Masters in Materials Science

In this fast paced world, where consumer goods are being used up  at a lightning speed and technologies are getting older the very next day, we can no longer rely on the old models of innovation. Those days are long past when we designed our products based on material we already had; today new material is invented to suit the needs of a specific product. Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is the driving force behind this technology which continues to improve our day to day life. MSE is an interdisciplinary branch of study whose focal point is to create new materials based on the needs of a particular project. Materials engineers help create products from tiny but complex computer chips to huge space launch vehicles.

Masters in Materials Science and Engineering engages students in developing and understanding relationships between processing, structure, properties, and the performance of materials in Engineering applications. It provides a research-intensive environment that encourages collaboration between students and professionals from the field. This environment provides a strong foundation for advancing the scope of materials research, developing important technical innovations, and preparing engineers and scientists for challenging leadership careers.

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Course Structure

USA does have an open schooling system which means you are eligible to apply in any degree regardless of you background but such students who don’t have background in MSE are required to take some additional credit hours. These courses are taken in addition to the degree requirements and may include undergraduate courses. Without additional credit hours, it takes minimum 30 credit hours to graduate.

Curriculum is divided into three parts
1. Core courses which include

  • Thermodynamics of materials
  • Structure and Diffraction
  • Principles of Inorganic Materials
  • Soft matter physics
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Materials Science and Engineering

2. Electives which include

  • Solar Energy: Fundamentals
  • Composite Materials
  • Techniques of surface and nano structure characterization
  • Solid State Electronics for Engineering II
  • Reliability and Failure of Solid State Devices
  • Microfabrication Techniques
  • Thermodynamics and Reaction Kinetics of Solids
  • Polymer Properties and Structure

3. Last and most important section is area of specialization, candidates are required to choose any one area and then take at least six courses in it. Following are the options from which you can choose:

  • Electronic and Photonic Materials
  • Particulate and Nano Materials
  • Mathematical and Computational Materials Science Track

Those of you who want to do MS with a thesis need to write and defend a thesis acceptable to an authoritative body generally made up of multiple faculties.  

Eligibility

Masters in materials science and engineering is a STEM (Science, technology, engineering and mathematics) degree and in some countries they may put some eligibility restrictions based on your background. Most countries, however, follow open schooling system and hence there is no restriction based on your background.

Graduate level entry into international universities requires that you should have completed your bachelor’s degree from an accredited university. Your academic performance is measured through your Grade Point Average (GPA) by most of the international universities. Academic eligibility should be confirmed with the “Admission Committee” of your respective schools, and you should avoid taking advice from non-official channels.

A good GRE or GMAT score is absolutely indispensable when it comes to getting admitted into a top university for the Materials Science and Engineering program.

Language courses like TOEFL and IELTS are required by most top schools. TOEFL test scores are accepted in the USA, while IELTS is recognized by schools from many countries such as Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, the UK.

You also need to prepare a resume, an SOP, and a recommendation letter. You can use this tool of ours to review your SOP. It is automated and hassle-free. Most candidates take the role of their resume and the recommendation letter very lightly. It is advisable to give proper attention to your resume as well as the recommendation letter. You should get your recommendation letter via professional or academic contacts, preferably by someone who knows you well.

The last obstacle to tackle would be the interview, most of the schools will require you to go through an interview round, once your application gets accepted. Get some insight into interview questions and make a note of the answers that are expected from you beforehand.

 

 

With masters in Materials Science and Engineering, You can choose to specialize from wide range of subjects depending on your interest. We will discuss some of those specializations down below.

Fire Protection Engineering

Fire protection Engineering is the application of engineering principles with the sole aim of protecting people, property, and their environments from the harmful and destructive effects of fire and smoke. It is an interdisciplinary field of engineering which focuses on fire detection, suppression and mitigation.

Employment of fire protection engineers is projected to grow 9 percent from 2016 to 2026, about as fast as the average for all occupations. As buildings, products, and processes continue to become more complex and new regulations are created, these engineers will be needed to reduce costs, save lives, and produce safe consumer products.

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Mining Engineering

Mining Engineering is an engineering discipline that applies science and technology to the extraction of minerals from the Earth. The task of mining engineer is to design mines so that minerals could be removed safely and efficiently in order to use them in manufacturing and utilities.

Employment of mining engineers is projected to grow 8 percent  from 2016 to 2026. Employment growth in this sector is driven by the need of latest technology in order to extract minerals as much efficiently as possible in order to survive the stiff competition in the market.

Mineral and energy economics

Mineral and energy economics as a discipline combines tools from economics, finance and operations research specifically applied to minerals and energy. This specialization provides students with the skills necessary for understanding the complex interactions of markets and policy that influence the energy and mineral sector.

Under this specialization you can expect to find plenty of jobs in the field of private and public policy making. Energy sector is set to expand in low and middle income nations which will in turn boost the growth of employment in this sector.

Metallurgical Engineering

Metallurgical engineering is the study of physical and chemical behavior of metals. It involves the design, implementation, and improvement of processes that transform mineral resources and metals into useful products that improve the quality of our lives. Metallurgical engineering  has three branches:

  • Physical Metallurgy
  • Mineral Processing
  • Chemical Metallurgy

Job outlook for people with specialization in this field stays bright because expansion is underway in developing nations and large numbers of experienced engineers are expected to retire in developed ones.

Ceramic Engineering

Ceramic engineering is the technology of creating objects from inorganic, non-metallic materials.
As ceramics are heat resistant, they find their use in wide range of crucial industries such as mining, aerospace, medicine, food and chemical industries. As a materials engineer, you may specialize in ceramic engineering and develop processes to convert ceramic materials into usable products like LCD screens, glass optical fibers or scintillators used in CT scans.

If you’re a critical thinker, a problem solver and an active listener, you’re well suited for a career in the field of ceramic engineering.

Composite Materials

A composite material is a combination of two or more constituent materials with significantly different physical or chemical properties. Composite materials finds its application in manufacturing many crucial items such as Kevlar vests, Parts of Aerospace industries, Parts of luxury cars, military hardware etc. Specialization in this field is a direct entry ticket for employment in Multi-billion dollar companies.

Mining and Earth Systems Engineering

Mining and earth systems engineering is an interdisciplinary field of specialization covering subject areas such as mine planning and development, computer-aided mine design, rock mechanics, mine mechanization, mine evaluation and similar mining engineering topics. With this specialization you won’t just be able to work in traditional sectors like mining but also in construction sector which is today heavily dependent on techniques of underground excavation and tunneling.

 

Global Rank

College Name Popularity Rank Global Rank Total Tuition Fees Deadline Annual RA+TA Unsecured loan Offer Secured Loan Offer
University of Southern California 1 132 61805 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Florida 2 178 60260 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Stanford University 3 2 108030 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, San Diego 4 38 53088 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Pennsylvania 5 19 86264 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Carnegie Mellon University 6 47 94600 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Cornell University 7 14 59000 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Stevens Institute of Technology 8 651-700 71920 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Columbia University 9 18 96864 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Michigan 10 21 99016 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Arizona State University 11 209 60396 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, Irvine 12 164 22884 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, Los Angeles 13 33 53088 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The Johns Hopkins University 14 17 107480 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The University of Texas at Arlington 15 NA 38072 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, Berkeley 16 27 29700 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
William Marsh Rice University 17 NA NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Northwestern University 18 28 108240 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Boston University 19 81 105632 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign 20 69 68660 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The Ohio State University 21 86 68128 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Stony Brook University 22 382 45300 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University 23 367 53648 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Wisconsin-Madison 24 55 48108 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
North Carolina State University 25 263 50810 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Colorado Boulder 26 182 66276 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Delaware 27 421-430 54810 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Georgia Institute of Technology 28 70 57136 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Virginia 29 173 55548 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Iowa State University 30 471-480 51428 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The Pennsylvania State University 31 93 76932 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Texas A&M University 32 195 67333 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, School of Engineering 33 651-700 NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The University of Texas at Dallas 34 421-430 53704 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Maryland, College Park 35 129 46440 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Michigan Technological University 36 551-600 34290 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
California Institute of Technology 37 4 104466 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Purdue University 38 105 58264 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, Santa Barbara 39 134 55344 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Rochester 40 186 49620 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Pittsburgh 41 142 88948 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Minnesota -Twin Cities 42 163 42000 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute 43 364 105100 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University at Buffalo, SUNY 44 318 45300 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Clemson University 45 701-750 45952 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Cincinnati 46 501-550 49064 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of California, Davis 47 118 57346 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Houston 48 601-650 36612 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
University of Illinois at Chicago 49 207 56336 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Missouri University of Science and Technology 50 651-700 50164 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 51 1 103040 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Wayne State University 52 461-470 42720 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The State University of New York at Binghamton 53 801-1000 NA Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
The University of Texas at Austin 54 67 37884 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Duke University 55 21 107080 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Illinois Institute of Technology 56 395 56700 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
New Jersey Institute of Technology 57 801-1000 59920 Log in Log in Log in 1.5 Cr, Interest Rate starts @8.85%
Source: GyanDhan's analysis, partner data & university's website. While deadlines are latest, other figures are as of 2018. Double-check deadlines from the university's website

Materials Engineer

Materials engineers are responsible for the research, specification, design and development of new materials in order to improve technologies and commodities. They are expected to have a good understanding of the properties and behaviors of different substances, from raw material to finished products. Median pay of $92,390 per year makes the job of Materials Engineer highly desirable.

Materials Scientist

Materials scientists study and analyze various natural and synthetic materials, including metals, alloys, rubber, ceramics, semiconductors, polymers etc at the atomic and molecular level. They research on ways to improve existing materials or develop new ones as per the requirements of a particular product or applications. Overall employment of materials engineers is projected to grow 7 percent from 2016 to 2026.

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Process Engineer

Process Engineers use their understanding of the fundamental principles and laws of nature in order to transform raw materials and energy into products that are useful to society. They must create and develop product specifications, develop equipment requirements, implement manufacturing strategies, and monitor all of the processes they develop in order to ensure maximum productivity. With automation, job of process engineers becomes even more crucial to keep the manufacturing industry running.

Metallurgical Engineer

Metallurgical engineers develop ways of extracting metals from ores and then converting them into useful products. They work primarily in heavy metal industries such as iron and steel industries. Industries that make products using metals such as automobiles and industrial equipments also employ Metallurgical engineers. Ongoing industrialisation of developing nations promises job growth in this field in the coming decades.

Metallurgist

Metallurgists are materials scientists who hold expertise in metals such as iron, copper and aluminum. Metallurgists work on structural level to create metals with desirable properties. They also investigate and examine the performance of metals such as iron, aluminum, nickel and copper and use them to produce a range of useful products. Aerospace and semiconductor industries are some of the biggest job creators in this field.

Apart from them, there are many job profiles available for people who hold degree of masters in Materials Science and Engineering.

Job Prospects

Graduates of Materials Science and Engineering are in great demand to design new materials which are used both in traditional industries, such as aerospace manufacturing, and in industries focused on new scientific products.  Employment of materials engineers is projected to grow 2 percent  over the next ten years, slower than the average for all occupations. Materials engineers will be needed to design new materials for use both in traditional industries, such as aerospace manufacturing, and in industries focused on new medical or scientific products. However, most materials engineers work in manufacturing industries, many of which are expected to have declines or little change in employment.
Demand for materials engineers is expected to come from growing fields, such as biomedical engineering and three-dimensional printing. For example, materials engineers' expertise is crucial in helping biomedical engineers develop new materials for medical implants.
Research and development firms will increasingly employ materials engineers as they explore new uses for materials technology in consumer products, industrial processes, and medicine. Companies that hire Materials Science and Engineering graduates include GlobalFoundries, Apple, Intel, IBM, Western Digital, Ford, Boeing, Exxon, Dupont, Dow etc.

Global Rank Employability Range Salary Range
1-10 Log in Log in
11-25 Log in Log in
26-50 Log in Log in
50-100 Log in Log in
101-200 Log in Log in
201-500 Log in Log in
500+ Log in Log in
Source: GyanDhan's proprietary analysis
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