Prospective Students

Materials Science and Engineering


Materials impacts all technologies and applications

The field of The field of “materials” encompasses concepts in many diverse fields ranging from chemistry, physics, and optics to mechanical, electrical, and chemical engineering. Rapid advances in technology have dramatically increased the importance of materials science and engineering to society, as highlighted in proceedings of the 2000 National Advisory Board Forum entitled, “Materials in the New Millennium: Responding to Society’s Needs”: “Materials science underpins every product and process on which our modern society depends” and “You cannot make it without materials.” Continued progress in all aspects of technology relies on proper education of materials scientists and engineers and active progress in materials research and development.

Why Study Materials Science and Engineering?

Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is the study of the structure – processing – properties relationships of engineering materials.  Considered by some to be the marriage of physics and metallurgy, modern MSE encompasses a broad range of materials, from traditional metallurgy to biological materials, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, composites, and optical and magnetic materials, as well as numerous nanotechnology materials.  The study of materials science allows students considerable freedom to the depth of their understanding of such materials while being simultaneously engaged in real world research. 

What are the career opportunities in Materials Science and Engineering?

MSE graduates can be found employed in almost all fields of human endeavor.   Most obviously, in fields where someone is using a material to make something, such as the automotive, aerospace, and microelectronics industries, or is making a material for use by others, such as the plastics and metals industries.  Additionally,  MSE graduates can be found in knowledge-based industries, such as archeology and education. 

What is a typical graduate curriculum in Materials Science and Engineering?

The “core” curriculum for MSE students at UCF consists of four courses:

  • EMA 5106 Metallurgical Thermodynamics
  • EMA 5317 Materials Kinetics
  • EMA 6126 Physical Metallurgy
  • EMA 6626 Mechanical Behavior of Materials

In addition, students without a prior MSE background should take EMA 5104 Intermediate Structure and Properties of Materials.  For M.S. students, the “core” courses are required, while for Ph.D. students they are not required, but highly recommended, as these courses also serve as the basis for the written doctoral qualifying examination.
 
Beyond the “core” courses above. M.S. and Ph.D. students are both relatively free to take courses in materials, or in related fields, that satisfy their personal and research goals.   Students are required to complete a “Program of Study” form after their first 9 credit hours in the program which lists the courses they intended to take as part of their M.S. or Ph.D. program.   The “Program of Study” requires approval by the student’s advisor and by the Materials Program Coordinator and is usually heavily customized to meet the interests of the student.

Why should I choose UCF for graduate studies in Materials Science and Engineering?

The graduate program in materials science and engineering (MSE) at UCF is distinguished by offering an outstanding selection of courses taught by excellent instructors, and by providing students with real and state-of-the-art research opportunities, working with faculty mentors who are active in wide range of sponsored research.  The result is education through research.

Almost all students in the graduate MSE program are financially supported by graduate fellowships or graduate research assistantships whose requirements include research tasks with clear objectives and scientific foundation, significant interactions with scientists and engineers from outside UCF who fund research programs, and presentations/publications at international conferences. In addition to challenging coursework, the “education through research” approach provides graduates with scientific competency and polished professionalism.

Further, due to interdisciplinary nature of MSE, students are encouraged to learn and train across multiple disciplines through the several innovative curriculum and interdisciplinary research facilities and research centers at UCF, including the Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center (AMPAC), the Nanoscience and Technology Center (NSTC), the Florida Solar Energy Center (FSEC) and the Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL).  This approach also provides a distinctive advantage to UCF graduates in that they not only understand materials-specific challenges, but also have an overall understanding of engineered systems for many applications.

  • About Materials Science and Engineering
    • Materials Science and Engineering
      Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is the study of the structure – processing – properties relationships of engineering materials.   UCF offers both Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Materials Science and Engineering that are administered by the Department of Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering (MMAE) in the College of Engineering and Computer Science.  Both MSE degree programs are strongly supported by AMPAC, UCF’s materials research center, with many of the MSE faculty also holding positions in AMPAC and/or MMAE.   Both MSE degree programs provide students with a fundamental and applied research-based education suitable for seeking employment in industry or in academia.

      Additional information regarding the MSE degree programs can be found in the Graduate Catalog or on the MMAE Graduate Programs web page.

    • Admission Requirements
      UCF’s goal is to attract the best students from the top universities in the United States and around the world.  Accordingly, admission to the MSE degree programs is done on a competitive basis, with most students admitted for entry in the Fall semester.   All Fall semester applicants are encouraged to apply prior to the January 15th Priority Deadline, which allows their application to be considered for internal UCF Fellowship awards.  Additionally, early applicants for all semesters are encouraged to complete the Pre-Application process offered by the College of Engineering and Computer Science, which allows the application fee to be waived for exceptional applicants.   The Pre-Application deadline for the Fall semester for International students is December 1st and after this date the UCF on-line application should be submitted directly.

      UCF’s minimum requirements for graduate admissions are:
      • Completion of on-line application.
      • All applicants must submit one official transcript showing the equivalent of a bachelor's degree earned at a regionally accredited institution.
      • 3.0 grade point average (based on the transcript evaluation), or
        • Graduate Record Examination score of 1000 (combined verbal and quantitative portions of the GRE)
      • Test of English as a Foreign Language
        • The Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS) is required when an applicant is from a country where English is not the official language or when an applicant's bachelor's degree is not from an accredited U.S. institution. The minimum UCF requirement for the TOEFL is:
      • TOEFL score of 220 (computer test or equivalent score on the paper test)
      • TOEFL iBT score of 80
      • The minimum UCF requirement for the IELTS is a band score 6.5.
      Additionally, the MSE degree programs require the following:
      • All applicants must submit official Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores
      • All applicants must provide a written statement of purpose, describing why those have chosen to apply.

Admissions deadlines vary based upon the semester for which entry into the program is requested and upon the immigration status of the student.   The deadlines for the Ph.D. and M.S. degree programs are the same and can be found in the Graduate Catalog pages for the M.S. or Ph.D. degrees.

  • Assistantships and Funding

    Assistantships are available for Ph.D. applicants.   Once a student is selected and admitted into the Ph.D program, a funded research assistantship from our materials research center, AMPAC, is usually provided for first-year full-time students.  For admitted new international students the letter of admission, assistantship offer, and I-20 certificate are typically sent to the student simultaneously. Students will later have the opportunity to meet the Materials Faculty members in person and learn more about their research areas before a mutual selection of a research advisor. Usually students are matched to a research advisor early in their first semester at UCF, and the research advisor is then responsible for the student’s assistantship.   The starting stipend from AMPAC used to assist international students to come to UCF is currently $550/biweekly.  Stipends for student active in research groups range from $600 to $900 biweekly.

  • Tuition Fee Coverage

    All UCF graduate students that are fully supported as Graduate Research Assistants or Graduate Teaching Assistants will, by UCF policy, be considered as “in-state” students for tuition purposes and their funding unit will pay the academic portion of their tuition on their behalf.  This policy does not include all fees, (see full fee schedule here), but does include the In-State Tuition (paid by same source as assistantship stipend) and Non-Resident Tuition (which is waived by the university).   Depending on student course load, the residual fees left that the student is responsible to pay are approximately $1,200 to $1,600 per year.  These can be paid by the student using stipend income, or, in some cases, may be paid by the student’s advisor.

  • Advisor/Faculty

    Students accepted into the Materials Science & Engineering degree programs have the opportunity to work with a talented multidisciplinary faculty, numbering more than 20, in well-equipped research labs.  Many of the Materials Faculty are members of the MMAE department, and most of these are also members of AMPAC.  Additional materials faculty are associated with other UCF research centers (Florida Solar Energy Center, Nanoscience and Technology Center, Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers) and other departments (Physics, Optics, Electrical Engineering).

  • Research Facilities

    Along with the individual faculty research labs, our materials research center has two distinct research facilities.  The Advanced Microfabrication Facility (AMF) and the Materials Characterization Facility (MCF) are user facilities operated by AMPAC.  Graduate and undergraduate students as well members of industry use these facilities to perform quality research. There are semester long as well as short courses and workshops taught by faculty to teach the science and utility of various equipment and techniques.

  • Courses

    Classroom teaching comprises of selection from about 25 graduate level courses offered in the materials area. These are courses with EMA prefix found on the UCF web site.  Due to the interdisciplinary nature of the field of Materials Science and Engineering students are typically allowed, and often encouraged, by their advisors to take courses from related disciplines (physics, chemistry, optics, mechanical engineering, …) a is appropriate to their research interests.

  • Personalized Attention

    AMPAC takes pride in supporting the Materials Science & Engineering degree programs by offering personalized attention to assist the materials students.  Our MSE Program Assistant, Cynthia Harle, maintains contact with you and assists during your application process and can be reached at charle@mail.ucf.edu. The Materials Program Coordinator, Dr. Kevin Coffey, is a member of both the MMAE department and AMPAC and he can be reached at krcoffey@mail.ucf.edu.

Below is a list of websites for additional information.

Advanced Materials Processing and Analysis Center | Engineering Building 1, Room 381 | Phone:(407) 882-1455 Fax: (407) 882-1462
4000 Central Florida Blvd. Box 162455, Orlando, Florida, 32816