MATSC-MS - Materials Science and Engineering (MS)
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Program Overview
The master’s program provides solid-state fundamentals and materials engineering training through advanced lecture courses and laboratory classes. It is a terminal degree, meaning these 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. 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. A Master’s Final Completion Form must be submitted by the Preliminary Study List Deadline of the quarter of the 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 four and five quarters to graduate. No thesis or research is required, but some master’s students opt to earn 9 to 15 units of credit by researching with a lab professor and writing a master’s thesis. If the thesis option is chosen, the student must complete a master's thesis proposal form with their research advisor upon decision. Students interested in this opportunity should arrange with a faculty member to supervise their research and enroll in MATSCI 200. See the Student Services Officer after the first-year Orientation for details and approval.
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.
All proposed degree programs are subject to approval by the student’s academic advisor and the department’s Student Services Officer, who ensures that each proposal is technically cohesive.
The MS degree is expected to 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. Extensions beyond the three-year maximum will not be approved.
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 minimum of 21 Materials Science and Engineering (MATSCI) coursework units, including core and lab courses specified below, are all taken for a letter grade. Research units, one-unit seminars, course Practical Training, and courses in other departments (i.e., where students cannot enroll in a class with a MATSCI subject code) cannot be counted for this requirement.
2. Of these 21 units of Materials Science requirements, students must include Option A1 or A2.
Students will choose either degree requirements A1 or A2, see details below.
A1. Three classes from MATSCI 211-215 core courses and four MATSCI 170-176 laboratory courses.
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One laboratory requirement may be fulfilled by taking a lab course from outside the department in any STEM field with department approval (Student Services Officer and/or Director of Graduate Studies). It MUST be taken for a letter grade.
A2. Four classes from MATSCI 211-215 core courses and three MATSCI 170 -176 laboratory courses.
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One laboratory requirement may be fulfilled by taking a lab course from outside the department in any STEM field with department approval (Student Services Officer and/or Director of Graduate Studies). It MUST be taken for a letter grade.
Twenty-four total units of approved course electives to result in a technically cohesive program. Twelve units must be 200+ MATSCI Elective courses; the additional 12 units can come from approved course electives.
MATSCI Electives: These must be 200+ Level MATSCI Courses taken for a letter grade (seminars, labs, and research units do not count here). 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.
Other Approved Electives: 9 of the 12 units must be taken for a letter grade (except for those submitting an MS thesis report). For those submitting an MS thesis report, up to three units of MATSCI 200 can be applied here.
Nine units must be taken for a letter grade.
Seminar units are limited to three (3) total.
Three elective units may be taken for CR/NC.
Undergrad units are limited to three (3). No courses under 100 level and no activity courses are accepted. *Computer Science courses at 100-level or higher are considered graduate-level (ex. CS 106A). Computer Science courses taken at 100-level may only be counted for a maximum of 3 units.
Research units do not count unless the MS Thesis option is selected, which appropriately reflects units used (seminar, undergrad, and research units together cannot total more than 15 units).
Foreign language units are limited to five (5) and cannot be English or your other native language (Seminar, undergrad, and elective language units together cannot total more than six (6) units).
MATSCI 299 may be taken for no more than 2 quarters. Students must contact the Student Services Office with details of their employment position for a permission code to enroll.
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.
Students wishing to take this option must initially consult with a Matsci faculty member. Out of the 45 units MS degree requirements, 9-15 units may be taken in Materials Science master’s research by enrolling in MATSCI 200. Students using 15 research units toward the degree must participate in a more complex and demanding research project than those using lesser units.
The MS thesis report must be approved and signed off by two faculty members. Both readers should be finalized upon submitting the thesis proposal. Generally, one is the student’s research advisor; if the advisor is a non-MatSci faculty member, a second Matsci faculty must sign off on the thesis report. Consult with the Student Services Officer about faculty criteria and requirements. Three copies of the MS thesis report in final format should be submitted to two faculty advisors and the department. The report is not an official university thesis but is intended to demonstrate to the department and faculty student’s ability to conduct and report directed research.
As a general guideline, nine units of master’s research is a typical load for most students. The report should reflect the number of units taken. For instance, 3-4 laboratory reports are required for a 3-unit laboratory course. Accordingly, the level expected for nine research units would be equivalent to three 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.
Students are advised to submit their thesis draft to faculty advisor readers by the end of the fifth week of the quarter in which the units are to be assigned to allow time for faculty comments and revisions. A collated final version of the thesis report should be submitted to the faculty and Student Services Officer by the last day of classes of the student’s graduation quarter. The appropriate grade for satisfactory progress in the research project before submission of the final report is N (continuing); the S (Satisfactory) final grade is given only when the report is fully approved and signed off by both faculty members.
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 ands submission of the thesis proposal. The total combined units of Materials Science research units, seminars, and undergraduate courses cannot exceed 15. 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.
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If doing an MS Thesis option, 9-15 research units (MATSCI 200), taken over multiple quarters, are required and can count toward the 12 units of Other Elective program requirements.
Two faculty are required to be readers. One must be a MATSCI faculty member. The other may be MATSCI faculty or your research PI if that person is not MATSCI faculty. See the Student Services Office for approval and details.
Research units do not count unless the MS Thesis option is selected, which appropriately reflects units used (seminar, undergrad, and research units together cannot total more than 15 units).