Materials Science and Engineering (Ph.D.)
Overview
The PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) involves the discovery-understanding-process-structure-property relationships of metals, ceramics, polymers, and their composites. The highly interdisciplinary area draws knowledge from physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, and engineering fields. The new knowledge, materials, and new physical phenomena in this field promotes solutions to solve real-world problems in a wide variety of fields including energy, medical, structural, biotechnology, information technology, electronics, manufacturing, and several others. PhD MSE graduates may find employment opportunities in academia, industry, and government. PhD MSE students will develop a broad background in theoretical and experimental material science engineering particularly in the area of processing-structure-properties of nanofibers.
Program Requirements for Students with a Bachelor's Degree
Students admitted with a bachelor's degree will complete a minimum of 75 hours to earn the PhD in MSE.
Required Core Courses - 17 hours
Prescribed Electives - 21 hours
Doctoral Research - 31 hours
Dissertation Courses - 6 hours
Program Requirements for Students with a Master's Degree Non-Thesis
Students admitted with a master's degree with no thesis will complete a minimum of 65 hours to earn the PhD in MSE.
Required Core Courses - 17 hours
Prescribed Electives - 15 hours
Doctoral Research - 27 hours
Dissertation - 6 hours
Program Requirements for Students with Master's Degree with Thesis
Students admitted with a master's degree with a thesis will complete a minimum of 54 hours to earn the PhD in MSE.
Required Core Courses - 17 hours
Prescribed Electives - 9 hours
Doctoral Research - 22 hours
Dissertation - 6 hours
Admission Requirements
To be admitted to the doctoral program, prospective candidates must first meet all requirements for graduate admission to UT Rio Grande Valley, as well as the other requirements listed below:
- Bachelor's or master's degrees in engineering from a U.S. accredited institution or an international institution recognized credentialing service.
- Students with a bachelor's or master's degrees in a non-engineering field may be considered; however, such students may be required to take leveling course work prior to beginning the program of study.
- Undergraduate GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) in the last 60 semester credit hours or an earned GPA of 3.00 or higher in an earned master’s degree.
- GRE test scores of 280 for the Verbal Reasoning and Quantitative Reasoning examinations. Students who have a GRE score older than 5 years will need to re-take the GRE. A waiver of the GRE requirement will be granted to applicants who show proof of completing an undergraduate degree in engineering with an undergraduate GPA above a 3.0 or master’s degree in engineering with graduate GPA of 3.25. GRE School Code: 6570.
- Students whose native language is not English or who studied at a University outside the U.S. must demonstrate English proficiency. For more information, visit the Additional Documents for Applicants Who Attend Foreign Universities and the International Admissions websites.
Application for admission must be submitted prior to the published deadline. The application is available at www.utrgv.edu/gradapply.
Progression Requirements
Students will be expected to maintain a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 in coursework. If the student's cumulative GPA drops below 3.0 after 12 or more semester hours of earned credit, or if academic progress becomes unsatisfactory, students will be subjected to probation. Students will be expected to conduct original research which will constitute their dissertation and they must defend their research in a public oral examination.
Dismissal from the Program
The program will monitor student progress and when appropriate will execute a probation period offering a semester or a year to recover their cumulative GPA score to 3.0 or higher. If such students do not succeed during the probation period, they will be dismissed from the PhD program. Individuals who have been dismissed may be permitted to re-enter the program later but must reapply for regular admission and show evidence of acceptable academic performance.
Graduation Requirements
PhD candidacy must be approved a semester before graduation. The dissertation must be defended before the 20th semester of their enrollment.
Part-Time Students
The program may accept part-time students; however, only full-time students are eligible for assistantships. Part-time students will also be required to graduate within a 10-yr consecutive period.
Program Leveling
Students with a bachelor's or master's degrees in a non-engineering field may be required to take the following courses.
Leveling Courses - 11 Hours
Program Requirements for Students Entering with a Bachelor's Degree - 75 Hours
Required Courses - 17 Hours
Materials Sciences and Engineering Seminar
Prescribed Electives – 21 Hours
Choose seven from the following:
MSEN 8399 may be taken for additional credit.
Comprehensive Examination
Students will be required to pass a comprehensive exam after the completion of 21 SCHs of required courses. The comprehensive exam will consist of one day of exams covering four subjects at the advanced undergraduate/first-year graduate-level followed by an oral presentation of a research proposal.
Dissertation Research – 31 Hours
Students must complete 31 total credit hours through a combination of 1, 3, 6 and 9 credit hour research courses as advised by their faculty advisor.
Dissertation – 6 Hours
Program Requirements for Students Entering with a Master's Degree without Thesis - 65 Hours
Required Courses – 17 Hours
Materials Sciences and Engineering Seminar
Prescribed Electives – 15 Hours
Choose five from the following:
MSEN 8399 may be taken for additional credit.
Comprehensive Examination
Students will be required to pass a comprehensive exam after the completion of 21 SCHs of required courses. The comprehensive exam will consist of one day of exams covering four subjects at the advanced undergraduate/first-year graduate-level followed by an oral presentation of a research proposal.
Doctoral Research – 27 Hours
Students must complete 27 total credit hours through a combination of 1, 3, 6 and 9 credit hour research courses as advised by their faculty advisor.
Dissertation – 6 Hours
Program Requirements for Students Entering with a Master's Degree with Thesis - 54 Hours
Required Courses – 17 Hours
Materials Sciences and Engineering Seminar
Prescribed Electives – 9 Hours
Choose three from the following:
MSEN 8399 may be taken for additional credit.
Comprehensive Examination
Students will be required to pass a comprehensive exam after the completion of 21 SCHs of required courses. The comprehensive exam will consist of one day of exams covering four subjects at the advanced undergraduate/first-year graduate-level followed by an oral presentation of a research proposal.
Doctoral Research – 22 Hours
Students must complete 22 total credit hours through a combination of 1, 3, 6 and 9 credit hour research courses as advised by their faculty advisor.
Dissertation – 6 Hours
Total Credit Hours: 54-75