Cornell MS&E Ph.D. students utilize both Special Committee and Graduate Field systems to formulate and guide their educational programs. The Cornell program is research oriented and requires students to complete a thesis which is typically done in five years. Students may opt to leave the program after two years with a Masters of Science degree, but MS&E does not offer an independent Masters of Science program.
The central relationship in the MS&E Ph.D. program is the one between student and research advisor. Typically, the research advisor serves as Chair of the student’s Special Committee. The other members (usually two) of the Special Committee are selected by the student and the committee chair and typically represent interests and topics that parallel the student’s Ph.D. research and two minor specializations. The committee chair must be a member of the Graduate Field of Materials Science and Engineering, and at least one committee member must be from outside the Department 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 Ph.D. dissertation.
A student is recommended for a degree when the Special Committee members agree that an appropriate level of scholarship has been obtained and that Graduate Faculty regulations regarding general examinations, residency, and dissertation requirements have been satisfied.
The Cornell Graduate School requires four semesters of registration as a full-time graduate student before the Admission to Ph.D. Candidacy Exam (A Exam) is administered. In the Field of Materials Science and Engineering, this exam is usual taken after the second year of study, and requires knowledge of the core curriculum of graduate study in Materials Science and Engineering.
The Graduate School requires two semesters of registration, after the A exam is passed, before the B Exam (Ph.D. Thesis Defense) may be administered. A written doctoral dissertation, approved by the Special Committee and conforming to standard formatting requirements, must be submitted to the Graduate School before the Ph.D. degree is awarded. More information on the dissertation requirements set by the Graduate School may be found here.
Choosing an Advisor
Graduate students entering the Field of Materials Science and Engineering must affiliate with a research advisor upon 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 advisor appoints the graduate student to a graduate research assistant position.
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 two minor areas of concentration. Selection of suitable minor members of the Special Committee 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
Within the flexible MS&E Ph.D. program structure, 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
MS&E Ph.D. students are required to complete one semester as a teaching assistant to round out their training. This requirement is typically fulfilled in the second year after matriculation into the program.
Foreign Language Requirement
The Field of Materials Science and Engineering does not require training in a foreign language for the Ph.D. 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.
Upon arrival on campus:
First semester:
Second semester:
Third and fourth semesters:
Fifth semester:
Sixth-Eighth semesters:
Eighth semester (approximate):
Ninth semester (approximate):