Master of Science (Research Option)

In contrast to the M.S. (Course Option) for which the requirements are primarily course work, the M.S. (Research Option) requires a concurrent mixture of course work and project work. It is, therefore, well-suited for programs that involve industrial interaction and/or interdisciplinary work. Experience has shown it also to be very flexible, allowing for individually designed course work sequences, and projects that provide an ideal background for subsequent doctoral study without significant loss of time. Students may pursue the M.S. (Research Option) in one of the established interdisciplinary programs, or in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering. For specific requirements of the interdisciplinary programs, students should consult the appropriate department. All students must maintain a B average (3.0) in order to graduate. Specific requirements for the M.S. (Research Option) degree in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering follow:

1. Required units: Satisfactory completion of 192 units and satisfactory completion of a project (taken as at least 96 units of 27-756 Masters Project).
    
   • Of the 192 units, at least 60 must be graduate level courses in the Materials Science and Engineering Department (27-700 level and above) excluding Materials Problems (27-755) and Masters Project (27-756).
   • No more than 24 units of undergraduate units can be counted towards the 192 unit requirement.
   • Students are required to take 24 units of the following departmental common core courses. However, all core courses are recommended since these courses provide a broad range of fundamental principles for subsequent departmental graduate courses.

     27-766 Diffusion in Materials (6 units)
     27-788 Defects in Materials (6 units)
     27-796 Structure of Materials (6 units)
     27-797 Bonding of Materials (6 units)
     27-798 Thermodynamics I (6 units)
     27-799 Thermodynamics II (6 units)

   • All full-time students must enroll and actively participate satisfactorily in the graduate seminar course, (27-774), each semester in which they are registered. Completion of each semester is a formal degree requirement for all full-time students.  
2. To satisfy the research option, a Masters Thesis or final project report that clearly and successfully states the objectives and accomplishments of the work must be written. The project report must be approved by the faculty advisor.
3. The student must pass an oral examination based on his/her research. The examining panel will include three qualified examiners two of which, including his/her advisor, must be faculty members in Materials Science and Engineering. The panel must be approved by the Department Head.
4. Control of distribution and time for degree: Units of "courses" and project are to be taken together insofar as possible. To ensure this, no more than 36 units of "courses" may be taken in any given semester. A student who takes, on the average, 24 units of "courses" and 24 units of project each semester could meet the degree requirements in about two years.
5. Summer project work: Full-time project work is required during at least the summer months (May through August) between the two years of full-time academic work. Project work during other summers is optional, except insofar as it substitutes for incomplete project work during the academic year.
   
6. By approval of the department head, units of (27-755) Materials Problems may be counted toward (27-756).
7. All students must maintain a B average (3.0) in order to graduate. Course units with a grade lower than "C" are not acceptable toward the degree requirements for the M.S. degrees. The average grade of course work shall be at least a "B," (3.0) and the student may choose any 60 to 96 units of the first 120 units of course work attempted to compute the average grade. Project grades may not be used in calculation of the "B" average for the M.S. degrees. Project grades must be "B" or above to count towards graduation.