/Institutions/Catholic-University-of-America/json/2024-2025/Graduate-Announcements-local.json

/Institutions/Catholic-University-of-America/json/2024-2025/Graduate-Announcements.json

Graduate Announcements > School of Engineering > Departments and Programs of the School of Engineering > Materials Science and Engineering

Materials Science and Engineering

Associate Professors	Jandro Abot (Mechanical Engineering), John Philip (Physics), Abhijit Sarkar (Physics), Joseph Vignola (chair Mechanical Engineering)
Assistant Professors	Chuan-Fu Lin (Mechanical Engineering)
Research Ordinary Professors	Lawrence Cook (Chemistry)
Clinical Assistant Professors	Sergio Picozzi (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science)
Lecturers	Sepideh Akhbarifar, Davide Prete, Malabika Chaudhuri

The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program offers graduate courses leading to the degree of Master of Science, M.S., Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering, or two graduate certificates in Additive Manufacturing.

Program Administration

The Materials Science and Engineering program is an interdisciplinary program administered by the Mechanical Engineering Department.  

Masters Degree Program

Two options are available in the M.S. program. The non-thesis option requires 30 semester credit hours of approved coursework. The thesis option requires a minimum of 24 semester credit hours of approved coursework plus a thesis comprising six semester credit hours of master's thesis guidance.

The approved coursework must include at least 18 semester credit hours of approved MSE core courses. The core courses are described in a later section. The remaining courses must be in engineering and science disciplines and approved by the director of the program. For both options, each student must submit a program of study to the program director for approval upon entering the program.

Mission

The goal of the professional Master of Science (MS) program in MSE is to produce graduates who are schooled in materials science, engineering fundamentals and capable of doing advanced engineering work. Concentration areas include: Biomaterials; Glass, Ceramics and Metallurgy; Magnetic and Optical Materials; Nanotechnology; Processing and Instrumentation; Structural Materials. The available courses include a variety of introductory and advanced level courses in various areas of engineering and applied science, applied mathematics and laboratory studies. Graduate students plan their program in consultation with the program director and pursue the MS degree program with a specific concentration in one of the areas identified above. Maximum flexibility scope of studies is afforded by utilization of courses offered in departments of the university or other area universities through the Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area.

Masters Admission Requirements

Students pursuing the MS degree in MSE should apply for regular admission. The minimum requirement for regular admission is a bachelor's degree in engineering, science or mathematics from an accredited institution. For foreign students, satisfactory scores (according to CUA guidelines) in TOEFL or a similar testing agency is additionally required. The minimum requirement for regular admission to the MS program in MSE is a bachelor's degree with undergraduate background in engineering, computer science, any science discipline including biology and mathematics. For other admission requirements, please refer to Admission under Special Regulations.

Doctoral Admission Requirements

Admissions procedures to the doctoral program in M.S.E. will match procedures for existing doctoral programs in the School of Engineering. Undergraduate transcripts, graduate transcripts where applicable (i.e. for applicants who have already completed an M.S. degree), demonstration of English language proficiency (for international students), scores from the Graduate Record Examination (GRE), and letters of recommendation are required. Deadlines are the standard University deadlines for graduate programs. Applications are reviewed by the ME department faculty and by the School of Engineering’s associate dean for graduate programs & faculty.

Doctoral Degree Program

The Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering will require a minimum of 53 credit hours of graduate coursework, which can include up to 30 hours earned as part of Catholic University’s M.S. degree in M.S.E. or up to 24 hours transferred from another institution’s graduate program. The program will require a comprehensive examination to advance to candidacy and have an expectation for a research project making an original contribution to the field and culminating in the completion and oral defense of the doctoral dissertation, following the existing policies and procedures of the School of Engineering and of Catholic University more broadly.

Certificate in Additive Manufacturing

This program focuses on developing skills related to the use and development of additive manufacturing technology, design and certification of parts manufactured using such technology, and decision-making at the managerial level regarding deployment of such technology. The certificate requires 16 credits, consisting of three (3) core courses (two of which are 3 credits each and the third includes a laboratory component and is four credits) and two (2) three-credit electives. Students who complete the AM certificate will be able to apply for admission to the MSE master’s degree program and count the certificate as the first 5 courses, leaving 5 more to complete the master’s degree.

Courses Offered

Consult Cardinal Station for information about courses and to determine course offerings by semester.