Degree: Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE)
Major: Materials Science and Engineering
Program Overview
The curriculum leading to the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree with a major in Materials Science and Engineering includes the “Engineering Core” – basic courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry, and engineering along with breadth electives – and the CWRU General Education requirements. To these are added courses in engineering materials, which also allow students to choose one of several areas of concentration within the major. A total of 129 credit hours (units) is required.
Throughout the undergraduate curriculum in Materials Science and Engineering, scientific fundamentals are integrated with coverage of current manufacturing, design, and applications of engineering materials.
The goal of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is to prepare students for rewarding careers that provide creative, effective solutions to societal needs, through coursework and associated activities that emphasize:
- The interrelationships among the processing, structure, properties, and performance of engineering materials
- The mutual reinforcement of education and professional development throughout one’s career
The undergraduate experience in Materials Science and Engineering at Case Western Reserve is marked by a high degree of hands-on experience and many opportunities for professional development before graduation. Lab courses, senior projects, and plant tours ensure that every student sees the field first-hand in current research and industrial settings.
The Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program with a major in Materials Science and Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org/.
Program Educational Objectives
- Graduates will take an active part in professional organizations.
- Graduates will assume leadership positions in materials science related industries.
- Graduates will be effectively involved in solving technical problems.
- Graduates may successfully enter and complete graduate and professional degree programs.
Learning Outcomes
As preparation for achieving the above educational objectives, the Bachelor of Science in Engineering degree program with a major in Materials Science and Engineering is designed so that students attain:
- an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
- 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
- an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
- 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
- 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
- an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
- an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
Co-op and Internship Programs
Opportunities are available for students to alternate studies with work in industry or government as a co-op student, which involves paid full-time employment over seven months (one semester and one summer). Students may work in one or two co-ops, beginning in the third year of study. Co-ops provide students the opportunity to gain valuable hands-on experience in their field by completing a significant engineering project while receiving professional mentoring. During a co-op placement, students do not pay tuition but maintain their full-time student status while earning a salary. Learn more at engineering.case.edu/coop. Alternatively or additionally, students may obtain employment as summer interns.
Undergraduate Policies
For undergraduate policies and procedures, please review the Office of Undergraduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
Accelerated Master's Programs
Undergraduate students may participate in accelerated programs toward graduate or professional degrees. For more information and details of the policies and procedures related to accelerated studies, please visit the Office of Undergraduate Studies section of the General Bulletin.
Program Requirements
Students seeking to complete this major and degree program must meet the general requirements for bachelor's degrees and the general requirements of the Case School of Engineering. Students completing this program as a secondary major while completing another undergraduate degree program do not need to satisfy the latter set of requirements.
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
EMSE 110 | Transitioning Ideas to Reality I - Materials in Service of Industry and Society | 1 |
EMSE 120 | Transitioning Ideas to Reality II - Manufacturing Laboratory | 2 |
EMSE 220 | Materials Laboratory I | 2 |
EMSE 228 | Mathematical and Computational Methods for Materials Science and Engineering | 3 |
EMSE 276 | Materials Properties and Design | 3 |
EMSE 319 | Processing and Manufacturing of Materials | 3 |
EMSE 320 | Materials Laboratory II | 1 |
EMSE 327 | Thermodynamic Stability and Rate Processes | 3 |
EMSE 328 | Mesoscale Structural Control of Functional Materials | 3 |
EMSE 330 | Materials Laboratory III | 2 |
EMSE 343 | Processing of Electronic Materials | 3 |
EMSE 345 | Engineered Materials for Biomedical Applications | 3 |
EMSE 349 | Role of Materials in Energy and Sustainability | 3 |
EMSE 372 | Structural Materials by Design | 4 |
EMSE 379 | Design for Lifetime Performance | 3 |
EMSE 398 | Senior Project in Materials I | 1 |
EMSE 399 | Senior Project in Materials II | 2 |
| |
EMAC 270 | Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering | 3 |
EMAC 276 | Polymer Properties and Design | 3 |
| 12 |
| |
Total Hours | 60 |
Concentration Requirements
The undergraduate program includes courses that expose students to greater depth in areas related to materials science and engineering. These concentration sequences are of two types:
- Students may select an area of concentration that is based on an application or subfield of engineering materials. Each concentration will be a coherent set of courses that, in conjunction with one or more of the courses already required for all EMSE majors plus a specified mathematics/natural science/statistics course, will provide significant depth in an area of materials specialization.
- Students also have the option of designing a concentration — Advanced Materials Science and Engineering — in consultation with their advisors and subject to approval by the department’s Undergraduate Studies Committee.
The concentrations are below. All concentrations equal 12 units (four courses).
Biomaterials
Electronic Materials
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
PHYS 221 | Introduction to Modern Physics * | 3 |
| |
| |
PHYS 315 | Introduction to Solid State Physics | 3 |
PHYS 326 | Physical Optics | 3 |
PHYS 327 | Laser Physics | 3 |
PHYS 331 | Introduction to Quantum Mechanics I | 3 |
| |
CHEM 340 | Solar Energy Conversion | 3 |
ECHE 383 | Chemical Engineering Applied to Microfabrication and Devices | 3 |
ECSE 309 | Electromagnetic Fields I | 3 |
ECSE 321 | Semiconductor Electronic Devices | 4 |
ECSE 322 | Integrated Circuits and Electronic Devices | 3 |
EMSE 427 | Defects in Solids | 3 |
EMSE 463 | | 3 |
Materials Data Science
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
STAT 312R | Basic Statistics for Engineering and Science Using R Programming | 3 |
DSCI 351M | Exploratory Data Science | 3 |
| |
DSCI 352M | Applied Data Science Research | 3 |
DSCI 353M | Data Science: Statistical Learning, Modeling and Prediction | 3 |
MATH 307 | Linear Algebra | 3 |
MATH 304 | Discrete Mathematics | 3 |
ECSE 321 | Semiconductor Electronic Devices | 4 |
ECSE 322 | Integrated Circuits and Electronic Devices | 3 |
Polymers
Course List Code | Title | Hours |
CHEM 223 | Introductory Organic Chemistry I * | 3 |
or CHEM 323 | Organic Chemistry I |
| |
EMAC 351 | Physical Chemistry for Engineering | 3 |
EMAC 355 | Polymer Analysis Laboratory | 3 |
EMAC 372 | Polymer Processing and Testing Laboratory | 3 |
EMAC 375 | Fundamentals of Non-Newtonian Fluid Mechanics and Polymer Rheology | 3 |
EMAC 376 | Polymer Engineering | 3 |
EMAC 377 | Polymer Processing | 3 |
| |
EMAC 270 | Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering | 3 |
Structural Materials and Mechanical Behavior
Advanced Materials Science and Engineering
Students may satisfy the concentration requirement by taking 9 credit hours (units) of courses from engineering, math, statistics, or natural sciences departments (beyond those specifically required in the curriculum) at the 300 level or above, plus a course to satisfy the Mathematics/Natural Sciences/Statistics requirement in the Engineering Core. The courses are to be selected in consultation with the student’s advisor and will be subject to approval by the department’s Undergraduate Studies Committee. This option is appropriate for students who desire further study in topics relevant to materials science and engineering that are not represented in the specializations listed above.
Sample Plan of Study
The following is a suggested program of study. Current students should always consult their advisers and their individual graduation requirement plans as tracked in SIS.
Plan of Study Grid First Year |
Fall |
* | 4 |
* | |
EMSE 110 | Transitioning Ideas to Reality I - Materials in Service of Industry and Society | 1 |
MATH 121 | Calculus for Science and Engineering I ** | 4 |
CHEM 111 | Principles of Chemistry for Engineers ** | 4 |
ENGR 131
| Elementary Computer Programming
or Programming in Java | 3 |
| Hours | 16 |
Spring |
* | 3 |
* | |
MATH 122 | Calculus for Science and Engineering II ** | 4 |
ENGR 145 | Chemistry of Materials ** | 4 |
PHYS 121
| General Physics I - Mechanics **
or Physics and Frontiers I - Mechanics | 4 |
EMSE 120 | Transitioning Ideas to Reality II - Manufacturing Laboratory b | 2 |
| Hours | 17 |
Second Year |
Fall |
* | 3 |
MATH 223
| Calculus for Science and Engineering III **
or Calculus III | 3 |
PHYS 122
| General Physics II - Electricity and Magnetism **
or Physics and Frontiers II - Electricity and Magnetism | 4 |
EMSE 276 | Materials Properties and Design | 3 |
EMAC 270 | Introduction to Polymer Science and Engineering | 3 |
| Hours | 16 |
Spring |
ENGL 398 | Professional Communication for Engineers ** | 2 |
ENGR 398 | Professional Communication for Engineers ** | 1 |
** | 3 |
MATH 224
| Elementary Differential Equations **
or Differential Equations | 3 |
ENGR 200 | Statics and Strength of Materials ** | 3 |
EMSE 220 | Materials Laboratory I | 2 |
EMSE 228 | Mathematical and Computational Methods for Materials Science and Engineering | 3 |
| Hours | 17 |
Third Year |
Fall |
ENGR 225 | Thermodynamics, Fluid Dynamics, Heat and Mass Transfer ** | 4 |
EMSE 320 | Materials Laboratory II | 1 |
EMSE 328 | Mesoscale Structural Control of Functional Materials | 3 |
EMSE 372 | Structural Materials by Design | 4 |
a | 3 |
| Hours | 15 |
Spring |
** | 3 |
ENGR 210 | Introduction to Circuits and Instrumentation ** | 4 |
EMAC 276 | Polymer Properties and Design | 3 |
EMSE 327 | Thermodynamic Stability and Rate Processes | 3 |
EMSE 330 | Materials Laboratory III | 2 |
a | 3 |
| Hours | 18 |
Fourth Year |
Fall |
EMSE 398 | Senior Project in Materials I c | 1 |
** | 3 |
EMSE 343 | Processing of Electronic Materials | 3 |
EMSE 345 | Engineered Materials for Biomedical Applications | 3 |
EMSE 349 | Role of Materials in Energy and Sustainability | 3 |
a | 3 |
| Hours | 16 |
Spring |
EMSE 399 | Senior Project in Materials II c | 2 |
** | 3 |
EMSE 319 | Processing and Manufacturing of Materials | 3 |
EMSE 379 | Design for Lifetime Performance | 3 |
a | 3 |
| Hours | 14 |
| Total Hours | 129 |