Honors Cooperative Program

Some of the department’s graduate students participate in the Honors Cooperative Program (HCP), which makes it possible for academically qualified engineers and scientists in the industry to be part-time graduate students in Materials Science while continuing professional employment. Prospective HCP students follow the same admissions process and must meet the same requirements as full-time graduate students. For information regarding the Honors Cooperative Program, see Graduate Programs in the School of Engineering section of this Bulletin.

Petition Process for Transfer from MS to PhD Degree Program

Students admitted to graduating programs are explicitly accepted into either the terminal MS or the PhD program. A student admitted to the terminal MS program should not assume admission to the PhD program. Admission to the PhD program is required for a student to be eligible to work toward the PhD degree.

A student in the terminal MS program may petition to be admitted to the PhD program by filing an MS to PhD petition form. The petition must include a one-page statement of purpose explaining why the student wishes to transfer to the PhD program and two letters of recommendation from members of the Stanford faculty, including one from the student’s prospective research advisor and at least one from a Materials Science faculty member belonging to the Academic Council. The MS to PhD petition to transfer should be submitted to the student services manager by June of the first year in the MS program. Students who wish to submit a petition for the PhD degree should plan to complete MATSCI 211, 212, 213, and 214, with the option of completing 215 core courses during their first year of admission. A grade point average (GPA) of 3.5 or better in the core courses is a requirement.

Transferring to the PhD program is competitive, and only highly qualified MS students may be admitted. The student’s original application to the graduate program and the materials provided for the transfer petition are reviewed. Students must adhere to the requirements for the terminal MS degree and plan to confer the MS degree if the PhD petition to transfer is not approved.

Coterminal Master of Science Program in Materials Science and Engineering

Stanford undergraduates who wish to continue their studies for the Master of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering through the Coterminal program may apply for admission after earning 120 units toward graduation (UTG), as shown on the unofficial undergraduate transcript. Applicants must submit their application no later than eight weeks before the proposed admit quarter starts. The application must demonstrate that the student has the potential for strong academic performance at the graduate level.

Materials science is a highly integrated and interdisciplinary subject. Therefore, students of any engineering or science undergraduate major are encouraged to apply.

Information and other requirements about the Coterminal Materials Science and Engineering program may be obtained from the department’s student services manager.

University Coterminal Requirements

Coterminal master’s degree candidates are expected to complete all master’s degree requirements as described in this Bulletin. Coterminal Master’s Program describes university requirements for the Coterminal master’s degree . Graduate Degrees describes university requirements for the master’s degree.

After accepting admission to this Coterminal master’s degree program, students may request the transfer of courses from the undergraduate to the graduate career to satisfy the requirements for the master’s degree. Transferring courses to the graduate career requires review and approval of both the undergraduate and graduate programs on a case-by-case basis.

In this master’s program, courses taken during or after the first quarter of the sophomore year are eligible for consideration for transfer to the graduate career; the timing of the first graduate quarter is not a factor. No courses taken before the first quarter of the sophomore year may be used to meet master’s degree requirements.

Course transfers are not possible after the bachelor’s degree has been conferred.

The university requires that the graduate advisor be assigned in the student’s first graduate quarter even though the undergraduate career may still be open. The university also requires that the Master’s Degree Program Proposal be completed by the student and approved by the department by the end of the student’s first graduate quarter.

Engineer in Materials Science Engineering

Graduate Degrees outlines the university’s basic requirements for the degree of Engineer.

A student wishing to enter the Engineer program must have completed the MS in Materials Science and Engineering requirements and must file a petition requesting admission to the program, stating the type of research to be done and the proposed supervising professor. Once approved, the Application for Candidacy must be submitted to the department’s student services manager by the end of the second quarter in the Engineer program. Final changes in the Application for Candidacy form must be submitted no later than one academic quarter before degree conferral.

The 90-unit program must include nine units of graduate courses in Materials Science with a MATSCI subject code (no research units, seminars, colloquia, and MATSCI400 Participation in Materials Science Teaching, Participation in Teaching) beyond the requirements for the MS degree and additional research or other units to meet the 90-unit university minimum requirement. A grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 must be maintained for all degree coursework taken at Stanford.

The Engineer thesis must be approved and signed off by two Academic Council faculty members; one must be a MATSCI faculty member.

MATSC-MS - Materials Science and Engineering (MS)

Program Overview