Program in Materials Science and Engineering
Director
James C. Sturm
Undergraduate Program Committee
Craig B. Arnold, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Robert H. Austin, Physics
Jay B. Benziger, Chemical Engineering
Andrew B. Bocarsly, Chemistry
Robert J. Cava, Chemistry
Claire F. Gmachl, Electrical Engineering
Mikko P. Haataja, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
George W. Scherer, Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering
Winston O. Soboyejo, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
James C. Sturm, Electrical Engineering
The certificate Program in Materials Science and Engineering is offered by the Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM) and its nine affiliated departments. The program emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of the study of materials and the engineering application of their properties. The program is designed for students in science and engineering departments who are preparing for careers in research and teaching that will include the exploration and exploitation of materials properties. Participants in the program will take courses in their own department together with a group of materials courses chosen from a selected list offered by the participating departments. Satisfactory completion of the program is recognized by the award of a certificate in materials upon graduation.
Requirements for Admission
Admission to the program normally occurs at the beginning of the sophomore year. Students are expected to have satisfactorily completed a freshman year program that would permit them to enter one of the participating departments. Departments that are currently participating in the certificate program are: chemical engineering, chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical and aerospace engineering, applied and computational math, and physics. Application for admission is made to the interdepartmental committee in the term prior to the beginning of program participation, at which time the student should indicate the department in which a major is to be pursued. Upon acceptance to the program, the committee will assign a special adviser to the student to assist in planning a program of study and research that emphasizes the multidisciplinary nature of the study of materials.
Program of Study
Participants in the program will satisfy the degree requirements for their department as well as the course and independent work requirements for the program. A coherent course of study will be developed in conjunction with the program adviser and the departmental representative and will include materials courses outside the student’s department. The program will be designed to expand the student’s knowledge of topics essential for the understanding of materials beyond that normally encountered in a single department. In some cases, courses meeting the program requirements will also satisfy the regular requirements of the student’s department. Specific program requirements are listed below.
Program Requirements
All program students must take:
1. One year of general physics (PHY 103, 104, or 105, 106), one term of general chemistry with a laboratory (CHM 201, 203, 205, or 207), and one year of mathematics; also a course in thermodynamics, such as CHE 246, MAE 221, CHM 306, or PHY 301. A course in quantum mechanics is recommended.
2. One core course in materials (selected from the following options: MSE 301, CEE 364, and MAE 324) before the end of their junior year, and a course in experimental methods, MSE 302, or CHM 371.
3. Three additional program-approved courses above the 200 level, one of which must be from a department different from that in which the student is concentrating.
4. A two-semester senior thesis on a materials topic approved by the program committee.
To remain a member of the program in good standing, students must maintain at least a B– average in their technical subjects. To be awarded the program certificate upon graduation, students must achieve a minimum grade average of B– in program courses. Program courses may not be taken on a pass/D/fail basis.
Courses in Materials
Undergraduate courses that may be used to satisfy program requirements are listed below. (The actual courses selected for a coherent program of study will be determined in conjunction with the student’s departmental adviser and program adviser.)
Core Courses
301 Materials Science and Engineering
302 Laboratory Techniques in Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
324 Structure and Properties of Materials
Civil and Environmental Engineering
364 Materials in Civil Engineering
Approved Electives
Applied and Computational Mathematics
350 Introduction to Differential Equations
Chemical Engineering
246 Thermodynamics (satisfies thermodynamics requirement)
410 Molecular Structure and Property: Product Engineering
415 Polymers
421 Catalytic Chemistry
Chemistry
301, 302 or 303, 304 Organic Chemistry
305 The Quantum World
306 Physical Chemistry: Chemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics (satisfies thermodynamics requirement)
333 Oil to Ozone: Chemistry of the Environment
371 Experimental Chemistry (satisfies experimental requirement)
403 Advanced Organic Chemistry
406 Advanced Physical Chemistry: Chemical Dynamics and Thermodynamics
407 Inorganic Chemistry: Structure and Bonding
408 Inorganic Chemistry: Reactions and Mechanisms
Civil and Environmental Engineering
361 Structural Analysis and Introduction to Finite Element Methods
365 Soil Mechanics
375, 376 Independent Research Project
Electrical Engineering
341 Solid-State Devices
342 Physical Principles of Electronic Devices
352 Physical Optics
441 Solid-State Physics I
442 Solid-State Physics II
453 Optical Electronics
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
221 Thermodynamics (satisfies thermodynamics requirement)
223 Modern Solid Mechanics
305 Mathematics in Engineering I
306 Mathematics in Engineering II
322 Mechanical Design
334 Materials Selection and Design
344 Introduction to Bioengineering and Medical Devices
423 Heat Transfer
Molecular Biology
214 Introduction to Cellular and Molecular Biology (nonmolecular biology majors only)
345 Biochemistry
348 Cell and Developmental Biology
457 Computational Aspects of Molecular Biology
Operations Research and Financial Engineering
309 Probability and Stochastic Systems
Physics
208 Principles of Quantum Mechanics (nonphysics majors only)
301 Thermal Physics (satisfies thermodynamics requirement)
304 Advanced Electromagnetism
305 Introduction to the Quantum Theory
405 Modern Physics I: Condensed-Matter Physics
Graduate courses open to undergraduates with adequate preparation:
CHE 553 Topics in Interfacial Chemistry
CHE 555 Topics in Polymer Materials: Molecular Structure and Properties
CHM 501 Introduction to Quantum Chemistry
CHM 503 Introduction to Statistical Mechanics
CHM 507 Solid-State Chemistry
CHM 510/MSE 520 Topics in Physical Chemistry
GEO 501/MSE 541 Physics and Chemistry of Minerals and Materials
MAE 501 Mathematical Methods of Engineering Analysis I
MAE 502 Mathematical Methods of Engineering Analysis II
MAE 503 Basic Numerical Methods for Ordinary and Partial Differential Equations
MAT 508 Applied Partial Differential Equations
MSE 501 Introduction to Materials
MSE 502 Thermodynamics and Kinetics of Materials
MSE 503 Structure of Materials
MSE 504 Modeling and Simulation in Materials Science
MSE 505 Microscopy Methods in Materials
MSE 510/EE 541 Electronic Materials
MSE 511/EE 551 Photonic Materials and Devices
MSE 512/MAE 564 Structural Materials
MSE 513/CHM 511 Nanomaterials
MSE 514/CHE 544 Solid-State Properties of Polymers
MSE 515/APC 515 Random Heterogeneous Materials
MSE 519/CHM 510 Electronic Excitations of Organic Crystals and Conjugated Polymers
MSE 516, 517/PHY 525, 526 Condensed-Matter Physics
MSE 530/CHE 531 Synthesis and Processing of Ceramics
MSE 531/EE 513 Nano- and Microfabrication
MSE 532/EE 540 Organic Materials for Photonics and Electronics
MSE 533/EE 549 Physics and Technology of VLSI
MSE 534/CHE 541 Polymer Synthesis
MSE 540/MAE 562 Fracture Mechanics
ORF 551/551 Probability Theory
Courses
MSE 301 Materials Science and Engineering — Spring
An introduction to the structure and properties of
important current and future materials, including metals, semiconductors, and
polymers from an atomistic and molecular perspective. Emphasis will be placed
on the phase behavior and processing of materials, and on how structures in
these materials impact their macroscopic physical, electrical, and thermal
properties. Three lectures. L. Loo
MSE 302 Laboratory Techniques in Materials Science and Engineering — Fall ST
Laboratory techniques and structure property relationships
in materials. The course includes lectures on the theory of electron
microscopy, electron diffraction, electrical and mechanical properties, and the
cell/surface interactions. Corresponding laboratory sessions introduce students
to techniques for characterization of structure and properties at different
length scales as well as provide an opportunity to study the relationships
between structure, properties, and function. Aspects of performance and their
economics will be featured. Prerequisite: 301 or equivalent. Two 90-minute
lectures, one laboratory. C. Arnold