Materials Science and Engineering

The courses are taught live in Charlottesville in the late afternoon or early evening to graduate students at UVA and televised simultaneously via video conferencing to special sites in Virginia as well as out of state. Two-way video and audio communication is maintained during the lectures so that the students have direct interaction with the classroom. The lectures are video recorded and each site is provided with equipment so that any student who must miss a regularly scheduled class due to job commitments can view the lecture later.

Applicants for the MMSE Degree program must have a Bachelor's Degree in engineering or related fields from a recognized college or university. Each applicant is required to submit a copy of GRE test scores, official transcripts and three references. The application process is on-going, but applications must be completed by the end of the first semester of study. For more information on the admission requirements and procedures click here.

• The requirement for the MMSE degree is the successful completion of 30 semester hours of graduate-level coursework (10 courses). It may be accomplished in 3-5 years or less by taking one or more courses per semester. No thesis is required.
• The degree must be completed within 7 years. An extension can be granted upon submission of a petition to the Graduate Studies Committee.
• Up to 15 hours of transfer credit is accepted from other institutions participating in the TV program. A transfer form should be submitted for each course taken at other participating universities.
• Up to 6 credits of electives may be earned in faculty-supervised independent study or advanced topics courses.
• The majority of courses (at least 6) should be MSE courses.
• A minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 must be maintained. For more information on the degree requirements click here.

A faculty advisor is available to provide assistance in the selection of courses which will constitute an approved plan of study. A plan of study should be submitted by mid-term of the second semester and has to be approved by the faculty advisor. The plan can be altered later if program changes are made.

A program of studies leading to the MMSE degree must include four "core" courses:

1. Thermodynamics of Materials (MSE 623)
2. Materials Structure and Defects (MSE 601)
3. Kinetics of Solid State Reactions (MSE 624)
4. One out of four Properties/Characterization Courses
• Chemical and Electrochemical Properties of Solid Materials (MSE 608)
• Deformation and Fracture of Materials during Processing and Service (MSE 532)
• Materials Characterization (MSE 602)
• Electrical, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials (MSE 567)

• Structure and Properties of Materials I (MSE 605)
• Structure and Properties of Materials II (MSE 606)

The core courses (except for MSE 602) and MSE 605/606 courses are repeated every three years.

The following courses are offered on an irregular basis, once per 5-6 years.

• Materials Characterization (MSE 602)
• Fatigue and Fracture of Engineering Materials (MSE 732)
• Surface Science (MSE 722)
• Phase Transformations (MSE 734)
• Physical Metallurgy of Transition-Element Alloys (MSE 647)
• Mechanical Behavior of Materials (MSE 731)
• Biomaterials (MSE 512)
• Modeling in Materials Science (MSE 524)
• Advanced Electrochemistry (MSE 771)

Five-Year Schedule of Courses

Commonwealth Graduate Engineering Program