For the undergraduate curriculum in Materials Engineering leading to the degree Bachelor of Science. The Materials Engineering Program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Materials (1), Metallurgical (2), Ceramics (3) and Similarly Named Engineering Programs. Materials engineering is a broadly-based discipline relating the composition, structure, and processing of materials to their properties, uses and performance. Materials engineering includes a variety of traditional and modern technologies involving metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and electronic materials.
Because of its interdisciplinary nature, career opportunities for materials engineers bridge all industrial and government sectors including: advanced manufacturing, materials for energy and power, biomaterials and biomedical technology, functional materials and devices, nanomaterials and coatings, durable goods, infrastructure, and vehicle technologies (automotive, aerospace).
Student Learning Outcomes
Graduates of the Materials Engineering curriculum should have at the time of graduation:
1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Program Educational Objectives
Within a few years of completing the Materials Engineering degree program, our graduates are expected to:
- Work-competently engage in professional employment, applying knowledge and skills related to the structure, properties, processing, and performance of materials.
- Learn-invest in broad life-long learning activities, such as advanced academic or professional degree programs, practical training, professional development, and leadership training.
- Serve-actively contribute to professional communities in their chosen career paths, including professional societies, advisory boards, standards and regulatory boards, and internal company organizations.
Graduates in materials engineering are able to apply scientific and engineering principles to select or design the best materials to solve engineering problems. They are also able to control the microstructure of materials through processing to optimize properties and performance. They are skilled in creative, independent problem solving under time and resource constraints. Graduates have the opportunity to gain experience in materials engineering practice through cooperative work experience or internships in industry, national laboratories, or another funded research. Graduates can develop a global perspective of engineering through various study abroad opportunities. Classes provide hands-on skills with a broad range of modern materials processing and characterization equipment and methods.
A degree in materials engineering relies on a strong foundation of math, chemistry and physics. The core materials courses include fundamentals of materials, kinetics and thermodynamics, mechanical properties, computational methods, design, and professional practice experience. Students tailor their programs to their goals and interests through the selection of a specialization from the three available: ceramic materials, metallic materials and polymeric materials. Additional technical electives can be taken in other areas of interest. The breadth and depth of the program provide excellent preparation for immediate entry into industry, further study in graduate school, as well as many other unique career paths (i.e. law, military service, art conservation, museum conservatorship, etc.).
Curriculum in Materials Engineering
Administered by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering.
Leading to the degree Bachelor of Science.
Total credits required: 128 cr. Any transfer credit courses applied to the degree program require a grade of C or better (but will not be calculated into the ISU cumulative GPA, Basic Program GPA or Core GPA). See also Basic Program and Special Programs.
International Perspectives: 3 cr.1
U.S Cultures and Communities: 3 cr.1
Communication Proficiency/Library requirement:
| ENGL 1500 | Critical Thinking and Communication (Must have a C or better in this course) | 3 |
| ENGL 2500 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition (Must have a C or better in this course) | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| 3 |
| Business Communication | |
| Proposal and Report Writing | |
| Technical Communication | |
Advanced Communication Courses: 6 cr.
| ENGL 2500 | Written, Oral, Visual, and Electronic Composition (Must have a C or better in this course) | 3 |
| 3 |
| Technical Communication | |
| Proposal and Report Writing | |
| Business Communication | |
General Education Electives: 12 cr.
Complete 12 cr. from approved list with a minimum of 3 cr. from 2000+ level courses and maximum of 9 cr. from the same designator2.
Basic Program: 24 cr.3
A minimum GPA of 2.00 is required for this set of courses. (Please note that transfer course grades will not be calculated into the Basic Program GPA.) See Requirement for Entry into Professional Program in College of Engineering Overview section.
| CHEM 1770 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| or CHEM 1670 | General Chemistry for Engineering Students |
| ENGL 1500 | Critical Thinking and Communication (Must have a C or better in this course) | 3 |
| Engineering Orientation | |
| ENGR 1600 | Engineering Problems with Computer Applications Laboratory 3 | 3 |
| LIB 1600 | Introduction to College Level Research | 1 |
| MATH 1650 | Calculus I | 4 |
| MATH 1660 | Calculus II | 4 |
| PHYS 2310 | Introduction to Classical Physics I | 4 |
| PHYS 2310L | Introduction to Classical Physics I Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Credits | 24 |
Math and Physical Science: 18 cr.
| CHEM 1770L | Laboratory in General Chemistry I | 1 |
| CHEM 1780 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 1780L | Laboratory in College Chemistry II | 1 |
| MATH 2650 | Calculus III | 4 |
| MATH 2670 | Elementary Differential Equations and Laplace Transforms | 4 |
| PHYS 2320 | Introduction to Classical Physics II | 4 |
| PHYS 2320L | Introduction to Classical Physics II Laboratory | 1 |
| Total Credits | 18 |
Materials/Specialties Engineering Core: 47 cr.
A minimum average GPA of 2.00 is required for this set of courses. (Please note that transfer course grades will not be calculated into the Core/Specialization GPA.)
| MATE 1700 | Numeric, Symbolic, and Graphical Methods for Materials Engineering | 3 |
| MATE 2140 | Structural Characterization of Materials | 3 |
| MATE 2150 | Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering I | 3 |
| MATE 2150L | Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering I - Lab | 1 |
| MATE 2160 | Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering II | 3 |
| MATE 2160L | Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering II - Lab | 1 |
| MATE 3110 | Thermodynamics in Materials Engineering | 3 |
| MATE 3140 | Kinetics and Phase Equilibria in Materials | 3 |
| MATE 3170 | Introduction to Electronic Properties of Materials | 3 |
| MATE 3190 | Mechanics of Structures and Materials | 3 |
| MATE 4130 | Materials Design and Professional Practice I | 3 |
| MATE 4140 | Materials Design and Professional Practice II | 3 |
| MATE 4180 | Mechanical Behavior of Materials | 3 |
| 12 |
| Total Credits | 47 |
The courses below meet the specialization requirement. Students select one of the following tracks (ceramics, metals, polymers):
Ceramic Materials:
Metallic Materials:
Polymeric Materials:
| MATE 3500 | Polymers and Polymer Engineering. | 3 |
| MATE 3510 | Introduction to Polymeric Materials | 3 |
| MATE 4530 | Physical and Mechanical Properties of Polymers | 3 |
| MATE 4540 | Polymer Composites and Processing | 3 |
Other Courses: 21 cr.
| STAT 3050 | Engineering Statistics | 3 |
| 2 | 6 |
| 2 | 12 |
| Total Credits | 21 |
Seminar/Co-op/Internships
| |
| Materials Engineering Professional Planning | |
- These university requirements will add to the minimum credits of the program unless the university-approved courses are also approved by the department to meet other course requirements within the degree program. U.S. cultures and communities and international perspectives courses may not be taken Pass/Not Pass.
- Choose from department approved list.
- See Basic Program for Professional Engineering Curricula for accepted substitutions for curriculum designated courses in the Basic Program.
Note: A MATE student may take up to 6 credit hours from General Education electives on a P/NP basis, except for courses used to meet the U.S. Cultures and Communities and International Perspectives requirements. S/F courses (different from P/NP) will be considered for these requirements on a course-by-course basis.
See also: A 4-year plan of study grid showing course template by semester.
Materials Engineering, B.S.
Areas of specialization:
- Ceramic Materials: 3210, 3220, 4250, 4330
- Metallic Materials: 3410, 3420, 4430, 4440
- Polymeric Materials: 3500, 3510, 4530, 4540
The MSE Department offers concurrent enrollment program opportunities for students wishing to enroll in either the M.S. degree program or the M. Eng. degree program during the final stages of their B.S. program completion. Minimum admission requirements for these concurrent programs are the same as those for the regular M.S. and M. Eng. admission. (See MSE Graduate admission requirements.) Concurrently enrolled students are considered graduate students for official enrollment and tuition/fee purposes. MSE students concurrently enrolled as B.S./M.S. students are eligible for Graduate Research Assistantships (GRA), but these require Major Professor sponsorship and are not guaranteed with admission to the program. Assistantships are not available for B.S./M.Eng. students.
See the Graduate College Handbook for more details concerning application procedures. Undergraduate students should visit with both their academic advisor and the MSE Director of Graduate Education to discuss interest in a concurrent program, learn more about blending the undergraduate and graduate curricula, and to obtain copies of the application forms.
- Eligibility – Undergraduate students who will have earned 90 credits toward the B.S. MATE degree by the time of concurrent enrollment are eligible to apply for a concurrent program.
- Application Process – Applications for concurrent enrollment are not submitted through the Graduate College online application system. Rather, completed (paper) application packages should be submitted directly to the MSE Graduate Program Coordinator.
- Applications are accepted anytime.
- Application Package – The application package must include the following materials:
- The ISU Concurrent Enrollment application form (“Concurrent Enrollment for Undergraduate Student Wishing to Pursue a Graduate Certificate or Degree”).
- MSE Concurrent Enrollment Request form
- Resume/CV
- Three letters of recommendation
The MSE Department also offers a B.S. MATE and MBA concurrent enrollment program in collaboration with the Ivy College of Business. For more information about this program, please visit: https://www.ivybusiness.iastate.edu/full-time-concurrent-mba/.
