PhD Course Requirements

30 credits of courses and 30 credits of dissertation research are required for the Ph.D. program. “Required Core” courses must be passed with a B or better and a combined GPA of 3.4. Courses cover the fundamentals of a materials science & engineering graduate degree and should support the foundational knowledge necessary for your research. You should work each semester with your advisor, the program co-directors, and the academic programs manager to identify the best courses for your unique program of study. The courses listed are the minimum requirements and more courses than required can be completed.

Course Selection

All course selection by MSE graduate students should be undertaken after consulting with your advisor, supervisory committee, and graduate program coordinator/academic programs manager. A student's courses should complement the student’s research and career goals. 

Students will generally meet annually with the academic programs manager to discuss academic progress and ensure all course requirements are being met.

Interdisciplinary Program Courses

Students are encouraged to look at courses offered by programs across the university to gain the knowledge that best supports the student research and future goals. Some units that commonly offer courses of interest to MSE graduate students include: MSMSE, Electrical Engineering (ECE), Computer Science (CS), Graduate College (GCOLL), Engineering Sciences (ENGR), Mechanical Engineering (ME), Civil Engineering (CE), Biomedical Engineering (BME), Chemistry (CHEM), Physics (PHYS), and Mathematics (MATH). Many students are often interested in gaining knowledge in business, marketing, policy and other topics, and these options exist!

Independent Study, MSE 596 

Graduate students can complete up to 3 credits of independent study with a supervising on-campus mentor and approval from the research advisor to be applied to an MSE graduate program. 

To be completed for credit, the proposal should include: 

• Summary of course 

• learning objectives and 

• grading method

The independent study must be taken as a graded course to be applied to an MSE degree program. Approvals must be obtained from the program coordinator and the graduate college before a student is enrolled in the course. To apply for this course, complete the form available on the graduate college forms page.

Dissertation Research (MSE 693)

Each MSE graduate research advisor has a section of MSE 693 assigned during the fall and spring semesters. Students conducting research should enroll in up to 9 credits of 693. Students working towards a doctoral dissertation should enroll in MSE 693.

From the catalog:

MSE 693 - Independent research at the doctoral level resulting in a dissertation that must be defended at a final oral examination and archived in the university library and with UMI. The dissertation must be written in clear and effective English and presented in a format that conforms to the standards of the Graduate College. Pass/fail only.

IMPORTANT NOTE: At the end of each semester, the course should be graded as "IP" until a student’s final semester, when he or she will receive a "P". If any other grades are considered, please consult graduate leadership as soon as possible.