Program type:

Major
Grad Track
Format:

On Campus
Est. time to complete:

7-8 years
Credit Hours:

192
Get on the fast track to a Ph.D. while you explore the technological challenges of creating, applying and characterizing new materials for the 21st century.
Our undergraduate program helps students understand both the science and engineering aspects of materials – how the nano and microscopic structures in materials relate to the macroscopic properties and how to use these relationships to process materials and to determine the properties of a finished product. The Doctor of Philosophy degree in Materials Science and Engineering represents the highest level of scholarship and achievement in independent research that culminates in the completion of a dissertation of original scientific merit.

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Why Earn a degree in Combined Materials Science and Engineering?

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering is committed to training students at the undergraduate and graduate levels in all aspects of modern materials including metals, ceramics, polymers, electronic and optical materials and materials characterization. Our high-tech facility allows student to train on cutting-edge equipment.

As a student in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the University of North Texas, your top-notch education will enable you to develop specialized skills through classroom instruction from accomplished faculty, research with modern equipment and facilities, and connections with industry leaders.

The Ph.D. program provides strong collaborative links with other universities and industries in the Dallas-Fort Worth region and research organizations throughout the country and the world.

The department addresses the educational and technological challenges of creating, applying and characterizing new materials for manufacturing products in the 21st century.

Marketable Skills
  • Identify materials engineering problems
  • Produce solutions for materials selection/applications
  • Material data collection and interpretation
  • Conduct material conceptual design/development
  • Teamwork
  • Identify knowledge gaps in materials science and engineering
  • Expertise with advanced materials characterization techniques
  • Material data analysis using computational tools
  • Material design and property predictions
  • Scientific report writing and communication

Combined Materials Science and Engineering Degrees (Doctorate) Highlights

Having one of the most advanced analytical characterization facilities in the country allows students to receive training on state-of-the-art equipment.
Our professors and researchers have expertise in metals, ceramics, polymers, electronic materials and computational materials science, and many are internationally and nationally known for their work.
With small graduate class sizes, you'll work closely with nationally recognized faculty members on research projects to solve complex problems, many of which lead to exciting internship opportunities.
The department has 21 faculty members and 85 graduate students, plus well-equipped laboratories with outstanding technical support.
Our research efforts span size scales from the microscopic to aircraft wings and from atomically precise manufacturing to assembly of hip implants.
The department occupies approximately 25,000 square feet in UNT’s Discovery Park, with about 40,000 square feet of unfinished space in which to expand.

What Can You Do With A Degree in Combined Materials Science and Engineering?

Students who graduate with a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in materials science and engineering can expect a very healthy job market and relatively high starting salaries in a variety of industries. Materials science and engineering graduates are heavily sought after by industries of all types, including automotive, chemical, aerospace, microelectronics, magnetic storage, transportation, sports, defense, forensics, and manufacturing.

A B.S. degree with a major in materials science and engineering also prepares students for continuing their educations with a master’s or a doctoral degree in materials science and engineering or in a related field.

The Ph.D. program will give you many opportunities to develop highly marketable skills in areas such as:

  • Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Biomedical Microelectronics
  • Characterization
  • Chemical Energy
  • Environmental
  • Modeling and simulations
  • Nanotechnology
  • Power

Combined Materials Science and Engineering Degrees (Doctorate) Courses You Could Take

Materials Selection and Performance (3 hrs)
Integration of structure, properties, processing and performance principles to formulate and implement solutions to materials engineering problems.
Electrical, Optical and Magnetic Properties of Materials (3 hrs)
Bonding and the electronic structure and properties of metallic, ceramic, semiconducting and polymeric materials.
Thermodynamics of Materials (3 hrs)The zeroth law of thermodynamics, work, energy and the first law of thermodynamics; the second law of thermodynamics, thermodynamic potentials, the third law of thermodynamics, thermodynamic identities and their uses, phase equilibria in one-component systems, behavior and reactions of gases. Solutions, binary and multicomponent systems
phase equilibria, materials separation and purification. Electrochemistry. Thermodynamics of modern materials including liquid crystals.
Bonding, Structure and Crystallography (3 hrs)
Interatomic bonding; amorphous and crystalline structures in metals, ceramics and polymers; point and line defects in crystals; structure determination by X-ray diffraction; basic symmetry operations, point and space groups in crystal systems.
Mechanical Properties of Materials (3 hrs)
Stress, strain and the basics of concepts in deformation and fracture for metals, polymers and ceramics. Analysis of important mechanical properties such as plastic flow, creep, fatigue, fracture toughness, and rupture. Application of these principles to the design of improved materials and engineering structures.
Discover How and Why Materials “Matter” (3 hrs)
Course serves as the heart of the MSE first year experience. Topics include rationale for materials choices, composition and design of everyday items and how materials science and engineering drives innovation. Basic analysis and experimental design. A team-based hands-on project teaches the student to think critically and creatively by applying a range of analysis techniques borrowed from many engineering and science disciplines.

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