PhD Program Requirements
Admission Requirements
Students applying to the MSE program must have an exceptional academic record, a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or Master of Science (M.S.) from an engineering or science degree program, and evidence of research experience. It is not necessary that students with the B.S. degree obtain an M.S. degree before pursuing the doctorate. Tuition waivers and stipends will be available on a competitive basis. Student applications will be reviewed by the graduate program committee for Materials Science and Engineering program.
Program Requirements
The program requirements include a minimum of sixty (60) semester hours of approved course work and research hours. As the Materials Science and Engineering program is inherently cross-disciplinary, there is considerable latitude given to the student, their academic advisor, and their dissertation committee in selecting a course of study combining both coursework and research hours. However, all courses must be approved by the student’s dissertation committee. The semester hours for the Ph.D. must meet the following criteria: six (6) hours of core competency courses selected from one of two tracks, a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of electives selected from the MSE elective listing beyond the six hours of core competency courses, a minimum of twelve (12) hours of MSE doctoral research MSE 6V99, and a minimum of four (4) hours of MSE 5101 (colloquium) two of which must be taken during the student’s first year at Baylor.
Materials Science and Engineering PhD
To satisfy the core competency requirements, students select a single track and complete at least two courses from one of the two sub-areas. Students must receive a B (GPA 3.0) or better for a course to satisfy the core competency requirement.
Structural and Multifunctional Materials Track
| Sub-Area | Pre-approved Courses |
|---|---|
| Solid Mechanics/Materials | PHY 5342, ME 5344, ME 5352, ME 5353, ME 5383, ME 5385 |
| Manufacturing | ME 5364, ME 5365 |
| Advanced Mathematics | ME/ELC/EGR 5302, ME 5351, PHY 5340 |
Quantum and Optical Materials Track
| Sub-Area | Pre-approved Courses |
|---|---|
| Quantum Materials | PHY 5370, CHE 5325 |
| Solid-State | PHY 5342, CHE 536X |
| Electromagnetism | PHY 5330, ELC 5336 |
| Spectroscopy and Microscopy | CHE 536X, CHE5345, BIO 5420, BIO 5421 |
At least fifteen hours of electives must be taken from the following list (descriptions found in Catalog).
| PHY 5320 Classical Mechanics I | CHE 536X |
| PHY 5321 Classical Mechanics II | CHE 5320 Thermodynamics and Statistical Thermodynamics |
| PHY 5330 Electromagnetic Theory I | CHE 5322 Chemical Kinetics and Mechanisms |
| PHY 5331 Electromagnetic Theory II | CHE 5323 Structural Studies by X-ray Crystallography |
| PHY 5340 Statistical Mechanics | CHE 5325 Quantum Chemistry |
| PHY 5342 Solid State Physics | CHE 5304 Special Topics in Inorganic Chemistry |
| PHY 5360 Mathematical Physics I | ELC 5302 Engineering Analysis |
| PHY 5361 Mathematical Physics II | ELC 5336 Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics |
| PHY 5370 Quantum Mechanics I | ELC 5337 Principles of Microwave Sensing and Measurement |
| PHY 5371 Quantum Mechanics II | ELC 5396 Special Topics in Engineering1 |
| ME 5302 Engineering Analysis | ME 5382 Mechanical Behavior of Polymers and Polymeric Composites |
| ME 5344 Viscoelasticity | ME 5383 Deformation and Fracture in Metals |
| ME 5351 Intermediate Numerical Methods | ME 5385 Failure Analysis: Theory and Practice |
| ME 5352 Theory of Elasticity | ME 5396 Special Topics in Engineering2 |
| ME 5353 Continuum Mechanics | BIO 5420 Transmission Electron Microscopy |
| ME 5364 Introduction to Additive Manufacturing | BIO 5421 Scanning Electron Microscopy |
| ME 5365 Properties and Processing of Electronic Materials |
1 ELC 5396 Special Topics in Engineering advanced courses including: Optoelectronics, Microfabrication, Solid-State Materials, Semiconductor Devices, Fundamentals of Lasers, Integrated Photonics, Computational Photonics, Computational Materials Science, Introduction to Quantum Mechanics for Engineers, Introduction to Quantum Computing
2 ME 5396 Special Topics in Engineering advanced courses including: Metal AM Process Selection, Composite Materials, Mechanical Behavior of Materials, Fracture Mechanics, Dynamic Behavior of Materials, Advanced Mech. Of Materials
Additional courses may be considered by the graduate program committee based upon the recommendation of the student’s dissertation committee.
Students must pass a preliminary exam within the first two years of their studies. The preliminary exam format will contain a formal proposal of research along with an oral presentation providing the committee an opportunity to ask questions about the scope and nature of the proposed research. Students who fail the exam are afforded the opportunity to petition the MSE program to retake the exam in the following semester.
The Dissertation Committee shall consist of at least five members of the Baylor graduate faculty, with at least three members from the active MSE faculty and at least one member from outside of the committee chair’s home department.
All students must complete a dissertation. The student's research topic must be in the cross-disciplinary area of Materials Science and Engineering. The dissertation must provide evidence that the candidate has pursued a program of scholarly competence and a significant contribution to the broader scientific knowledge.
The Materials Science and Engineering degree program does not have a foreign language requirement for the Ph.D. degree.
Program Timeline
Year 1: Balance of coursework and research and establish dissertation committee
Year 2: Preliminary exam and finishing up coursework
Year 3-5: Research, annual reviews, dissertation writing, and dissertation presentation