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Exploring grad school?
An advanced degree from our program can be very rewarding, both for your career and personally. The challenges you'll meet and the mentoring you'll receive will prepare you to take your place at the cutting edge of technology.
Highlights to consider:
- Over 90% of our graduate students receive full payment of tuition and research costs
- Monthly stipend provided year-round for the duration of the degree
- 80% of health insurance premiums provided for all Graduate Research Associates
- Highly-ranked program with internationally-respected faculty
- Close ties to industry (nearly 100% job placement within six months of graduation)
- Starting salaries for our MS and Ph.D. graduates are often in excess of $60,000 and $70,000, respectively!
- Department research budget of over $10 million annually
- Access to extensive world-class research facilities, both in-house and university wide
Applying to the MSE graduate program.
Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University
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The best of both worlds! Our tight-knit department lends a small-school feel with all the advantages that a large research university can offer. A diverse student body brings together people from many cultural and academic backgrounds providing an innovative environment. Over $10 million per year in research funding is added to this mix to explore the field of materials science.
The MSE department at Ohio State offers courses and conducts a wide range of theoretical, computational, and experimental studies in the fields of metallurgy, ceramics, composites, and electronic materials. These include:
- Nanotechnology;
- Modeling and computational materials science;
- Biomaterials;
- Fuel cell development;
- Sensors and membranes;
- Mechanical, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties of materials;
- Corrosion, oxidation, tribology, and other environmental effects;
- Characterization by X-ray, electron-optical, and other advanced techniques;
- Solidification / casting materials science;
- Chemical, mechanical, and thermal processing of materials such as forming, powder processing, micromachining, and thin film processing.
The Field of Materials Science and Engineering
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At the foundation of engineering is the "stuff" that's engineered; what is the best "material" to create a needed product or best address a pressing problem?
The discipline of materials science and engineering explores the relationships between the structure of a material--from atomic bonding to macroscopic composition--and its properties--such as strength, conductivity, ductility, corrosion resistance, etc. Based upon these structure/property relationships, new materials are designed and processed to demanding performance needs.
Examples include biomaterials to repair the body, fuel cells for clean renewable power, nano-technology & exotic composites for high-tech applications, and advanced alloys for the automotive and aerospace industries. Due to this near-universal significance, materials engineers readily find high-paying jobs upon graduation.
More about "What is materials science and engineering?"
A background other than MSE?
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Students with training outside MSE are uniquely qualified to bring their knowledge to the study of materials science. MSE draws upon many areas in both the scientific and engineering realms.
Physics, chemistry, mathematics, and computer science each play a part in explaining the origin of unique properties found in a substance. The engineering knowledge and experience of ceramists, metallurgists, electrical, mechanical, and chemical engineers are brought to bear in the application of these properties for a required use. A number of our students--and faculty--have come from fields outside of MSE and have gone on to make significant contributions in materials science.
It's this combination of scientific exploration and practical, hands-on engineering that makes this field so fascinating for our students.
Faculty members and their research interests
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Finding the right match with a faculty mentor is critical for your success as a graduate student. Internationally known and accomplished, our faculty are among the best in the world--just what you need to excel as a professional in the field.
Go to a listing of our faculty
Includes fields of interest and contact information.
[Polymers Science. The MSE department has a number of faculty members with joint appointments in the Departments of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering and Biomedical Engineering. These faculty conduct polymers research as it relates to biomaterials, membranes, etc.; i.e., polymers as used in materials applications. Polymers in the more traditional sense are primarily studied in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering. You may contact Chemical Engineering at "che@osu.edu" or visit the CBE web site.]
Application
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Application documents...
To apply to the MSE graduate program, a number of supporting documents are required.
Link to a complete list of application requirements. Included on this site are the addresses to which these documents are to be sent, as well as contact information should you have any questions.
Early application is encouraged. We admit most new students for the Autumn Quarter (September) due to course sequences and research project-funding patterns. Very few students are admitted for other quarters.
Application deadlines...
Applications are accepted on an on-going basis throughout the year. Domestic applicants should submit all necessary documents no later than one month before the start of the quarter of application; international applicants should submit all documents at least three months prior to the quarter of interest. Please note, however, that we begin making admission decisions for Autumn Quarter in February and continue to accept students until we have filled our anticipated openings.
- Winter Quarter begins in January
- Spring Quarter begins in March
- Summer Quarter begins in June
- Autumn Quarter begins in September
Fellowship consideration deadlines. One form of aid for which all of our applicants are considered is the highly competitive University Fellowship competition. Deadlines for submission of all necessary requirements are as follows:
- International applicants: November 30, 2007
- Domestic applicants: January 15, 2008
Financial Aid, the Graduate Research Associateship (GRA)
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Graduate Research Associateships (GRA's) are the primary form of financial aid offered by the MSE department. These are paid positions which carry with them significant benefits:
- Full payment of all tuition costs,
- Full payment of research and lab expenses,
- Monthly stipend of at least $1,600 per month,
- Payment of 80% of the student's health insurance premiums,
- Some research projects may also provide travel expenses for conferences and off-site research.
The student's stipend is paid throughout the year; there are no periods such as breaks between quarters in which a GRA will not receive a paycheck. All applicants are considered for GRA funding; no additional application materials are required for GRA consideration. If an applicant is offered admission to our program and is provided a GRA position, s/he will work on one of the projects available in the MSE department upon arrival at OSU.
In return for this stipend and tuition waiver, the student will assist his/her advisor with research work for the funding project. This commitment amounts to approximately 20 hours per week, though this may vary. The vast majority of students in our department are funded in this manner. The total value of a GRA position (tuition payment, lab fees, and stipend) can exceed $45,000 US per year.
Go to more on financial support for MSE students.
Thank you for your interest in our program!
We would be glad to answer any questions you might have regarding the admissions process. Please feel free to contact Mr. Mark Cooper, Graduate Studies Coordinator, at your convenience:
E-mail: mse@osu.edu
Phone: 614-292-7280
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