Degree Requirements Master
of Science Degree
The four options in the graduate program in materials science and engineering
have uniform overall requirements for the M.S. degree. The graduate program for
the M.S. degree must include a total of at least 30 credits. Subject to the approval
by the graduate program coordinator and the graduate school, a maximum of 10
credits of high-quality graduate work done at an accredited U.S. institution
may be applied toward the requirements for the master's degree.
A minimum of six research credits (MATSE 600) is required. The minimum number
of formal course credits (excluding seminar—MATSE 590), required is 18
for all students, and the type and level of these courses are specified by
the options and usually determined between the student and the advisor. All
candidates
for advanced degrees are also expected to attend the MATSE 590 colloquium.
The grade (pass/fail) is entirely based on attendance at colloquiums. A thesis
describing independent research performed by the student shall be written and
defended in an oral examination. Bound copies will be made available for the
University Library and the thesis advisor. A thesis committee shall administer
the final oral examination of the thesis. The committee shall consist of at
least three (3) graduate faculty. At least two (2) of these members must belong
to
the faculty from the student’s option.
M.S. Requirements (Summary)
Minimum total credits: 30
Minimum research credits: 6
Minimum formal course credits: 18
Minimum 500-level credits: 12
Minimum credits in the major: 12
Seminar: 2 credits/year
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Thesis requirement: A written thesis and an oral defense administered
by a committee of 3 faculty members with 2 from the option.
Doctoral Degree Requirements
The general requirements are based upon a period of residence,
the writing of a satisfactory thesis and its acceptance by
the doctoral committee and the Graduate School, the passing
of the comprehensive examination. A doctoral program consists
of a combination of courses, seminars and research that fulfills
the minimum requirements of the Graduate School and is approved
by the doctoral committee for each individual student.
A
master's degree is not a prerequisite for the doctorate.
However, the first year of graduate study leading to the
Ph.D. may be the same as that provided for the M.S. degree.
Acceptance into the Ph.D. program is based on the student's
performance on the Ph.D. candidacy exam, which is administered
by a graduate candidacy exam committee of the department.
Although there is no specified requirement by the graduate
school for the number of course credits for a Ph.D. degree,
THE DEPARTMENT REQUIRES A MINIMUM OF 18 CREDITS OF 500-LEVEL
COURSES for completing a doctoral degree. The specific
courses are determined by the student and the advisor in consultation
with the student’s doctoral committee. A student
with a M.S. degree from Penn State can use the 500-level
credits
earned during his or her M.S. study to fulfill the course
requirement. Upon approval by the doctoral committee and
the graduate program coordinator, a student with an M.S.
degree from another university may use a maximum of 10
credits from that school to partially fulfill the course
requirement.
Candidacy exam:
Successful completion of a candidacy examination is required
for formal admission into the MatSE Ph.D. program. The
exam is scheduled each Fall and Spring semester. It is
recommended that the exam be taken after at least 12 course
credits have been earned beyond the B.S. degree.
Students will write a research proposal (maximum of 10
pages of text, including references and figures) and give
a 20 minute oral presentation to three members of the Department
candidacy committee, whose members will ask questions about
the proposal and other topics related to the student’s
prior coursework. The student will choose one of three
topics for the proposal provided by the faculty committee.
These topics will be chosen to reflect the interest area(s)
of the individual candidate. Students will be given 3 weeks
to write the proposal and turn it in to the grad office
in electronic form. This proposal must be prepared and
written by the candidate alone.
The candidacy committee is a standing committee of 7 MatSE
faculty, including the chair. A sub-committee of three
faculty will evaluate each candidate. Members of the student’s
sub-committee will be selected on the basis of relevant
expertise and to avoid conflict of interest. If the exam
is not passed on the first try, it must be taken the next
time it is offered. If the student does not pass on the
second try, he/she will not be permitted to enter the MatSE
Ph.D. program.
Additional details:
a) To register for the Ph.D. candidacy exam, students will
provide the grad office with an electronic version of a
completed application form prior to the 1st day of classes
for that semester. The application will include the name
of the student’s adviser, areas of research interest,
classes taken to date (including ESL courses) + grades,
AEOCPT score for international students, and plans for
future coursework. The application can be obtained from
the MatSE website.
b) At least one member of each student’s sub-committee
must have expertise in the student’s general area(s)
of interest.
c) The candidacy sub-committees will meet and establish
3 possible paper topics for each student. These topics
will be communicated to the students by the 2nd week of
the semester. The student will have a maximum of 3 days
to inform the grad office of their choice of topic. The
paper is due 3 weeks from that date. Paper will be delivered
in electronic format to the grad office.
d) The paper should be in the form of a proposal. Students
will be directed to provide background to the area/problem,
a hypothesis for the proposed study, and evaluation/testing
of the hypothesis. It is important that the paper address
the problem in scientific/engineering depth. Guidelines
for evaluation of the papers will be provided to students
and faculty.
e) The oral presentation and questioning of the student’s
proposal will generally take place between the 6th and
7h weeks of the semester: all exams should be completed
by the 7th week of the semester. Questioning can range
from topics in the paper, presentation, and prior coursework.
The sub-committee should also assess progress on oral English
proficiency for international students. The grad office
will coordinate the timing and location of student presentations
to their sub-committees, which are to be held approximately
a week to 10 days after the paper is received in the grad
office.
f) Assessment of English competency will also take place
at the candidacy. If a sub-committee decides that a student
is in need of remediation of written English, they will
be required to take one of the following courses and receive
a grade of B or higher: For non-native English speakers:
ESL 116G; For native English speakers: ENGL 421 or ENGL
418.
g) The candidacy committee decides whether the student
has passed, failed, or passed provisionally, along with
any coursework recommendations
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Minimum formal course requirement (This
is not required by the university, but required by the
department):
18 credits of 500-level courses after B.S. (the list of courses to be taken
is determined by the advisor and a thesis committee made up of at least 2
from the option and at least 1 outside the department for a minimum of 4) |
Comprehensive exam:
Progress report and thesis proposal (5-10 pages) provided to the student’s
Doctoral committee. The committee consists of a minimum of four members,
at least one outside of the MatSE department, and at least two from within
the department. An oral presentation is given to the research committee,
followed by questions on the written and oral presentations. |
Seminar: 2 credits of MATSE
590 per year
Minimum GPA: 3.0
Thesis: A written thesis and an oral
defense administrated by the Doctoral committee |
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English Competency Requirements
Formal evaluation of English competency takes place at the
time of the Ph.D. candidacy examination to satisfy graduate
school requirements. Any student requiring remediation of
English after the formal evaluation will be reevaluated at
the next earliest candidacy exam date possible. The student
must demonstrate English competency before scheduling the
Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination. There are English courses
available to help students to improve their speaking and
writing skills. Initial evaluation of spoken English is done
through the Department of ESL.
Ph.D. Core Courses
No specific core courses are required for the Ph.D. degree.
Instead, students, in consultation with their advisors and
Ph.D. committee, shall select courses suited to their individual
interests and needs.
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