The Department of Materials Science and Engineering strives to maintain a balanced commitment between teaching and research.The Department of Materials Science and Engineering strives to maintain a balanced commitment between teaching and research.

About
Quick Facts

Department Facts

  • Established as Graduate Department of Metallurgy in 1954-1955
  • Became first “Department of Materials Science” in the world in 1958
  • Highly ranked graduate (#2 in US) and undergraduate programs (#5 in US), according to US News and World Report

Faculty, Students, and Fellows

  • 44 faculty members, including:
    • 1 winner of the National Medal of Science
    • 7 members of the National Academy of Engineering
    • 5 members of the National Academy of Sciences
    • 10 members of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
    • 1 member of the Institute of Medicine
    • 2 MacArthur Fellows
    • 16 NSF Presidential Young Investigators, NSF Young Investigators, CAREER awardees
  • 215 graduate students
  • 83 undergraduate students
  • 81 postdoctoral fellows, research associates, and visiting scholars

Undergraduate Study

  • Programs in materials science and engineering (McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Sciences) and materials science (Weinberg College of Arts and Science)
  • Class size is typically between 15-30 students
  • Cooperative education program available
  • Study abroad and foreign externships available
  • Departmental awards for summer research and academic merit
  • Undergraduate research opportunities with world-class faculty members

Graduate Study

  • Highly interdisciplinary graduate research with world-class faculty members often involving collaborations through interdisciplinary research centers and at Argonne National Laboratory
  • Access to cutting-edge research facilities
  • Support (fellowships, research assistantships, teaching assistantships) for all doctorate candidate graduate students
  • MS degree can be completed in as little as one academic year
  • PhD degree completion is typically four or five (beyond BS)