Materials Science and Engineering

Students, professors, and researchers in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering explore the relationships between structure and properties in all classes of materials including metals, ceramics, electronic materials, and biomaterials. Our research leads to the synthesis of improved materials in response to challenges in the areas of energy, the environment, medicine, and manufacturing.

Collaborating with industry, government, and other institutions, our research contributes to a broad range of fields. A recent U.S. Army-funded study, used nanotechnological methods to study the structure of scales of the fish Polypterus senegalus, leading to more effective ways of designing human body armor. In the Making and Designing Materials Engineering Contest (MADMEC), student teams design and prototype devices to harness, store, and exploit alternative energy sources. With support from the Lord Foundation, the purchase of advanced equipment is allowing us to build custom experimental equipment, develop and test prototypes, and even make a new part for an unmanned air vehicle.

Our educational programs interweave concepts of materials engineering and materials science throughout the curriculum. Core subjects offered at both undergraduate and graduate levels cover topics necessary for all DMSE students:

• Biological and Polymeric Materials
• Computational Materials Science
• Materials for Energy and the Environment
• Materials Economics and Manufacturing
• Nanotechnology, Nanodevices, and Nanomaterials
• Electronic, Photonic, and Magnetic Materials
• High-Performance Structural and Environmental Materials
• Archaeological Materials

This core foundation and appropriate electives lead to a variety of opportunities in engineering, science, or a combination of the two.

Graduate Study

Graduate students in the Department of Materials Science and Electronics participate in research leading to a thesis. Students may also engage in multidisciplinary research projects with students and faculty from other MIT departments.

Our graduate alumni find careers in the fields of electronics, energy and the environment, aerospace, consumer industries, biomaterials and medicine, and in materials preparation and production industries.

Degree Options

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers the following graduate degree programs:

• Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

  This program may be taken simultaneously with other departmental or interdepartmental offerings. Students must complete a thesis and be in residence as a full-time regular student for a minimum of one academic term.

• Doctor of Philosophy or Doctor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

  PhD candidates work closely with a faculty member on a significant research project in a focused area. Emphasis is placed on the research thesis, which must be of sufficient significance to warrant publication in the scientific literature.