The faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, seek to prepare students to join the international ranks of professional scientists and engineers in fundamental areas of materials science and engineering, as well as cross-disciplinary sciences in which materials expertise plays a critical role in the development of new knowledge and technologies. Students planning to major in materials science and engineering for the master’s or doctoral degree will ordinarily have attained a satisfactory record in a bachelor’s degree materials program, or in related technical areas of science and engineering.

Concentrations (Optional)

Automotive Materials
Energy Science and Engineering
Nanomaterials

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

• The materials science and engineering program is flexible and interdisciplinary in nature. Students may be admitted from a wide range of disciplines. These include physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, materials engineering, nuclear engineering and engineering science programs.
• Applicants for admission to the PhD program in materials science and engineering are expected to have completed a bachelor’s degree in an area of engineering or science with a grade-point-average of at least 2.7 out of 4.00 (or 3.0 during the senior year of undergraduate study).
• All applicants must submit scores from the general Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
• Applicants whose native language is not English must have a minimum TOEFL score of 550 on the written exam or 80 on the Internet-based Test to be considered for admission to the programs.
• After one year in residence and with the approval of the faculty, a student may proceed directly to the doctoral program without completion of a master’s degree.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum of 72 graduate credit hours after the bachelor’s degree, 42 graduate credit hours after the master’s degree

Required Courses

• For students proceeding directly to the PhD from baccalaureate degree,
  • A minimum 36 graduate course credit hours
    • At least 6 credit hours of 600-level MSE courses
    • Completion of MSE 511 , MSE 512 , MSE 513 , and MSE 514  
    • Up to 6 credit hours of MSE 503 , Graduate Seminar in Materials Science and Engineering, may be counted toward the graduate course work
    • A minimum of 24 of the graduate course credit hours must be in MSE courses
  • MSE 600  (24 credit hours minimum)
• For students having a thesis-based master’s degree in materials science and engineering or a related field as approved by the PhD committee, a minimum of 48 graduate credit hours is required and must include:
  • 12 credit hours of graduate course work where the combined thesis and PhD graduate course work must satisfy the following requirements:
    • at least 6 credit hours of 600-level courses in the department;
    • completion of MSE 511 , MSE 512 , MSE 513 , and MSE 514 ;
    • up to 6 credit hours of MSE 503  may be counted toward the graduate course work;
    • a minimum of 24 of the graduate course credit hours must be in MSE courses.
  • MSE 600  (a minimum of 24 credit hours)
  • The MSE 500  credit hours earned in the thesis masters do not count towards the 72 credit hour PhD requirement.
• For students having a non-thesis master’s degree in materials science and engineering or polymer engineering, or a related field as approved by the PhD committee, a minimum of 42 graduate credit hours is required for a total (MS + PhD) of at least 72 graduate credit hours. The 42 credit hours must include 6 credit hours of graduate course work where the combined non-thesis and PhD graduate course work must satisfy the following requirements:
  • at least 6 credit hours of 600-level courses in the department;
  • completion of of MSE 511 , MSE 512 , MSE 513 , and MSE 514 ;
  • Up to 6 credit hours of MSE 503  may be counted toward the graduate course work;
  • A minimum of 24 of the graduate course credit hours must be MSE courses
  • MSE 600  (minimum of 24 credit hours)

Additional Concentration Requirements

• Automotive Materials Concentration at least 12 credit hours of course work must be from the approved automotive materials specialization list.
• Energy Science and Engineering Concentration, all 18 graduate credit hours of course work must be from the curriculum jointly approved by the Bredesen Center for Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Education and the MSE graduate affairs committee.
• Nanomaterials Concentration at least 12 credit hours of course work must be from the approved nanomaterials specialization list.

Non-Course Requirements

• Satisfactory performance on the Comprehensive Examination. In MSE, this comprehensive examination consists of three parts:
  • the Qualifying Examination;
  • the Dissertation Proposal (this proposal satisfies the Graduate School written requirement for the comprehensive examination);
  • the Dissertation Proposal Oral Examination (this oral portion of the comprehensive examination is encouraged by the Graduate School).

Additional Information — Concentration Course Lists

 Automotive Concentration Course List

• MSE 484  
• MSE 510 , MSE 516 , MSE 525 , MSE 527 , MSE 532 , MSE 552  
• ME 517 , ME 565 , ME 567 , ME 588 , ME 589 , ME 591  
• MSE 611 , MSE 612 , MSE 639 , MSE 650 , MSE 652 , MSE 675  

Energy Science and Engineering Concentration Course List

• Core courses ESE 511  and ESE 512  (6 credit hours),
• Knowledge Breadth curriculum (3 credit hours),
  • Political, social, legal, ethical, and security issues related to energy (e.g.,  POLS, PHYS, ESE)
  • Entrepreneurship, leadership, and management (e.g., IE, ME, MGT, ESE)
  • Additional courses may be selected in consultation with the Bredesen Center’s Director
• Knowledge Specialization curriculum for Domain Science (6 credit hours),
  • Bioenergy and biofuels (e.g., EEB, MICR, BCMB, CBE, LFSC, PLSC)
  • Cross-cutting energy sciences (e.g., MICR, ECE, CHEM, PHYS, MATH, STAT)
  • Distributed energy and grid management (e.g., ECE)
  • Energy conversion and storage (e.g., CBE, CHEM, ME, MSE, PHYS)
  • Energy materials (e.g., MSE, PHYS)
  • Environmental and climate sciences related to energy (e.g., GEOL, MICR, BCMB, EEB, ESS, FORS, GEOL, LFSC, MICR, PLSC, ENVE, FWF)
  • Nuclear energy (e.g., NE, CHEM, ME, PHYS)
  • Renewable energy (MATH, CBE, ENVE, ME, STAT)
  • Transportation sciences (e.g., CBE, CE, ECE,  ME)
  • Additional courses may be selected in consultation with the major professor or research advisor
• ESE 599  (1 credit hour) taken three times for 3 credit hours.
• ESE program specifics may be reviewed under the Energy Science and Engineering Major, PhD program section of this catalog. The Bredesen Center Graduate Student Handbook is also a resource.

Nanomaterials Concentration Course List

• BME 578  
• MSE 515 , MSE 522 , MSE 540 , MSE 544 , MSE 551 , MSE 556 , MSE 567  
• MSE 611 , MSE 612 , MSE 630 , MSE 644 , MSE 652 , MSE 666