Materials Science and Engineering

Vision

  • Be the focal point on campus for materials research by providing quality education to our students
  • Be recognized as a leading inter-disciplinary Materials Science and Engineering program in the country

Mission

The Materials Science and Engineering program at LSU College of Engineering is dedicated to continuing its three-fold mission of:

  • Producing graduates who pioneer the needs of industry, government and academia.
  • Advancing the state of knowledge and technology through innovative fundamental and applied research.
  • Serving the community and the profession through programs of education, technology transfer, and consulting.

Goals

To be a leading Materials Science and Engineering program in research and teaching by:

  • Producing graduates with the attributes to use and develop basic principles for the synthesis, analysis and application of materials systems.
  • Producing graduate and postgraduate that can lead and can take challenges in their field.
  • Enhancing opportunities and resources for the faculty to continue producing quality and innovative research.

Description

A Concentration in Material Science and Engineering may be pursued at either the MS or PhD level within the Engineering Science Programs. This concentration is intended to offer students interested in material behavior and technologies an engineering-oriented Masters degree with an inter-disciplinary flexibility reflecting the multi-faceted nature of material science. The concentration draws together cross-disciplinary courses and research in the following areas:

  • Biological Engineering
  • Chemistry
  • Chemical Engineering
  • Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Industrial Engineering
  • Mechanical Engineering
  • Petroleum Engineering
  • Physics

Possible research areas in Materials Science and Engineering are:

  • Material Processing, Characterization, and Functional Properties
  • Biomedical Materials
  • Computational Simulation and Visualization of Material Behavior

Course Requirements

Ph.D. 54 credit hours (with a BS degree)

The Material Science and Engineering concentration requirements for PhD students are as follows:

Two required courses:

  • 3 credit hours in a basic course related to thermodynamics (e.g. ME 7753)
  • 3 credit hours in a basic course on defects, diffusion and phases transformations (e.g. ME 7743)

Additional courses:

  • 12 credit hours in Core Courses
  • 9 credit hours in Properties and Characterization Courses
  • 9 credit hours in Modeling and Simulation / Synthesis and Processing Courses
  • 18 credit hours Other Technical Elective Courses

Courses should be from at least three different departments with a minimum of 6 hours from each department.

Courses should be from two colleges with a minimum of 6 hours from each college.

Candidates with an MS degree in Materials Science and Engineering or equivalent can transfer up to 24 credit hour courses into their Ph. D. program with their doctoral committee approval.

The student’s dissertation must relate to materials science and engineering.

MS 24 credit hours – thesis option (with a BS degree)

The Material Science and Engineering concentration requirements for MS students are as follows:

Two required courses:

  • 3 credit hours in a basic course related to thermodynamics (e.g. ME 7753)
  • 3 credit hours in a basic course on defects, diffusion and phases transformations (e.g. ME 7743)

Additional courses:

  • 6 credit hours in Core Courses
  • 6 credit hours in Properties and Characterization Courses
  • 6 credit hours in Modeling and Simulation / Synthesis and Processing Courses

Courses should be from at least three different departments with a minimum of 3 hours from each department.

Courses should be from two colleges with a minimum of 3 hours from each college.

The student’s thesis must relate to materials science and engineering.

Admission Requirements

Applicants to the Material Science and Engineering concentration must meet the following criteria:

  • Hold a baccalaureate in any field of engineering or related sciences (e.g., computer science, mathematics, physics, etc)
  • Have at least 1 year of engineering level mathematics
  • Have at least 1 year of Engineering level physics

Eligible Courses in Material Science and Engineering

Modeling and Simulation

PHYS 7241, 7242 Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 7363, 7364 Condensed Matter Physics
ME 4743 Kinetics in Materials Processes
ME 7733 Flow and Fracture in Solids
CE 7480 Plasticity and Viscoelasticity : Theory and Applications
CE 4450 Finite Element Methods
CE 7455 Finite Element Method in Engineering
CE 7305 Numerical Methods in Geotechnical Engineering
CSC 4362 Advanced Numerical Methods
CSC 4890 Introduction to Theory of Computation
CSC 7001 Computing principles I
CSC 7002 Computing Principles II
CSC 7101 Programming Languages Structures
CSC 7300 Algorithm Design and Analysis

Core Courses

PHYS 7241, 7242 Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 7231, 7232 Classical Electrodynamics
PHYS 4132 Electromagnetism and Electromagnetic Waves
PHYS 4261 Introduction to Solid - State Physics
PHYS 7360 Low Temperature Physics
PHYS 4125 Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics
PHYS 4261 Introduction to Solid State Physics
PHYS 7225 Statistical Mechanics
PHYS 4141, 4142 Intro to Quantum Mechanics
PHYS 7343 Advanced Quantum Mechanics
CHE 7140 Chemical Reactor Design Methods
ME 7753 Thermodynamics of Solids
ME 7743 Defects, Diffusion and Phase Transformations in Materials
EE 7230 Physics of Device Electronics
CE 4440 Advanced Mechanics of Materials
CE 7475 Solids Mechanics
CE 7450 Energy Principles in Engineering Mechanics Processing and Manufacturing

Synthesis and Processing

CHE 4275 Electrochemical Engineering
CHE 4420 Advanced Polymer Design
CHE 7582 Polymerization and Polycondensation Processes
ME 4743 Kinetics in Materials Processes
ME 4783 Composite Materials: Manufacturing, Properties & Design
EE 7244 Advanced Lithography
CE 7335 Soil Improvement and Stabilization Behavior and Characterization

Properties and Characterization

CHEM 7251 Elemental Analysis
CHEM 7750 Special topics of Analytical Chemistry (Electrochemistry)
CHEM 7770 Special topics in Inorganic ( Solid State and Materials Chemistry)
ME 4723 Advanced Materials Analysis
ME 7723 Materials Characterization Using Electron Beam Methods
EE 4260 Semiconductor Measurements and Characterization
CE 7485 Mechanics of Composite Materials
CE 7315 Principles of Soil Behavior
CE 7345 In-Situ Soil Testing and Evaluation
CE 7655 Pavement Materials Characterization
CE 7490 Damage Mechanics in Metals and Metal Matrix
CE 7480 Plasticity and Viscoelasticity : Theory and Applications
CE 7300 Advanced Geotechnical Engineering I : Stress Distribution, Seepage, Compressibility
CE 7340 Theory and Practice of Geotechnical Laboratory Experiments Specific Materials

Specific Materials

Polymers

CHEM 4010 Macromolecular Systems I
CHEM 4011 Macromolecular Systems II
CHEM 7261/CHE 7582 Polymerization and Polycondensation Processes
CHE 4285 Principles of High Polymers
CHE 4420 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering Science
CHE 4285 Principles of High Polymers
CHE 4410 Special Topics in Chemical Engineering Design
CHEM 7780 Special topics in Macromolecular Chemistry

Catalytic

CHEM 4571 Organometallic Chemistry
CHEM 4210
CHEM 7542

Microelectronic

EE 7240 Integrated Circuit Engineering
EE 7246 Integrated Sensors and Actuators
EE 7260 Semiconductor Materials
EE 7270 Magnetic Materials and Devices
EE 7210 Semiconductor materials for electronic devices
EE 4232 Solid State Devices II

Metals

ME 4763 Fundamentals of Corrosion
ME 7763 Advanced Corrosion Science and Engineering

Materials of Construction

CE 4410 Principles of Reinforced Concrete
CE 4420 Principles of Prestressed Concrete
CE 4425 Principles of Wood Mechanics and Timber Design
CE 4651 Concrete Materials and Mixtures
CE 7360 Soil Reinforcement
CE 7650 Bituminous Materials and Mixtures
CE 7345 In- Situ Testing and Evaluation

Materials Related Courses

(All courses in the other groups may be considered as materials related courses)

CHE 7700 Advanced Topics in Chemical Engineering (Materials)
CHEM 7272 Inorganic Chemistry of Transitional Elements
ME 4933 Introduction to Microsystems Design
ME 7953 Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering (Processing of Materials Surfaces)
ME 7953 Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering (Thin film Processes)
ME 7460
EE 4002 Special Topics in EE (when pertaining to materials)
CE 7470 Theory of Elastic Stability
CE 7460 Theory of Plates Occasionally taught courses under special topics
ME 4933 Introduction to Microsystems Design
ME 7953 Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering (Processing of Materials Surfaces)
ME 7953 Advanced Topics in Mechanical Engineering (Thin film Processes)

Contact Us

Please feel free to contact Dr. Dorel Moldovan with any questions concerning the Materials Science Concentration.

Email: dmoldo1@lsu.edu 
Phone: (225) 578-6488
Fax: (225) 578-5924