Beginning in Fall 2024, the MATS program has established new thrust areas that will benefit the preparation of our master’s students for careers in industry by focusing their expertise, and the preparation of our doctoral students for their research endeavors that can lead to their dissertation. These areas provide a wide horizon of study and are not meant to limit the future choice of a thesis or dissertation topic, nor are they inflexible. Apart from the core courses, the courses listed with each thrust area on the program’s website are suggestions. With approval from the student's faculty advisor, students are free to choose any graduate engineering or science course, even if they are not listed in the thrust area.
In addition to the new thrust areas, the MATS program is now offering MATS Academy I (MAE 298 in FA24 - covers topics relevant to student success and soft skills) and MATS Academy II (covers topics that are key to success in a doctoral program). MS students are required to complete MATS Academy I + 2 quarters of MATS 200 - Graduate Seminar, and PhD students are required to complete MATS Academy I & II + 4 quarters of MATS 200 - Graduate Seminar.
Thrust 1: BIOMATERIALS, SOFT ROBOTICS, AND BIOMEDICAL DEVICES
Soft matter, cell-material interaction, health monitoring and wearables, bioelectronics and soft robotics. Engineered living materials, drug delivery and dynamic biomaterials.
The human body is prone to malfunction, accident-related mechanical failure and disease. Biomaterials are synthetic polymers, metals or ceramics that correct, repair or supplement body functions. In this thrust area, students will learn how to design biomaterials that interact with tissue in a biocompatible way. A significant focus is on how to develop devices for health monitoring and to create a new generation of microarchitected and engineered living materials that take over body function, including robotic systems, to provide signals to surrounding cells and induce sensing and self-healing capabilities.
Thrust 1 Program Requirements Checklists: PhD, MS (Plan I), MS (Plan II) ← click
Core Courses
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All three courses must be completed (3 courses, 12 units) |
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NANO 265 / MAE 271A / MATS 201A |
Thermodynamics of Solids |
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MAE 271B / MATS 201B |
Solid State Diffusion and Reaction Kinetics |
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MAE 251 / NANO 227 / MATS 227 |
Structure and Analysis of Solids |
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Select 2 out of 3 courses |
|
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MAE 266 / MATS 252 |
Biomaterials and Medical Devices |
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NANO 281 |
Data Science in Materials Science |
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MATS 290 - Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |
Sustainable Materials Design and Processing |
Elective Courses
| (MS students: select 4 courses; PhD students: satisfy MS course requirements and select an additional 3 courses) | |
|
BENG 242 / MATS 257 / NANO 257 |
Polymer Science and Engineering |
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BENG 247A / ECE 247A / NANO 247A |
Advanced Biophotonics |
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BNFO 285 |
Statistical Learning in Bioinformatics |
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ECE 202 |
Biointerfaces |
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MAE 209 |
Continuum Mechanics Applied to Medicine / Biology |
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MAE 264 |
Mechanics and Thermodynamics of Biological Membranes |
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MAE 265A / MATS 251A |
Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials |
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MAE 276 / MATS 231 |
Mechanics of Soft Materials |
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NANO 244 |
Nanomachines and Nanorobots |
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NANO 252 / CENG 256 / MATS 255 |
Biomaterials and Biomimetics |
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NANO 272 |
Soft Electronics |
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NANO 247B |
BioElectronics |
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SE 251A / MATS 261A |
Processing of Polymers and Composites |
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SE 281 |
3D Printable Robotics |
Thrust 2: COMPUTATIONAL AND DATA DRIVEN DESIGN
Theoretical, computational and data-driven materials design. Accelerated and automated materials discovery.
Discovering and designing tomorrow’s materials is increasingly becoming a digital effort. State-of-the-art computational tools combined with artificial intelligence dramatically widen the accessible parameter space while minimizing trial-and-error experimentation. In this thrust area, students will gain hands-on expertise in computer models that span length scales from atomistic, molecular, microstructural to component level (“atoms-to-airplanes”), while at the same time combining data science with experimental validation to create entirely new structures, properties and functionalities.
Thrust 2 Program Requirements Checklists: PhD, MS (Plan I), MS (Plan II) ← click
Core Courses
|
All three courses must be completed (3 courses, 12 units) |
|
|
NANO 265 / MAE 271A / MATS 201A |
Thermodynamics of Solids |
|
MAE 265A / MATS 251A |
Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials |
|
MAE 251 / NANO 227 / MATS 227 |
Structure and Analysis of Solids |
|
Select 2 out of 3 courses |
|
|
MAE 271B / MATS 201B |
Solid State Diffusion and Reaction Kinetics |
|
NANO 281 |
Data Science in Materials Science |
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MATS 290 - Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |
Sustainable Materials Design and Processing |
Elective Courses
| (MS students: select 4 courses; PhD students: satisfy MS course requirements and select an additional 3 courses) | |
|
MAE 232A |
Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics I |
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MAE 232B |
Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics II |
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MAE 232C |
Finite Element Methods in Solid Mechanics III |
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MAE 260 |
Fundamentals and Applications of Computational Materials Science |
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MAE 272 / MATS 205A |
Imperfections in Solids |
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NANO 204 |
Nanoscale Physics and Modeling |
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NANO 210 |
Molecular Modeling and Simulations of Nanoscale Systems |
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NANO 212 |
Computational Modeling of Nanosystems |
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NANO 266 |
Quantum Mechanical Modeling of Materials and Nanostructures |
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PHYS 211A |
Solid State Physics I |
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SE 286 |
Design Optimization for Additive Manufacturing |
Thrust 3: EXTREME PROPERTIES and ENVIRONMENTS
Advanced structural and functional materials; sensor materials and devices. Materials for hypersonic aviation, sustainable aerospace concepts, disaster management.
Tomorrow’s technologies hinge on novel materials that can withstand extreme conditions experienced during nuclear fusion, space exploration, hypersonic travel or advanced defense systems. These environments require ultra-high strength, low-weight, radiation and impact resistant materials with unprecedented reliability and durability. In this thrust area, students will leverage modern concepts of (quantum and applied) mechanics, materials dynamics and scale-dependent behavior to design new architected and composite materials and stretch the limits of existing high-performance systems and devices.
Thrust 3 Program Requirements Checklists: PhD, MS (Plan I), MS (Plan II) ← click
Core Courses
|
All three courses must be completed (3 courses, 12 units) |
|
|
NANO 265 / MAE 271A / MATS 201A |
Thermodynamics of Solids |
|
MAE 271B / MATS 201B |
Solid State Diffusion and Reaction Kinetics |
|
MAE 251 / NANO 227 / MATS 227 |
Structure and Analysis of Solids |
|
Select 2 out of 3 courses |
|
|
MAE 265A / MATS 251A |
Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials |
|
NANO 281 |
Data Science in Materials Science |
|
MATS 290 - Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |
Sustainable Materials Design and Processing |
Elective Courses
| (MS students: select 4 courses; PhD students: satisfy MS course requirements and select an additional 3 courses) | |
|
MAE 233A |
Fracture Mechanics |
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MAE 271B / ECE 238B / MATS 201C |
Phase Transformations |
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MAE 273A / MATS 213A |
Dynamic Behavior of Materials |
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MAE 272 / MATS 205A |
Imperfections in Solids |
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MATS 236 |
Advanced Ceramics |
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SE 251A |
Processing of Polymers and Composites |
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SE 251B / MATS 261B |
Mechanical Behavior of Polymers and Composites |
|
SE 253A |
Mechanics and Design of Composite Structures |
|
SE 266 |
Smart and Multifunctional Materials |
|
SE 281 |
3D Printable Robotics |
Thrust 4: QUANTUM, ELECTRONIC and PHOTONIC MATERIALS
Electronic, magnetic, phononic, and photonic materials; atomic-to-bulk scale synthesis, fabrication; imaging, characterization, spectroscopy, microscopy; microelectronic processing and integration; quantum information and sensing, and non-conventional computing.
Today’s digital world depends on advanced semiconductor and quantum devices to enable communication, data storage and decision making. In this thrust area, students will explore new processing techniques crucial for tailoring materials with atomic precision and CMOS devices with ever shrinking dimensions. Future designs must rely on simulating, understanding and exploiting advanced quantum effects, giving birth to new microarchitected metamaterials, advanced electronic devices, and efficient photonic devices.
Thrust 4 Program Requirements Checklists: PhD, MS (Plan I), MS (Plan II) ← click
Core Courses
|
All three courses must be completed (3 courses, 12 units) |
|
|
NANO 265 / MAE 271A / MATS 201A |
Thermodynamics of Solids |
|
MAE 265A / MATS 251A |
Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials |
|
MAE 251 / NANO 227 / MATS 227 |
Structure and Analysis of Solids |
|
Select 2 out of 3 courses |
|
|
MAE 271B / MATS 201B |
Solid State Diffusion and Reaction Kinetics |
|
NANO 281 |
Data Science in Materials Science |
|
MATS 290 - Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |
Sustainable Materials Design and Processing |
Elective Courses
| (MS students: select 4 courses; PhD students: satisfy MS course requirements and select an additional 3 courses) | |
|
CHEM 224 |
Spectroscopic Techniques |
|
CHEM 228 |
Solid State Chemistry |
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CHEM 236 |
Chemical Dynamics on Surfaces |
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ECE 236A |
Fundamentals of Heterostructure Materials and Devices |
|
MAE 267 / MATS 253 |
Nanomaterials and Properties |
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MAE 272 / MATS 205A |
Imperfections in Solids |
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ECE 221 / MATS 251B |
Magnetic Materials: Principles and Applications |
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NANO 245 |
Nanoelectronics |
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NANO 271 |
Nanophotonics |
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NANO 275 |
Two-Dimensional Materials: Properties, Applications, and Practice |
|
SE 266 |
Smart and Multifunctional Materials |
Thrust 5: SUSTAINABILITY and ENERGY
Materials designs inspired from nature; CO2 - neutral synthesis and processing; energy materials, eco-friendly and circular materials processing concepts.
The planet’s resources are finite. Paving the path to a waste-free “circular economy” with minimal environmental impact is an urgent ecological, economic and ethical responsibility for humankind. Science can guide decisions that eliminate adverse eco-impact by selecting low- emission materials and processes and by making materials biodegradable or fully recyclable. In this thrust area, students will explore novel solutions for solar cells, batteries, and fuel cells, and optimize the life cycle of energy materials and devices.
Thrust 5 Program Requirements Checklists: PhD, MS (Plan I), MS (Plan II) ← click
Core Courses
|
All three courses must be completed (3 courses, 12 units) |
|
|
NANO 265 / MAE 271A / MATS 201A |
Thermodynamics of Solids |
|
MAE 271B / MATS 201B |
Solid State Diffusion and Reaction Kinetics |
|
MAE 251 / NANO 227 / MATS 227 |
Structure and Analysis of Solids |
|
Select 2 out of 3 courses |
|
|
MAE 265A / MATS 251A |
Electronic and Photonic Properties of Materials |
|
NANO 281 |
Data Science in Materials Science |
|
MATS 290 - Topics in Materials Science and Engineering |
Sustainable Materials Design and Processing |
Elective Courses
|
(MS students: select 4 courses; PhD students: satisfy MS course requirements and select an additional 3 courses) |
|
|
CHEM 228 |
Solid State Chemistry |
|
CHEM 241 |
Organic Nanomaterials |
|
MAE 254 / MATS 256 |
Energy Materials and Applications |
|
MAE 271B / ECE 238B / MATS 201C |
Phase Transformations |
|
MAE 272 / MATS 205A |
Imperfections in Solids |
|
MATS 254 |
Frontier Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) Materials and Devices |
|
NANO 255 |
Electrochemistry |
|
NANO 261 |
Nanoscale Energy Technology |
|
NANO 269 |
Engineering Solar Cells at the Nanoscale |
|
NANO 279 |
Advanced Electrochemical Energy Engineering |
|
SIOG 225 |
Physics of Earth Materials |