Department of Materials Science and Engineering

The M.S. program in MS&E allows students to work with faculty advisors and tailor their studies to personal interests and undergraduate backgrounds. Common areas of study for M.S. students include MS&E’s four strategic areas (Nanotechnology, Biotechnology and Life Sciences, Information and Telecommunications Technology, and Energy and Environmental Technology). The Cornell program is research oriented and requires students to complete a formal thesis, typically in two years.

Special Committee
The central relationship in the MS&E Master of Science program is the one between student and research advisor. Typically, the research advisor serves as Chair of the student’s Special Committee. The other member of the Special Committee are selected by the student and the committee chair and typically represent interests and topics that parallel the student’s M.S. research and two minor specializations. The committee chair must be a member of the Graduate Field of Materials Science and Engineering. Together, the student and the committee constitute an independent working unit. Members of the committee guide and supervise the student’s research program. It is the Special Committee – not the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, nor the Graduate Field of Materials Science and Engineering, nor the Cornell Graduate School – that sets specific degree requirements, conducts and reports on oral examinations, and approves the M.S. Thesis.

Graduate School Requirements
The Cornell Graduate School requires four semesters of registration as a full-time graduate student before the Masters Thesis Defense (“B Exam”) can be administered. This exam is usually taken after the second year of study. A significant portion of the first year is devoted to course work; thesis work dominates the second year, intervening summer, and possibly the summer after the second year. A written Masters Thesis, approved by the Special Committee and conforming to standard formatting requirements, must be submitted to the Graduate School before the M.S. degree is awarded. More information on the Masters Thesis requirements set by the Graduate School may be found here.

Field of Materials Science and Engineering Requirements

Choosing an Advisor

Graduate students entering the Field of Materials Science and Engineering must affiliate with a research advisor as soon as possible arriving on campus – typically within two to three weeks. Affiliation is a mutual decision and often involves several face-to-face meetings with prospective advisors and their current graduate students in order to determine if there is a suitable match. When a match is made, the graduate student joins the research group.

The research advisor normally acts as Chair of the student’s Special Committee. Any Cornell faculty member who is a member of the Graduate Field of Materials Science and Engineering can serve as Chair. Students, therefore, typically choose a research advisor who is one of the 41 members of the Field. It is also possible to choose a research advisor who is not a member of the Field, in which case the Director of Graduate Studies takes the role of Chair of the student’s Special Committee.

Choosing a Special Committee

The other members of a student’s Special Committee are chosen on the basis of interest and expertise to cover the minor area of concentration. Selection of a suitable minor member  is usually accomplished by the end of the first semester of graduate study. Changes in the membership of the Special Committee can be made by petition to the Cornell Graduate School.

Course Requirements
M.S. students are required to demonstrate competence in several core MS&E topics. Please see the Curriculum section for more complete information on course requirements.

Teaching
M.S. students typically do not serve as Teaching Assistants, though they may do so if positions are available.

Foreign Language Requirement
The Field of Materials Science and Engineering does not require training in a foreign language for the M.S. degree. Applicants whose native language is not English, however, must submit scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) unless they have studied for two or more years in a country where English is the native language and the language of instruction.

Typical Academic Timeline for MS&E M.S. Students

Upon arrival on campus:

• Choose research advisor
• Choose minor member of special committee
• Select courses for first semester

First semester:

• Coursework
• Begin research 

Second semester:

• Coursework
• Develop outline of research for Masters Thesis

First Summer:

• Focus on research

Third semester:

• Complete coursework   

Fourth semester:  

• If continuing for second summer; focus on research
• Else; Write thesis; Defend Thesis in B exam; submit M.S. Thesis to Cornell Graduate School

Second summer (if applicable):

• Write thesis; Defend thesis in B Exam; Submit M.S. dissertation to Cornell Graduate School