • Interdisciplinary seminar series all Fall and Spring semesters

  • Give an oral presentation in the Materials Science and Engineering seminar series

A list of the core and specialization courses can be found on the Department of Materials Science & Engineering website.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Overall requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering for students entering with a BS degree are:

  • Admission to Materials Science and Engineering

  • A minimum of 54 credits with the following minimum requirements:

    • Twelve credits of letter graded core courses consisting of three required core courses plus one elective core course

    • Fifteen credits of letter graded specialization courses (five specialization courses)

    • Twenty-four credits of PhD dissertation research

    • Interdisciplinary seminar series all Fall and Spring semesters

  • Successfully pass a qualifying examination

  • Successfully pass a preliminary exam, which includes presenting and defending a prospectus

  • Complete PhD research in materials science and engineering

  • Submit and successfully defend an acceptable PhD dissertation

A list of the core and specialization courses can be found on the Department of Materials Science & Engineering website.

Definition of Prefix

ISC—Interdisciplinary Sciences