The UCSD Materials Science and Engineering Program offers the M.S. degree in Materials Science under both the Thesis Plan I and the Comprehensive Examination Plan II; see Graduate Studies: Master's Degree in the General UCSD Catalog for details. The requirements for the M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering are as follows:
- All students must successfully complete a total of 36 units.
- All students must complete four Mandatory Core Courses and at least two of the six Elective Courses:
Mandatory Core Courses: MS 201A, MS201B, MS 201C, MS 227
Elective Core Courses: (required to select at least two to fulfill requirements) MS 205A, MS 251A, MS 251B, MS 252, MS 253, PHYS 152A
(Physics 211A can replace 152A with adviser's Permission.)
See "Courses" for description. - Students may include up to 12 units of undergraduate courses. These units include the one undergraduate core course, Physics 152.
- Enroll in MS 200, as required; see course descriptions for requirements.
- Remaining courses to complete the 36 unit requirement for the M.S. degree may be selected from an approved list of graduate courses with the consent of a faculty advisor.
- Students must either successfully complete a thesis (Plan I) or pass the Comprehensive Examination (Plan II).
- Students must meet all other requirements established by the University.
Students who transfer with some graduate credit or an M.S. from another institution will have their records reviewed by a faculty advisor, and an appropriate individual course of study may be approved.
Comprehensive Examination
The examination will consist of twelve questions, two from each of the
six core courses. A passing grade is 60% for the Master's degree, and
70% for the Ph.D. The examination will not exceed six hours in duration.
The examination is usually administered the second week in January, and
a week to two weeks after spring quarter finals in June. Typically, students take
the exam after one year of full-time enrollment. This exam may only be
retaken once before the end of the second year of study.