Materials Science and Engineering Major, MS

Concentrations (Optional) and Options Available

Automotive Materials — Thesis Option, Project Option

Nanomaterials — Thesis Option, Project Option

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 MS 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 3.00 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

30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

Additional Course Requirements

• Three credit hours of MSE 503 may be counted toward degree requirements in either the thesis or project option.
• Concentration Requirements: 6 credit hours as follows.

Non-Course Requirements

• Thesis Option

1. Satisfactory performance on a comprehensive oral examination administered by the faculty committee;
2. Completion of a written MS thesis.

• Project Option
  • Any candidate may apply for a Project non-thesis option. Upon acceptance, a supervisory committee of three will be appointed. At least two members of the committee will be from the faculty in the major area. Students are not required to take a comprehensive exam as part of the degree requirements.

Five-Year BS/MS Program – Materials Science and Engineering Major, MS

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) for qualified students. The primary component of the program is a qualified student may take up to 9 credit hours of approved graduate courses for their senior undergraduate electives and have them count toward both the bachelor’s and master’s degrees at UT. This program is designed for students attending UT 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 3.40 in required course work. Conditional admission to the 5-year program may be granted after completion of 65 credit hours of required course work, while full admission may be granted after the completion of 96 credit hours of required course work with a minimum GPA of 3.40.
• Admission must be approved by the department and the Graduate School.
• Students must at least be conditionally admitted to the program prior to taking courses that receive credit for both the BS and MS degrees.
• All courses taken for graduate credit must be approved by the director of graduate studies. 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.
• Students will not be eligible for graduate assistantships until they are enrolled as graduate-level students in the Graduate School.