Materials Science and Engineering

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http://www.engr.utk.edu/mse/

Kurt Sickafus, Head

Professors
Benson, R.S., PhD - Florida State
Bhat, G.S., PhD - Georgia Tech
Dahotre, N.B., PhD - Michigan State
Egami, T., PhD - Pennsylvania
George, E.P., PhD - Pennsylvania
Joy, D.C., DPhil - Oxford (UK)
Liaw, P.K., PhD - Northwestern
Lundin, C.D., PhD - Rensselaer Polytechnic
McHargue, C.J., PhD - Kentucky
Melcher, C., PhD - Washington
Nieh, T.G., PhD - Stanford
Pennycook, S.J., - Cambridge
Pharr, G.M., PhD, PE - Stanford
Rack, P.D., PhD - Florida
Sickafus, K., PhD - Cornell
Simpson, M.L., PhD - Tennessee
Weber, W.J., PhD - Wisconsin

Associate Professors
Choo, H., PhD - Illinois Institute of Technology
Duscher, G., PhD - Rer. Nat. University of Stuttgart
Gao, Y., PhD - Princeton
Hu, B., PhD - Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kalyanaraman, R., PhD - North Carolina State
Keppens, V., PhD - Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium)
Kit, K.M., PhD - Delaware
Meek, T.T., PhD - Ohio State
Morris, J.R., PhD - Cornell
Zhang, Y. - Lund Institute of Technology

Assistant Professors
He, W., PhD - Connecticut
Rawn, C.J., PhD - Arizona
Wang, S., PhD - Akron

Materials science and engineering is concerned with the science and technology needed to develop and apply materials for the benefit of society. The undergraduate program is designed to prepare students to undertake materials science and engineering careers or to enter graduate programs in this or related disciplines. The following specific educational objectives were established in consultation with our students, faculty, potential employers, and alumni to assure that students are well prepared to undertake careers or graduate programs and that our students graduate with an undergraduate education that will sustain them for their lifetime.

The educational objectives of the program for the degree of B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering are listed below.

• Our graduates will demonstrate a thorough understanding of general engineering principles and a deep understanding of the discipline of materials science and engineering.
• Our graduates will contribute to their disciplines and society and advance to leadership roles in their chosen career field.
• Our graduates will be prepared to successfully complete competitive postgraduate education programs.

These educational objectives are consistent with the mission statement of the university. They particularly relate to “commitment to the development of individuals and society as a whole through the cultivation and enrichment of the human mind and spirit.” They are consistent with EAC/ABET General Criteria to assure quality and stimulate improvement.

The field of materials science and engineering is quite broad, encompassing metallic, ceramic and polymeric materials, as well as composites made from combinations of materials and specialty application areas such as electronic and optical materials.

Consequently the curriculum contains a central core of courses that are applicable to all materials types with flexibility in the upper division years to permit concentration and in-depth coverage of specific materials categories. By judicious choice of electives the student may get a broad perspective or may develop a specialty area.

A minimum of 18 semester-hours of general education courses are required by all engineering degree programs in order to meet the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, General Education goals. (See The University General Education Requirement  section). The major in materials science and engineering requires any two approved courses under the Social Sciences cluster; any two approved courses under the Arts or Humanities cluster; and any two approved courses under the Social Sciences cluster. The requirement for three courses in writing communication may be filled by ENGL 101 * and ENGL 102 * plus MSE 405 * (or other approved writing intensive course). The requirement for one course in communicating orally may be filled with MSE 489 * (or other approved communicating orally course).

Graduation in materials science and engineering requires a minimum grade point average of 2.0 for all departmental courses.

Progression to Upper-Division Programs

Progression of students to departmental upper-division courses is competitive. Factors considered include overall grade point average, performance in selected lower-division courses and evidence of satisfactory and orderly progress through the prescribed curriculum.

Upper-Division Status

A lower-division student formally applies for upper-division status after completing 50 hours of lower-division engineering curriculum course work with an overall GPA of at least 2.4. This must include Materials Science and Engineering 201.

Provisional Status

Students who have completed 50 hours of lower-division engineering curriculum course work with an overall GPA between 2.0 and 2.4 may apply for provisional status. The granting of provisional upper-division status is based on the availability of space in the departmental programs after upper-division status students have been accommodated. Provisional students are required to demonstrate their ability to perform satisfactorily in upper-division courses by attaining a minimum GPA of 2.0 in at least 8 hours of 300-level required courses specified by the department. Further progression to upper-division courses is dependent upon this minimum level of performance.

Transfer Students

At the upper-division level students are admitted on a provisional status basis only. Any student presenting more than 28 hours of lower-division engineering curriculum course work by transfer credit is considered to be a transfer student.

Five-Year BS/MS Program

The department offers a 5-year BS-MS program with a BS (major in materials science and engineering) and an MS (major in materials science and engineering or polymer engineering) for qualified students. The primary component of the program is that qualified students may take up to 9 hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees at the University of Tennessee. This program is designed for students attending the University of Tennessee for their Master of Science degree because other universities may not accept these courses for graduate credit since they were used to satisfy requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree. Significant components of the program are:

• Students must have an overall GPA of 3.4 in required course work. Conditional admission to the 5-year program may be granted after completion of 65 hours of required course work, while full admission may be granted after the completion of 96 hours of required course work with a minimum overall GPA of 3.4.
• Students must at least be conditionally admitted to the program prior to taking graduate courses for both their bachelor’s and master’s degrees. All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the graduate program director. Students admitted to the program must request permission from the Graduate School to take approved courses for graduate credit.
• Students admitted to the program must also follow the normal procedure for admission to the Graduate School. Admission of students into this program must be approved by the department and the Graduate School. Students will not be eligible for assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.

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