According to a DuPont Materials Scientist, the job of a Materials Scientist/Engineer entails the following:

• Dealing with diverse materials and processes while dealing with material properties at the molecular, nano, micro, and macro levels

• It will be nearly impossible to come up with innovative and competitive solutions without using interdisciplinary approaches

• All the while remaining affordable

• Materials Science programs typically attract students from a variety of science and engineering backgrounds, including Chemistry, Biology, Mechanical Eng., Chemical Eng., Civil Eng., and so on. The program must bring students up to the same level of knowledge and expertise.

• Prepare students for a career in industry while teaching master's level research skills.

• Transform the core curriculum so that local industry partners are actively involved.

• A skills-based approach that teaches all of the main tools (software, equipment, manufacturing processes, testing) that materials scientists typically use in an industrial setting while also providing a strong theoretical foundation.

In order to prepare our students to not only survive but thrive in this complex environment, we've identified some key skills that this program should instill in them:

• Provide students with skills and tools that they can immediately apply in the industry.

• Interdisciplinary skills (know how to communicate with and work with interdisciplinary groups)

• Professional skills such as presentation, report writing, teamwork, and lifelong learning

• Research skills such as literature review, data collection, reading and writing journals, and so on

• Critical thinking, problem-solving

• Assist students in forming a network with companies and creating peer support

• Students from various backgrounds should be brought to the same technical level of knowledge and understanding.

• Last but not least, leadership skills

In this program, the curriculum will be presented in modules. For instance, students devote approximately six weeks to studying just the life cycle of metals, including their synthesis, manufacturing, and characterization. Then, they study the ceramics' life cycles for approximately four weeks. The same is then repeated for polymers and composites.

There are several advantages to using this method:

1. This is the most efficient way we could identify to cover a large curriculum in a short amount of time.

2. Second, we desire that lectures, labs, and practical training complement interdisciplinary style and projects.

3. This strategy also affords us a great deal of adaptability.

4. Enables vertical integration strategy

5. Additionally, studies have demonstrated that this method is particularly effective for training purposes (which is one of our main goals to deliver skills and tools). In the first semester, for instance, students will work on an interdisciplinary project combining metals, ceramics, and polymers.

We anticipate the enrollment of students from diverse backgrounds. The students will be assigned to cohort groups that are as diverse as possible. In one group, there will be a chemist, a mechanical engineer, a biologist, and an electrical engineer. Throughout the semester, each student will serve as a consultant to help others comprehend the material and communicate effectively. This will aid in the development of inter-disciplinary communication skills and peer support among students.

In this program, students spend two hours in the lab for each hour spent in class. With the final objective in mind, lab and lecture complement one another.

Each student will participate in a semester-long project to solve a real-world problem selected by a local industry partner. Students will collaborate directly with an industry mentor. This will be of immense value to both students and local businesses.

For their final report, students are expected to use logical and technical arguments to critique their peers' work. In addition, they must use experimental testing to support or refute the claims of at least one other team and report their findings.

This will help them learn an important skill of ethical evaluation of peers