What is Materials Engineering?
For the 21st century, materials play a critical role in many areas of technology that impact society including the following: energy, communications, aerospace, defense, healthcare, electronics, transportation and recreation. Materials Engineers will play a critical role in developing solutions to technical problems to address these challenges. As a materials engineer, you’ll work closely with others to develop and design products that have superior performance based on scientific principles, manufacturability, as well as how it impacts the environment.
This tetrahedron symbolizes the links between the performance of a material and the science behind it (i.e., its properties, its structure and the synthesis or processing of the material). In simple terms, a materials engineer alters the three items at the base of the tetrahedron to get the desired performance out of the material. That desired performance may be "low environmental impact over the product life cycle."
Our graduates find employment in areas of research, product development, applications support and manufacturing. Some work for large established corporations and others find opportunities to participate in the entreprenuring world of startups. Some decide to pursue a graduate education and achieve an MS or Ph.D. degree while others transition into related fields as attorneys or physicians. Our broad-based curriculum equips students to think as system engineers and encourages them to become self-directed learners.