MATSC-MS - Materials Science and Engineering (MS)
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Program Overview
The Master of Science (MS) in Materials Science and Engineering is designed for students who want to advance their expertise in the field and their knowledge of solid-state fundamentals and materials engineering. The curriculum consists of core and elective materials science courses, materials science labs, and approved electives. MS students have the option of conducting research towards their degree. The MS is a terminal degree, meaning students typically do not continue to our PhD program.
Minimum Units in the Program
Minimum University Units
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering requires a minimum of 45 units for a student pursuing a master’s degree to be taken in residence at Stanford.
The principal conditions for continued registration of a graduate student are the timely and satisfactory completion of the university, department, and program requirements for the degree, fulfillment of minimum progress requirements, and meeting standards of professional behavior. See Graduate Academic Progress for an overview of university expectations.
A Master’s Program Proposal form should be filled out, signed by the student’s academic advisor, and submitted to the department’s Student Services Office by the Final Study List Deadline of the first quarter of study. Any changes to the student’s initial proposal should be reviewed and approved by the Student Services Office to ensure course requirements are met.
A Master’s Final Completion Form must be submitted by the Preliminary Study List Deadline of the quarter of expected degree conferral. Stanford Materials Science undergraduates pursuing or planning to pursue a Coterminal MS degree may have more flexibility in their programs. They should consult their academic advisors regarding appropriate core courses and elective choices.
Students typically take between five and six quarters to graduate. The MS degree must be completed within two years during the university’s candidacy period to complete a master’s degree. Students with extenuating circumstances may request an extension of master’s candidacy up to one year through application to the department.
All proposed degree programs are subject to approval by the student’s academic advisor and the department’s Student Services Office, who ensures that each proposal is technically cohesive. Cumulative GPA must be 3.0 for all courses counted for the degree, in accordance with University Policy. Activity units may not be counted toward an MS degree.
Research participation is not required for the degree, but there is the option for MS students to earn credit in MATSCI 200 by conducting research with a lab professor and writing a Master’s thesis report. Research units earned through the thesis option are applied in partial fulfillment of the program’s laboratory and technical elective requirements.
The research thesis option is not an Honors program and there is no degree distinction from non-thesis MS students. The thesis option must be chosen prior to the start of the student’s second year in the program. Two faculty are required to be readers of the thesis report; one must be a Materials Science & Engineering faculty member and one must be the student’s research advisor. The final thesis report is due during the student’s Conferral Quarter.
Students complete 21 units (7 courses) of core and laboratory coursework within the Materials Science and Engineering (MATSCI) subject code, from the courses specified below. All courses must be taken for a letter grade.
Students may choose to complete three core courses and four lab courses OR four core courses and three lab courses. In other words, at least 9 units (3 courses) must be core courses (MATSCI 211-215) and at least 9 units (3 courses) must be labs (MATSCI 170-176). The remaining 3 units (1 course) required may be an additional core or lab course from the list below.
One laboratory course requirement may be fulfilled by taking a lab course from outside the department in a STEM field after department approval (Student Services Officer and Director of Graduate Studies). It MUST be taken for a letter grade.
A petition can be submitted to substitute one out-of-department lab course. The student should send a brief justification of the course’s relevance to the student’s program of study and degree in Materials Science and Engineering. Approval is not guaranteed.
Elective courses, one-unit seminars, MATSCI299 Practical Training, workshop and lecture courses in other departments cannot be counted for this requirement.
Nine (9) research units of MATSCI 200 may be applied towards the laboratory requirements in this section only if the student is choosing to complete a MS thesis report (see Research Requirement section). Otherwise, research units cannot be counted.
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Students complete 24 units of approved elective coursework to result in a technically cohesive program. Twelve units are 200+ level MATSCI elective courses; the additional twelve units are other approved electives following the criteria below.
Four MATSCI Elective Courses are required (12 units). These must be 200+ Level MATSCI Courses taken for a letter grade (seminars, labs, and research units cannot apply).
If a student is interested in completing one course outside of the department to apply towards the required MATSCI electives, a petition can be submitted to the Student Services Office for approval by the Student Services Officer and Director of Graduate Studies. Only one such substitution can be granted and a written justification for the course should be provided by the student.
12 units of other Technical Electives are required. 9 units must be taken for a letter grade. Technical electives must be letter-graded lecture/lab courses at the 200 level or above in science fields, technology, engineering, math, natural sciences, or statistics. Limited coursework in other subject areas, such as business and entrepreneurship, may be approved by the student's advisor and Student Services. Questions about the permissibility of particular courses towards the technical elective requirements should be directed to the Student Services Office for prior approval. For those submitting an MS thesis report, three (3) units of MATSCI 200 can be applied here.
Nine units must be taken for a letter grade.
A maximum of three elective units may be taken CR/NC or S/NC, including seminars and MATSCI 299: Curricular Practical Training.
Research units do not count unless the MS Thesis option is selected. For those submitting an MS thesis report, three (3) units of MATSCI 200 can be applied. MATSCI 200 counts towards the limit of three units taken S/NC.
Undergrad units are limited to three (3). The designation of a course as undergraduate or graduate level can be found in the “Class Level” section of Stanford Navigator Course Listing. No courses under the 100 level and no activity courses are accepted.
Computer Science courses at the 100-level or higher are considered graduate-level (ex. CS 106A), but they may only be counted for a maximum of 3 units when variable units are offered.
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.
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 by the stated deadline. Applications are only accepted for Autumn, Winter, and Spring quarter starting terms. 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 Final Study List Deadline of the student’s first graduate quarter.
Research participation and a thesis is not required for the degree, but there is the option for MS students to earn 12 units of credit in MATSCI 200 by researching with a lab professor over 3-4 quarters and writing a master’s thesis report. These units are applied to the laboratory (9 units) and technical elective (3 units) requirements. Students interested in the thesis option should consult with the Student Services Office after the first-year Orientation for more information.
Students wishing to take this option initially consult with a faculty member in Materials Science and Engineering or related field who agrees to supervise the student’s MS thesis research. Upon decision, the student completes a Master's Thesis Proposal Form with their research advisor’s signature. The Thesis Proposal Form must be submitted by the Preliminary Study List Deadline for Autumn Quarter of the student’s second year. This ensures that there is sufficient time remaining in the program to conduct satisfactory research for at least three quarters. Once approved for the thesis option, students begin enrolling in MATSCI 200 for 3-4 units per quarter. If a master’s thesis report is not submitted, units in MATSCI 200 Master’s Research cannot be applied to the department’s requirement of 45 units for the conferral of the master’s degree.
The MS Thesis Proposal Form specifies two faculty members that will read and approve the final thesis report. One of the thesis report readers must be the student’s research advisor. Of the two readers, one must be a faculty member from the Materials Science and Engineering department. Consult with the Student Services Office with any questions about faculty reader criteria and requirements.
The MS thesis report should reflect the number of units earned. For instance, 3-4 laboratory reports are required for a single 3-unit laboratory course. Accordingly, the product expected for twelve research units would be equivalent to four such courses. Examples of satisfactory thesis reports from previous years are available for students to review. Expectations of depth, breadth, and length should be discussed in detail with the faculty research advisor.
The thesis draft and final report are submitted during the student’s graduation quarter. Students are advised to submit their thesis draft to faculty readers by the end of the fifth week of the student’s graduation quarter, to allow time for feedback, comments and revisions. A collated final version of the thesis report with faculty reader signatures must be submitted to the Student Services Office by the last day of classes of the student’s graduation quarter. Additionally, students must upload their final report to the Stanford Digital Repository (SDR).
In cases where students decide to pursue research after the initial program submission deadline, they should submit a revised MS Program Proposal upon declaration of the thesis option and submission of the Thesis Proposal Form.
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Two faculty are required to be readers. One must be a MATSCI faculty member and one must be the student’s MS Thesis Research Advisor.
Research units do not count unless the MS Thesis option is selected.