Materials Science and Engineering

University of California, Berkeley

About the Program

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers three graduate degree programs: the Master of Engineering (MEng), 5th Year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (BS/MS), and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Master of Engineering (MEng)

In collaboration with other departments in the College of Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering is offering a professional master’s degree. The accelerated program is designed to develop professional engineering leaders in materials science and engineering who are seeking knowledge and leadership experience in MSE.

Prospective students will be engineers, typically with industrial experience, who aspire to substantially advance in their careers and ultimately to lead large, complex organizations, both in the public and private sectors.

You may choose to apply to either the full-time one-year program or part-time program for working professionals. You will be asked to choose which option you will be considered for during the application process. Both options employ the same standards and criteria for admissions.

5th Year Bachelor of Science and Master of Science (BS/MS)

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers a five-year combined BS/MS program to our undergraduate student cohort. In this program, the existing four-year undergraduate program (BS) will be augmented with a fifth year of graduate study that provides a professionally-oriented component, preparing students for careers in engineering or engineering management within the business, government, and industrial sectors. This five-year program emphasizes interdisciplinary study through an independent project coupled to coursework.

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Students pursuing the PhD may also declare a designated emphasis (DE) in one of the following programs: Communication, Computation, and Statistics; Computational and Genomic Biology; Computational Science and Engineering; Energy Science and Technology; or Nanoscale Science and Engineering.

Visit Department Website

Admissions

Admission to the University

Applying for Graduate Admission

Thank you for considering UC Berkeley for graduate study! UC Berkeley offers more than 120 graduate programs representing the breadth and depth of interdisciplinary scholarship. The Graduate Division hosts a complete list of graduate academic programs, departments, degrees offered, and application deadlines can be found on the Graduate Division website.

Prospective students must submit an online application to be considered for admission, in addition to any supplemental materials specific to the program for which they are applying. The online application and steps to take to apply can be found on the Graduate Division website.

Admission Requirements

The minimum graduate admission requirements are:

  1. A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from an accredited institution;

  2. A satisfactory scholastic average, usually a minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) on a 4.0 scale; and

  3. Enough undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.

For a list of requirements to complete your graduate application, please see the Graduate Division’s Admissions Requirements page. It is also important to check with the program or department of interest, as they may have additional requirements specific to their program of study and degree. Department contact information can be found here.

Where to apply?

Visit the Berkeley Graduate Division application page.

Admission to the Program

Admission decisions are based on a combination of factors, including academic degrees and records, the statement of purpose, letters of recommendation, test scores, and relevant work experience. The MSE department also considers the appropriateness of your goals to the degree program in which you are interested and to the research interests of the program’s faculty.

To be considered for graduate admissions in MSE you need:

  • A bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent (must be conferred prior to enrollment into our program) from an accredited institution in engineering, physics or chemistry is required. We do not accept students without these types of degrees.
  • Sufficient undergraduate training to do graduate work in your chosen field.
  • A minimum grade-point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B). International students should be in the top 5% of their class.
  • We require three letters of recommendation submitted online.
  • A general Graduate Record Exam (GRE) General Test score (85th percentile or higher is desirable) in the Verbal/Analytical/Quantitative sections.

Doctoral Degree Requirements

Normative Time Requirements

Normative Time to Advancement

Step I: Pass the preliminary exam—scheduled prior to the start of the second semester. In this oral exam, students must demonstrate (i) mastery of the essential components of a Materials Science and Engineering education at a level commensurate with the completion of an undergraduate MSE degree at Berkeley, and (ii) their ability to use this knowledge in ongoing research.

Step II: Complete the minimum number of semester units of formal course work (major and minors) is 28, of which 16 must be in graduate units in the major field.

Step III: Pass the qualifying exam.

Normative Time in Candidacy

Step IV: Submission of the doctoral dissertation.

Total Normative Time

Total normative time is five years.

Time to Advancement

Curriculum

Courses Required
Approved study list per student’s research interest but must include course requirements below:
Thermodynamics
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
Select one Structure & Bonding course from the following:3
Thermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials [4]
Crystal Structure and Bonding [4]
Computational Materials Science [3]
Select one Materials Characterization course from the following:
Materials Characterization [3] (204& 204D must be taken together.)
MAT SCI 204DMaterials Characterization (204& 204D must be taken together.)1
Electron Microscopy Laboratory [4]
MAT SCI 242Advanced Spectroscopy3
Select one Material Properties course from the following:3-4
Defects in Solids [3]
Deformation and Fracture of Engineering Materials [4]
Environmental Effects on Materials Properties and Behavior [3]
Properties of Dielectric and Magnetic Materials [3]
Semiconductor Materials [3]
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials [3]
Thin-Film Science and Technology [3]
Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces [3]
Surface Properties of Materials [3]
Select one Material Processing course from the following:3-4
Metals Processing [3]
Macromolecular Science in Biotechnology and Medicine [4]
Semiconductor Materials [3]
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials [3]
Thin-Film Science and Technology [3]
Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces [3]
Teaching Pedagogy:
MAT SCI 375AScience and Engineering Pedagogy1-2
or MAT SCI 375B Supervised Teaching of Materials Science and Engineering

Preliminary Exams

In this oral exam students must demonstrate:

  1. Mastery of the essential components of a Materials Science and Engineering education at a level commensurate with the completion of an undergraduate MSE degree at Berkeley, and
  2. Their ability to use this knowledge in ongoing research.

The examination is divided into six topics germane to ceramic, metallic, semiconducting, and soft materials, including their appropriate composites. Six faculty examiners are appointed each semester by the department chair, one examiner per topic, who conduct the exam in individual oral interviews lasting approximately 20 minutes. The examination topics are:

  1. Thermodynamics;
  2. Phase Transformations;
  3. Bonding, Crystallography, and Crystal Defects; 
  4. Materials Characterization;
  5. Mechanical Properties; and
  6. Electronic Properties.

Qualifying Examination

The PhD qualifying exam tests the student's ability to identify a significant problem, to assemble the background information needed to grasp it in the context of the field, and to construct a technical approach that provides a plausible path to its solution. At the same time, the qualifying exam will test the student's knowledge of the subject matter within the broad research field and his or her major field.

The examination consists of two parts, namely, a written proposal, and the oral examination:

  1. Written Proposal. The proposal describes the intended PhD research. At least two weeks before the examination date the student must submit a written research proposal to his/her committee. The proposal must include a one-page abstract and be roughly five to ten pages long. It must contain a concise statement of the research problem and its significance, a discussion of the technical background, the technical approach (experimental and/or theoretical), the anticipated results, and a bibliography. This written proposal is to be prepared by the student without direct collaboration or assistance from the faculty.
  2. The Examination. The student should prepare a 30-minute oral presentation of the research proposal(s). The committee will question the student on the material presented orally, the material contained in the written proposal, and the general technical background to the research area. The student should be familiar with the relevant literature. The student must also defend the significance of the research problem and the viability of the technical approach. The second part of the examination consists of questions in the major and minor fields.

Time in Candidacy

Dissertation

Required Professional Development

Teaching

The faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering considers teaching experience to be an important part of a doctoral student’s program of study and requires that all graduate students pursuing a PhD serve at least one semester as a graduate student instructor (GSI) in an MSE course (usually after the first year).

Seminar

All graduate students are required to enroll (MAT SCI 298-Sect 1) and attend the weekly department colloquium series.

Master's Degree Requirements (MS)

Unit Requirements

There are two plans for the master of science degree.

Plan I requires a minimum of 20 semester units are required, of which at least 8 must be strictly graduate units in the major subject (University requirement), and of these 8, there shall be no more than 2 units of credit for MAT SCI 299 while the remaining units must be graded course units. The remaining 12 units may be upper division or graduate courses proposed by the student and research supervisor and approved by the major field adviser.

Plan II requires a minimum 24 semester units is required, of which at least 12 must be strictly graduate units in the major subject, and of these 12 units, there shall be no more than a total of 2 units of credit MAT SCI 299. The remaining 12 units may be graded upper division or graduate courses approved by the major field adviser.

Curriculum

Courses Required
Thermodynamics:
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
Structure & Bonding:
MAT SCI 201BThermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials4
MAT SCI 202Crystal Structure and Bonding3-4
or MAT SCI 215 Computational Materials Science
Materials Characterization:
MAT SCI 204Materials Characterization3-4
or MAT SCI 241 Electron Microscopy Laboratory
Select one of the following in Materials Properties:3-4
Defects in Solids [3]
Deformation and Fracture of Engineering Materials [4]
Environmental Effects on Materials Properties and Behavior [3]
Properties of Dielectric and Magnetic Materials [3]
Semiconductor Materials [3]
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials [3]
Thin-Film Science and Technology [3]
Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces [3]
Surface Properties of Materials [3]
Select one of the following in Materials Processing:3-4
Metals Processing [3]
Macromolecular Science in Biotechnology and Medicine [4]
Semiconductor Materials [3]
Magnetism and Magnetic Materials [3]
Thin-Film Science and Technology [3]
Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces [3]
Electives - for remaining units required (20, Plan I; 24, Plan II)5-9

Capstone/Thesis (Plan I)

A thesis is required. The research topic and research supervisor must be specified in the program of study form.

The thesis committee is formally appointed by the dean of the Graduate Division upon recommendation of the student's major field adviser and the AAC. It consists of three members: the research supervisor plus one other member from the department, and one member either be from outside the College of Engineering or from a field of engineering not closely related to that of the candidate. The student is encouraged to consult all committee members while the research is in progress.

Capstone Report (Plan II)

At least a month before the student intends to graduate, a project report based on MAT SCI 299 work or on a phase of his/her work as a research assistant and approved by the project supervisor, must be submitted to the committee. It is the student's responsibility to see that the final corrected report is submitted and the examination taken by the last day of the semester.

Master's Degree Requirements (MEng)

Unit Requirements

  • Minimum units to complete the degree is 25 semester units (must be in 200 series).
  • 12 units must be materials science and engineering units; 8 semester units must be in core leadership curriculum units (must be in 200 series) 
    • 2 Semester units - Capstone Integration (taken S/U)
    •  3 Semester units - Engineering Leadership I (taken for a letter grade)
    • 3 Semester units - Engineering Leadership II (taken for a letter grade)
  • Maximum number of Capstone Project Units (297M A-B): 5(2 Fall, 3 Spring)
  • Minimum GPA: All students required to have a minimum of 3.0
  • Minimum units required: 12 units (Full Time)
  • Comprehensive Exam

Curriculum  

These concentrations are suggestions only. Students are encouraged to select electives that best satisfy their specific educational objectives.

General Program Concentration

Materials Science and Engineering is a diverse field of study drawing from all areas of physical science such as chemistry, physics, biology, and engineering. In addition to drawing from the physical sciences, materials science and engineering often crosses these disciplinary boundaries. The general program recognizes the inherent interdisciplinary nature of materials science and engineering and allows students to tailor their program of study to address their personal interests

Technical Electives
Select from the following:3
MAT SCI 200ASurvey of Materials Science4
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
MAT SCI 201BThermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials4
MAT SCI 204Materials Characterization3
MAT SCI 204DMaterials Characterization1
MAT SCI 223Semiconductor Materials3
MAT SCI C226Photovoltaic Materials; Modern Technologies in the Context of a Growing Renewable Energy Market3
MAT SCI 202Crystal Structure and Bonding3
MAT SCI 205Defects in Solids3
MAT SCI C212Deformation and Fracture of Engineering Materials4
MAT SCI 213Environmental Effects on Materials Properties and Behavior3
MAT SCI 215Computational Materials Science3
MAT SCI C216Macromolecular Science in Biotechnology and Medicine4
MAT SCI 217Properties of Dielectric and Magnetic Materials3
MAT SCI 218Optical Materials and Devices3
MAT SCI C225Thin-Film Science and Technology3

Biomaterials

Traditionally, biomaterials encompass synthetic alternatives to the native materials found in our body. A central limitation in the performance of traditional materials used in medical device, biotechnological, and pharmaceutical industries is that they lack the ability to integrate with biological systems through either a molecular or cellular pathway, which has relegated biomaterials to a passive role dictated by the constituents of a particular environment, leading to unfavorable outcomes and device failure. The design and synthesis of materials that circumvent their passive behavior in complex mammalian cells is the focus of the work conducted within the MSE Department at Berkeley.

Biomimetic Surface Engineering:
Surface modification of medical implants to control wound healing and tissue regeneration.

Biologically-defined Microdevices:
Design and fabrication of surfaces, using advanced pattern techniques, to facilitate cell and molecular-based microarrays.

Technical Electives
Select from the following:3
MAT SCI 200ASurvey of Materials Science4
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
MAT SCI 201BThermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials4
MAT SCI 204Materials Characterization3
MAT SCI 204DMaterials Characterization1
MAT SCI C208Biological Performance of Materials4
MAT SCI C216Macromolecular Science in Biotechnology and Medicine4
MAT SCI 251Polymer Surfaces and Interfaces3
MAT SCI 260Surface Properties of Materials3

Advanced Structural Materials 

This area focuses on the relationships between the chemical and physical structure of materials and their properties and performance. Regardless of the material class metallic, ceramic, polymeric or composite, an understanding of the structure-property relationships provides a scientific basis for developing engineering materials for advanced applications. Fundamental and applied research in this field responds to an ever-increasing demand for improved or better-characterized materials.

Technical Electives
Select from the following:3
MAT SCI 200ASurvey of Materials Science4
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
MAT SCI 204Materials Characterization3
MAT SCI 204DMaterials Characterization1
MAT SCI 205Defects in Solids3
MAT SCI C211Mechanics of Solids3
MAT SCI C212Deformation and Fracture of Engineering Materials4
MAT SCI 213Environmental Effects on Materials Properties and Behavior3
MAT SCI C214Micromechanics3
MAT SCI 215Computational Materials Science3

Electronic, Magnetic and Optical Materials  

This group of materials is defined by its functionality. Semiconductors, metals, and ceramics are used today to form highly complex systems, such as integrated electronic circuits, optoelectronic devices, and magnetic and optical mass storage media. In intimate contact, the various materials, with precisely controlled properties, perform numerous functions, including the acquisition, processing, transmission, storage, and display of information. Electronic, Magnetic and Optical materials research combines the fundamental principles of solid-state physics and chemistry, of electronic and chemical engineering, and of materials science. Nanoscale science and engineering is of increasing importance in this field.

Technical Electives I
Select from the following:3
MAT SCI 200ASurvey of Materials Science4
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
MAT SCI 201BThermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials4
MAT SCI 202Crystal Structure and Bonding4
MAT SCI 205Defects in Solids3
MAT SCI 215Computational Materials Science3
MAT SCI C216Macromolecular Science in Biotechnology and Medicine4
MAT SCI 217Properties of Dielectric and Magnetic Materials3
MAT SCI 218Optical Materials and Devices3
MAT SCI 223Semiconductor Materials3
MAT SCI 224Magnetism and Magnetic Materials3
MAT SCI C225Thin-Film Science and Technology3
MAT SCI C226Photovoltaic Materials; Modern Technologies in the Context of a Growing Renewable Energy Market3

Computational Materials 

Computational methods are increasingly important in all areas of science and engineering, Computational Materials Science capitalizes on advancements in these fields, which include high throughput approaches and machine learning. Materials Science and Engineering applications range from the theoretical prediction of the electronic and structural properties of materials to chemical kinetics and equilibria or modeling the chemical kinetics and equilibria in a materials processing operation, to now predicting the existence of new materials and their properties. These advances in computational techniques have yielded remarkable insight into materials behaviors, particularly at the nanoscale. Under favorable circumstances, it is now possible to predict in exquisite detail many properties of materials at the nanoscale (one nanometer = 1 billionth of a meter) by merely solving Schrodinger’s famous equation. These advancements have positioned researchers within the department to be very active in developing data for the Materials Project https://materialsproject.org, an effort to construct a database of all computable properties for all known materials.

Technical Electives:
Select from the following:
MAT SCI 200ASurvey of Materials Science4
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
MAT SCI 201BThermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials4
MAT SCI 202Crystal Structure and Bonding3
MAT SCI 205Defects in Solids3
MAT SCI C211Mechanics of Solids3
MAT SCI C212Deformation and Fracture of Engineering Materials4
MAT SCI C214Micromechanics3
MAT SCI 215Computational Materials Science3
MAT SCI C286Modeling and Simulation of Advanced Manufacturing Processes3

Chemical and Electrochemical

Chemical and Electrochemical materials include both the chemical and electrochemical processing of materials, and the chemical and electrochemical behavior of materials. The former includes the scientific and engineering principles utilized in mineral processing, smelting, leaching, and refining materials, and many of the advanced techniques of processing microelectronic devices such as etching and deposition techniques. The latter includes the chemical synthesis of novel materials, environmental degradation of materials, the compatibility of materials with specific environments, along with materials used in advanced energy storage devices, and catalytic materials for energy and the environment.
Technical Electives:
Select from the following:
MAT SCI 200ASurvey of Materials Science4
MAT SCI 201AThermodynamics and Phase Transformations in Solids4
MAT SCI 201BThermodynamics, Phase Behavior and Transport Phenomena in Materials4
MAT SCI 204Materials Characterization3
MAT SCI 204DMaterials Characterization1
MAT SCI 205Defects in Solids3
MAT SCI 213Environmental Effects on Materials Properties and Behavior3
MAT SCI 223Semiconductor Materials3
MAT SCI C225Thin-Film Science and Technology3
MAT SCI C226Photovoltaic Materials; Modern Technologies in the Context of a Growing Renewable Energy Market3
MAT SCI 260Surface Properties of Materials3
 

Courses

Materials Science and Engineering

Contact Information

Materials Science and Engineering

210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-3801

Fax: 510-643-5792

Visit Department Website

Department Chair

Junqiao Wu, PhD

322 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

wuj@berkeley.edu

Student Services Advisor

Ariana Castro

210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building

Phone: 510-642-0716

arianap@berkeley.edu

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