California Institute of Technology (Caltech)

Graduate Aerospace Laboratories of the California Institute of Technology (GALCIT) under the Engineering and Applied Science Division of Caltech (EAS) offers undergraduate and graduate programs in Aerospace Engineering.  According to the US News ranking, the EAS Division has been awarded the fifth rank for Best Engineering Schools 2019 and third rank for Best Aerospace Engineering Programs 2019 amongst Graduate Schools in the USA.

The department has unmatched experimental facilities in solids, combustion, biomechanics, propulsion, fluids, and materials. Caltech offers graduate degrees in Aeronautics and Space Engineering and an undergraduate minor in Aerospace Engineering. The institute offers graduate programs in aerospace leading to degrees of Master of Science in Aeronautics and Master of Science in Space Engineering.

Areas of Expertise:

Flow Diagnostics

Fracture Mechanics

Combustion

Turbulence

Gasdynamics

The division has more than fifty faculty laboratories, each headed by a renowned faculty. Students benefit from a state-of-the-art marine laboratory located near the campus. The division had ranked fourth in Best Biological Sciences Programs amongst Graduate schools in the USA.

Graduate students research in multiple options amongst modern biology and biological engineering, viz., Biology, Neurobiology, Bioengineering, Computation, and Neural Systems. In collaboration with other departments, other courses offered are Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics and Geobiology. 

The Division imparts the initial annual financial support and stipend and recommends students to apply for predoctoral fellowships. However, financial support for foreign students is limited.

All applicants must take the GRE general tests and are strongly encouraged to take an advanced test in either biology, biochemistry, mathematics, physics, or psychology. Moreover, applicants whose native language is not English must take the TOEFL.

List of labs: The Rosen Center for Bioengineering; Center for Bioinspired Engineering

The Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering has been ranked second for Best Chemical Engineering Programs 2019 and ranked first for Best Chemistry Programs 2018 amongst Graduate Schools in the USA. With more than 40 faculty members across key areas, the division has numerous specialized laboratories and multidisciplinary facilities. Some of the alumni have won the Nobel Prize also. Undergraduates can pursue chemistry or chemical engineering.

Graduates can choose either the chemistry or chemical engineering option, or an interdisciplinary option in biochemistry and molecular biophysics. Admitted students are supported through a combination of research assistantships, teaching assistantships, and fellowships. Applicants are encouraged to pursue outside fellowships also.

Areas of Expertise:

Catalysis

Fluid Dynamics

Biochemical Engineering

Environmental Engineering

Polymers

List of Labs: Joint Center for Artificial Photosynthesis

The Department of Mechanical and Civil Engineering of Caltech offers graduate programs in Applied Mechanics, Civil Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. The undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering is ABET-accredited (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, Inc. is a non-governmental organization that accredits post-secondary education programs in applied and natural science, computing, engineering and engineering technology). Students from the world's most prestigious universities come here to study.

The M.S. degree is normally only awarded to students who expect to pursue Ph.D. degree in civil engineering and who do not already have an M.S. degree in civil engineering.

Students without specialisation in civil engineering as an undergraduate can also be admitted for the graduate study. As a precursor, these students should have a thorough background in undergraduate mathematics, physics, and engineering.
 

Areas of Expertise:

Computational Modeling of Structures

Fluids Engineering; Robotics

Computational Modeling of Solids

Continuum Mechanics

Thermal Sciences

Controls

Earthquake Engineering

Engineering Design

Civil Engineering Problems of Rivers and Harbors

Dynamics of Solids and Structures

Fracture Mechanics

Mechanics of Materials

The Department of Computing + Mathematical Sciences chooses only the best students who have a passion for science. The department has a great student to faculty ratio of 3:1. The Computer Science department has been ranked eighth for Best Computer Engineering Programs 2019 in the Graduate Schools ranking.

Undergraduate students are offered majors in Applied + Computational Mathematics and Computer Science as well as a minor in Control + Dynamical Systems. Graduate studies are offered in Computer Science, Computing + Mathematical Sciences, Applied + Computational Mathematics, and Control + Dynamical Systems.

Areas of Expertise:

Robust Control

Computer Graphics

Dynamical Systems

Learning

Complex Systems

Geometric Mechanics

Concurrent Computing

Nonlinear Control

Systems Biology

List of labs: Institute for Quantum Information

Established in 1910, the Department of Electrical Engineering has many distinguished alumni. A wide variety of both undergraduate and graduate subjects are offered. The department has been ranked fourth in the Best Electrical Engineering Programs 2019 amongst Graduate schools in the USA.

At the undergraduate level, students can pursue a dual major, one of them in electrical engineering. The approval is on the basis of the academic performance of the student. The department offers the Master’s in electrical engineering as well as a degree of Electrical Engineer (only in exceptional cases). 

To be admitted to the graduate courses, an applicant must have a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering equivalent to the options offered by Caltech.  The applicant should have excellent scholastic record and recommendations indicating the distinction required for advanced studies.

Areas of Expertise:

Information Theory

Robotics

Computational Neuroscience

Integrated Circuits

Neural Networks

Molecular Computing

Learning

Digital Signal Processing

Computer Vision

Communications

Vision

Optics 

The curriculum followed by the Department of Environmental Science & Engineering emphasizes interdisciplinary knowledge. At an undergraduate level, students can opt for it as a minor beyond their major in engineering.

The graduate program trains students to acquire knowledge about environmental systems. The course takes in faculty from other divisions; viz., Geological and Planetary Sciences, Engineering and Applied Science, and Chemistry and Chemical Engineering. An academic advisor is appointed for each student. 

Applicants should submit scores for the GRE General Test. Applicants from non-English-speaking nations are required to provide TOEFL results.

Areas of Expertise:  

Aquatic Chemistry

Environmental Microbiology

Climate System

Biogeochemistry

Atmospheric Chemistry

Water Treatment

Remediation

List of labs: The Ronald and Maxine Linde Center for Global Environmental Science

The Department of Applied Physics and Materials Science has been awarded the joint eighth rank for Best Materials Engineering Programs 2019 amongst Graduate schools. The department offers BS in Materials Science, MS in Materials Science, Ph.D. in Materials Science and Ph.D. in Applied Physics.

Research topics in the department encompass nanomechanics to photonics and optoelectronics, plasma physics, biophysics, and biomechanics. Graduate students are required to take a series of foundational courses in kinetics, thermodynamics, materials structure, along with courses focused on a selected class of materials. 

Students without specialization in materials science in undergraduate years may be admitted into the graduate study. As a precursor, such students need to have a background in undergraduate mathematics, physics, and engineering.

Admission to graduate programs is competitive and decided by the admissions committee which reviews the applications. The admission process occurs once every year. The programs offered are Bachelor of Science Students interested in getting a graduate degree at the master’s level only are normally not admitted.

Areas of Expertise:

Modern Methods for Materials Characterization

Computer Simulation of Materials

Solid-State Physics

Plasma Physics

Lasers and Integrated Optics

Thermodynamics of Alloys

Metallic Glasses

Kinetics of Alloys

Nanocrystalline Materials

Electronic Materials

Caltech has been ranked third for Best Physics Schools 2018 amongst Graduate schools in the USA.

The Division of Physics, Mathematics, and Astronomy is home to globally renowned academic and research programs. Undergraduate and graduate students in the department can enroll in academic programs and pursue research in physics, mathematics, and astronomy. The department boasts of a broad array of observational facilities, research centers, and advanced instruments. The faculty are the pioneers of a wide range of studies and ensure greater breadth and depth of understanding in fields amongst the students.

Caltech provides many research opportunities in physics. To obtain a Master of Science degree in physics, you need to complete the oral and written candidacy examinations. An advanced degree in physics at Caltech is required extensive research achievement. Students need to take advanced courses in at least three subfields of physics. They must also pass a written candidacy exam in both classical physics and quantum mechanics in order to progress into the research phase of the degree.

Areas of Expertise:

Computational Biology

Theoretical Materials Science

Modern Methods for Materials Characterization

Nonlinear Dynamics

Plasma Physics

Computer Simulation of Materials

Solid-State Physics

Thermodynamics of Alloys

Lasers and Integrated Optics

Kinetics of Alloys

Computational and Theoretical Fluid Mechanics

Nanocrystalline Materials

Electronic Materials

Multiscale and Multiresolution Computations

Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing

Metallic Glasses

List of labs: The Kavli Nanoscience Institute of Technology (KNI)