Mechanical Engineering Department
Materials Science & Engineering

Minor in Materials Science & Engineering

Why Consider a Materials Science and Engineering Minor?

Materials Matter! Advances in materials have driven the development of human civilization and are a key factor in most modern technological progress. Material properties, material processing issues, or material costs are the limiting factor in the design or performance of almost all systems around us- computers, aircraft, automobiles, transportation infrastructure, prosthetics and other biomedical devices, to name just a few. Engineers, scientists, and managers in all technological sectors often must make material selection decisions based on a variety of considerations, including properties, performance, environmental impact, and cost. Material failures or inappropriate material selection decisions are often a factor in tragic loss of human life or financial losses for corporations.

The cross-disciplinary nature of materials is clearly evident at WPI, where active materials research occurs in the departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Mmathematical Sciences, and Electrical Engineering.

A Minor in Materials at WPI, feasible within a 15 unit program of study, will benefit students who wish to enhance their disciplinary major with an additional degree designation in the area of materials. Opportunities for "double counting" of courses are available for at least six different majors. Here are just a few examples of some reasons why particular majors might consider in a Minor in Materials:

Planning a Materials Minor

A form is available to aid you in planning a materials minor. It is available below as a PDF - simply download and print it to begin the planning process.

Program Description

Material properties, material processing issues, or material costs are the limiting factor in the design or performance of almost all systems around us. Engineers, scientists, and managers in all technological sectors often must make material selection decisions based on a variety of considerations, including properties, performance, environmental impact, and cost. A Minor in Materials, feasible within a 15 unit program of study, will benefit students who wish to enhance their disciplinary major with an additional degree designation in the area of materials.

Requirements for the Materials Minor:

The minor requires the completion of 2 units of worka as described below:

  1. ES 2001 Introduction to Material Science (1/3 unit)
  2. 1 1/3 units of electives, selected from the following list of coursesb,c:
    CE 3026 Materials of Construction
    CH 3410 Principles of Inorganic Chemistry
    CH 2310 Organic Chemistry I
    CH 2320 Organic Chemistry II
    CH 2330 Organic Chemistry III
    CH 4330 Organic Synthesis
    CH 4550 Polymer Chemistry
    CHE 3601 Chemical Materials Engineering
    ECE 3901 Semiconductor Devices
    ME 2820 Materials Processing
    ME 3801 Experimental Methods in Materials Science & Engineering
    ME 4718 Advanced Materials with Aerospace Applications
    ME 4810 Automotive Materials and Process Design
    ME 4813 Ceramics
    ME/BME 4814 Biomaterials
    ME 4821 Chemistry, Properties, and Processing of Plastics
    ME 4832 Corrosion and Corrosion Control
    ME 4840 Physical Metallurgy
    ME 4860 Food Engineering
    ME 4875 Introduction to Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology
    PH 3502 Solid State Physics

    Students who are able to design their undergraduate program of study such that they have sufficient preparation may also use the following graduate courses toward a Materials Minor: all MTE graduate courses; CHE 508, Catalysis and Surface Science of Materials; CHE 510, Particulate Systems.
  3. Capstone Experience (1/3 unit)
    The capstone experience requirement for the Minor in Materials must be satisfied by an upper level course or IS/P activity that integrates and synthesizes material processing, structure, and property relationships as they affect performance.
    1. Courses that satisfy the capstone experience requirement currently include ME 4810, ME 4813, ME 4814 and ME 4821. Other courses must be approved in advance by the Program Committee for the Minor in Materials.
    2. Students may satisfy the capstone experience requirement by completing a 1/3 unit IS/P that receives prior approval from the Program Committee for the Minor in Materials. The IS/P may, for example, take the form of a laboratory experience or may augment the MQP or IQP, considering in depth the materials issues associated with the project topic (see Note d). An IS/P related to the MQP must be distinct from the core 1 unit of the MQP and in most cases would be advised by a faculty member other than the MQP advisor.

Notes:

  1. In accordance with the Institute-wide policy on Minors, academic activities used in satisfying the regular degree requirements may be double-counted toward meeting all but one unit of the Minor requirements (see page 12).
  2. Physics IS/P courses in Superconductors, Photonics, and Lasers may also be counted toward the Materials Minor. In addition, other new or experimental course offerings in the materials area may be approved by the Materials Minor Program Review Committee.
  3. Examples: An ECE major designing an integrated circuit for her MQP might conduct a separate analysis of the materials issues related to heat management in the device as the capstone experience for the Minor in Materials; a ME major specifying a gear in a design MQP might conduct a separate analysis of the material processing, structure, and property issues affecting fatigue life of the gear.
  4. In accordance with the Institute-wide policy on Minors, the Major Qualifying Project (MQP) cannot be counted toward activity for a Minor. Therefore, a ME, CHE, or any other major whose MQP is judged to be predominantly in the materials area by the Program Review Committee may not count an extra 1/3 unit augmentation of their MQP as their capstone experience in the Minor.
  5. The following faculty serve as the Program Review Committee for the Minor in Materials and will serve as Minor Advisors: Richard Sisson (ME), Chrys Demetry (ME), Tahar El-Korchi (CEE).

Minor Advisors

The following faculty serve as the Program Review Committee for the Minor in Materials and will serve as Minor Advisors:

Concentration in Materials

Concentrations in Materials are available for Mechanical Engineering and Chemical Engineering majors. Operationally, MQP is the key factor distinguishing the Concentration from the Minor. A ME or CM major who completes his or her MQP on a materials topic along with the required two units of course work would earn a Materials Concentration. This total of at least three unit of work in the Materials are would provide the maximum amount of focus available for these majors.

Requirements for the Materials Concentration in Mechanical Engineering

Select 2

Select 2

Select 2

Plus a Material Science MQP
 

Requirements for the Materials Concentration in Chemical Engineering

Select 3

One Unit:

Additional courses from the above list, or portions of IQP, Sufficiency, or SS courses that result in a coherent and focused program of study in materials.

Plus an MQP in the area of Materials.

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Last modified: February 06, 2008 09:24:04