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Doctoral Degree and Requirements

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The doctoral program in DMSE provides an advanced educational experience that is versatile, intellectually challenging, and of enduring value for high-level careers in materials science and engineering. It develops students’ ability, confidence, and originality to grasp and solve challenging problems involving materials.

Required Subjects

The core courses define the basis of materials science and engineering as a discipline—what every PhD materials scientist or materials engineer from MIT ought to know. The first-year student seminars and core subjects provide a rigorous, unified foundation for subsequent advanced-level subjects and thesis research. Here are the required subjects:

• 3.20 (Materials at Equilibrium) (15 units, Year 1, fall)
• 3.22 (Structure and Mechanics of Materials) (12 units, Year 1, fall)
• 3.201 (Introduction to DMSE) (3 units, Year 1, fall)
• 3.21 (Kinetic Processes in Materials) (15 units, Year 1, spring)
• 3.23 (Electrical, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials) (12 units, Year 1, spring)
• 3.202 (Essential Research Skills) (3 units, Year 1, spring)
• 3.995 (First-Year Thesis Research) (18 units, Year 1, spring)

English Evaluation Test

International graduate students may be required to take the MIT English Evaluation Test upon arrival in the fall semester. Results from the test will indicate whether the student will be required to take an English class at MIT. Some students may qualify for a waiver of the English Evaluation Test:

• Students who studied at a US university or an international university whose primary language of instruction is English for at least three years and received a degree from that US/international university.
• Students whose language of instruction was English during primary and secondary school years.

The DMSE Graduate Academic Office informs incoming students by early summer if they qualify for this waiver.

Electives and Concentrations

Doctoral students must take three post-core graduate electives approved by the thesis committee. Refer to the MIT Subjects Listings and Schedule for the subjects offered and their schedules.

Graduate students can use the three electives to create a specialization or concentration in a particular research area of materials science and engineering, or they can choose a broader educational experience by picking subjects in three different areas.

Sample Concentration Areas

Students who choose a concentration area have several options. Below is a list of sample concentrations available.

• Electronic, magnetic, and photonic materials
• High-performance structural materials
• Computational materials science
• Biomaterials
• Polymeric materials
• Materials for energy and the environment
• Nanoscale materials
• Materials processing materials economics and manufacturing, entrepreneurship
• Laboratory/characterization/instrumentation
• Materials design
• Experimental/characterization computational materials application/design

Electives Outside the Department

Students may enroll in one non-DMSE graduate elective that is 9-12 units with the approval of their thesis committee. Students may propose to enroll in two or more non-DMSE graduate electives by submitting a petition to the Departmental Committee on Graduate Studies (DCGS). Submit the petition form in advance of enrolling in the subjects to the DMSE Graduate Academic Office for committee review, including a statement on why you would like to enroll in these subjects, your signature, and your thesis advisor’s signature.

• Download the Graduate Student Petition (pdf) and complete it.
• Send the completed petition to [email protected] .

The minor requirement is designed to encourage the development of intellectual breadth at an advanced level. A program of study must be discussed with and approved by a student’s research supervisor, so it should be proposed early in a student’s doctoral program.

DMSE Doctoral Track Students

There are two minor requirement options for DMSE graduate students on the doctoral track.

Academic Minor

Here are some general guidelines regarding an academic minor.

• The selected subjects may or may not be related to the thesis research area.
• The subjects taken must be at an advanced level. It is recommended that two graduate-level courses be taken (24 units).
• Minor programs composed of one graduate level and one advanced undergraduate-level course (24 units), or three advanced undergraduate courses (33 units) that were not used to obtain a bachelors or master’s degree may also be acceptable. An exception is a minor in a beginning Global Languages sequence in which two 9-unit G subjects would most likely be approved.

Teaching Minor

Only DMSE doctoral track students who have passed their doctoral examinations may submit a teaching minor program proposal. Students generally begin a teaching minor in Year 3 of graduate study. Here are some general guidelines:

• Students must serve as a teaching intern for two semesters. They are designated teaching interns during the semesters in which they are earning academic credit toward the teaching minor requirement.
• Students must earn 24 units of academic credit for 3.691-3.699 (Teaching Materials Science and Engineering).
• Students must take 3.69 (Teaching Fellows Seminar) while serving as a teaching intern. The subject is offered each fall semester and provides instruction on how to teach lectures and recitations; how to prepare a syllabus, writing assignments and examinations; grading; and how to resolve complaints.

Students must submit a form outlining the proposed minor program to the DCGS Chair for approval.

• Attach copies of the catalog descriptions of all subjects included in the program proposal form.
• List the subjects to be taken to fulfill the minor requirement.
• Preview the Minor Program Proposal (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and submit the proposal via DocuSign.

DMSE Program in Polymers and Soft Matter (PPSM) Doctoral Track Students

To complete the minor requirement, PPSM students must do the following:

• Take 3.20 (Materials at Equilibrium) and 3.21 (Kinetic Processes in Materials).
• Take one other graduate subject of at least 9 units that is not related to polymeric materials for academic credit.
• List the subjects to be taken to fulfill the minor requirement and submit the proposal. The written request will need to have the catalogue description of the third subject.
• Preview the Minor Program Proposal (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add your responses, and send the proposal via DocuSign.

Qualifying Exams

MIT requires that all doctoral students successfully complete written and oral evaluations to qualify as a candidate for the doctoral degree. The DMSE qualifying exams consist of two-step procedure.

Core Curriculum Assessment and First-Year Research Progress

In the first two semesters of the graduate program, doctoral track students enroll in the four core subjects:

• 3.20 (Materials at Equilibrium)
• 3.21 (Kinetic Processes in Materials)
• 3.22 (Structure and Mechanical Properties of Materials)
• 3.23 (Electrical, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials)
• 3.201 (Introduction to DMSE)
• 3.202 (Essential Research Skills)

Students must also demonstrate satisfactory performance in research, including the selection of a research group in the fall term and receive a “J” grade in 3.995 (First-Year Thesis Research) in spring term.

First-Year Performance Evaluation

DCGS evaluates first-year performance on a Pass/No Pass basis:

The student has successfully completed the first-year requirements and is eligible to register for step two of the qualifying procedure, the Thesis Area Examination.

The student has not fully completed the first-year requirements and is not eligible to register for the Thesis Area Examination without DCGS approval. In situations in which students complete only some of the requirements, DCGS will consult with the student’s advisor and the instructors of the core classes to develop a remediation plan (for example, retaking a course). If a student’s overall GPA is below 3.5 or the student earns more than one grade of C or lower in the core classes, the student will receive an official academic progress warning letter from the Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate and Graduate Education, in addition to a DCGS remediation plan.

Thesis Area Examination

After completing the core curriculum and review of first-year research progress, students select a research project for their PhD thesis. Selection of this topic is a decision made in agreement with their advisor. The TAE tests the student’s preparedness to conduct PhD research and provides feedback on the chosen PhD thesis project.

• The TAE consists of a written proposal and an oral presentation of the proposed research to the student’s TAE Committee. The written proposal is due in mid-January before the oral examination.
• TAE oral examinations are administered during the first two weeks in the spring term of Year 2. The DMSE Graduate Academic Office schedules the TAE oral examination after confirmation of the TAE Committee with DCGS.

Preparation for the TAE requires that a student work through aspects of a successful research proposal, including motivation, context, hypothesis, work plans, methods, expected results, and impact. A working understanding of relevant concepts from materials science and engineering core knowledge should be demonstrated throughout.

TAE Committee

The Thesis Area Examination is administered by a TAE Chair and two committee members.

• The chair of the committee is appointed by DCGS: a DMSE faculty member whose principal area of research and intellectual pursuits differ from that of the student’s thesis advisor(s).
• The identities of the other committee members should be discussed between the student and thesis advisor. The student is responsible for contacting these potential committee members and requesting their participating as part of the student’s TAE committee. At least one of the other two faculty examiners must also be DMSE faculty. The third member of the committee may be an MIT DMSE senior research associate, lecturer, or senior lecturer. If the student wants a Thesis Committee member from outside of the department, that member can be on the thesis committee but will not be part of the TAE Committee.
• The thesis advisor is not formally a member of the TAE Committee but is a non-voting attendee at the TAE who may make comments to the committee and provide information regarding the student and their research and progress following the examination after the student is excused from the examination room.

TAE Committee assignments are finalized by the end of October in the semester after the completion of the first-year requirements.

TAE Performance Evaluation

The TAE Committee evaluates performance on a Pass/Conditional Pass/No Pass basis:

The student has met all requirements to register in the program as a doctoral candidate starting the following term.

Conditional Pass

The student needs to address areas that require further mastery in the written proposal or oral presentation. The TAE Committee will outline an individualized remedial plan. After completing this requirement, the student will be eligible to register as a doctoral candidate.

The student is required to retake the TAE by scheduling another oral presentation and preparing another written proposal, if recommended, by the TAE Committee.

Doctoral Thesis

Doctoral candidates (who have passed the qualifying examinations) must complete a doctoral thesis that satisfies MIT and departmental requirements to receive the doctoral degree. General Institute Requirements are described in the MIT Bulletin and  MIT Graduate Policies and Procedures .

PhD Thesis Committee

The doctoral thesis committee advises the student on all aspects of the thesis experience, all the way up through the preparation and defense of the final thesis document. The student and thesis advisor will hold progress reviews with the thesis committee at least once a year. Written feedback to the student is required and also must be submitted to DCGS. The thesis advisor holds responsibility for assembling this written feedback and sharing it with the DMSE Graduate Academic Office and the student. After the TAE is completed, the final doctoral thesis committee is constituted of the members of the two (non-chair) Thesis Area Examination (TAE) committee members and the student’s advisor.

• The chair of the oral thesis area examination committee steps down.
• The final PhD Thesis Committee will have at least two members who are not advisors or co-advisors.
• At least half the members of the thesis committee must be DMSE faculty.

Petitions for thesis committee changes, including the addition of new committee members or committee members from outside of DMSE must be submitted the DCGS Chair.

• Download the  Graduate Student Petition (pdf) and complete it.
• Send the completed petition to  [email protected] .

Year 3 Update Meeting

After successful completion of the TAE, this meeting is held in the fall term or spring term of the student’s third year. The purpose of this meeting is to update the thesis committee of the student’s plans and progress and to seek guidance from the thesis committee on advancing toward the doctoral degree. Students must register for 3.998 (Doctoral Thesis Update Meeting). Starting with the thesis proposal as a point of departure, the student presents the revised vision of the path forward including challenges and obstacles. All members of the thesis committee are expected to be physically present at this meeting. This meeting is exclusive to the student and the thesis committee. The 3.998 Doctoral Thesis Update Meeting DocuSign Form must be sent to the DMSE Graduate Academic Office.

• Preview the  3.998 Doctoral Thesis Update Meeting Form (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and send the form via DocuSign.

Plan-to-Finish Meeting

Approximately one year before the expected graduation, but no later than six months before the planned PhD defense, the student will schedule a Plan-to-Finish meeting with the thesis committee. The purpose of the meeting is for the committee to determine whether the student will likely be ready for graduation within a year. The student will present the projected outline of the thesis, important data that will become part of the thesis, and what still needs to be done.   The student will prepare a written document for the committee that will include the following:

• Research results
• Graduation timeline
• List of papers published or in preparation
• List of classes the student has taken to satisfy the PhD course requirements

The document must delivered to the committee one week before the presentation. This presentation is exclusive to the student and the thesis committee. At the end of the meeting the committee decides whether the student is likely to proceed toward the PhD defense, or whether another Plan-to-Finish meeting is necessary. The committee will then prepare brief written feedback to the student.

Doctoral Thesis and Oral Defense

DMSE’s long-standing emphasis on original research is a key element in the candidate’s educational development.

• Scheduling of the final PhD defense can take place no earlier than six months after a successful Plan-to-Finish meeting.
• The PhD thesis will be delivered to the committee members one month before the defense. 
• The committee members will respond in two weeks with comments on the written document, giving the student two weeks to modify the thesis.
• At least one week before the defense the candidate will provide copies of the final thesis document to Thesis Committee members and to the DMSE Graduate Academic Office along with the confirmed date, time, and room for the defense.

Defense Process

The DMSE Graduate Academic Office will publicize the defense.

• The defense begins with a formal presentation of the thesis of approximately 45 minutes.
• The floor is then opened to questions from the general audience, which is then excused.
• The Thesis Committee continues the examination of the candidate in private.
• The candidate is finally excused from the room and the committee votes.
• A majority yes vote is required to approve the thesis.

Doctoral Thesis Examination Report Form

Before the thesis defense, the student must prepare the Doctoral Thesis Examination Report Form, filling out the top portion of the form–term, name and email address, dates of Plan-to-Finish Meeting, Thesis Defense, and Thesis Examination Committee Member names. The student must then route the form to the committee. It is the committee’s responsibility to communicate to the candidate the thesis result—whether the thesis is satisfactory or unsatisfactory—record the result on the Doctoral Thesis Examination Report Form, and submit the form to DMSE Graduate Academic Office. In the event of a vote not to pass, the Thesis Committee will make recommendations as to needed changes to render the thesis satisfactory. The revised thesis will then be submitted for a second final defense. Preview the  Doctoral Thesis Examination Report Form (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and send the form via DocuSign.

Scheduling a presentation in May and August may be difficult because of faculty unavailability and availability of presentation rooms. Faculty are not on academic appointments in the summer and are often on travel. This may lead to the need to reschedule your defense, in some cases into the next term. 

Thesis Format

The usual thesis format, a cohesive document, is traditional. Occasionally, the thesis may separate naturally into two or more sections, which are more directly publishable individually.

• The thesis should include a general introduction, abstract, and conclusions.
• The sections should be arranged so that the document reads as a whole.
• Put detailed descriptions of procedures and tables of data in appendices so that the thesis sections may be comparable in length and scope to journal articles

Use of this alternate format does not imply a change in the requirement for original research, in the student/thesis advisor relationship, or in their respective roles in producing the thesis document, all of which still apply.

Communications Resources

Specifications for Thesis Presentation

Get information on thesis preparation, formatting, and submission.

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Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering

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Materials science and mechanical engineering​ is a field within the Engineering Sciences area of study at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences. Prospective students apply through the Harvard Kenneth C. Griffin Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (Harvard Griffin GSAS). In the online application, select  “Engineering and Applied Sciences” as your program choice and select "PhD Engineering Sciences: Materials Science and Mechanical Engineering​" in the area of study menu.

The materials science and mechanical engineering program at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering ranges from fundamental work in solid and fluid mechanics to diverse studies in materials, mechanical systems, and biomechanics. You will discover that mechanical engineering covers a wide range of activities, including research in dynamics, fluids, materials, solids, and thermodynamics. Your research will be strongly interdisciplinary, with many connections to Applied Mathematics, Applied Physics, Earth and Planetary Sciences, and Chemistry and Chemical Biology.

Materials scientists and mechanical engineers at Harvard are engaged in a wide range of work in the mechanics of materials structures. Projects that current and past students have worked on include seeking to create a revolutionary implantable brain-machine interface that can improve the treatment of neurological disorders and engineering the next generation of pop-up and inflatable buildings.

Graduates of the program have gone on to found exciting startups in health care and robotics and have begun a range of careers in law, industry, and government. Others have positions in academia at the University of Toronto, University of Rochester, and Harvard.

Standardized Tests

GRE General:  Not Accepted

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Questions about the program.

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In This Section

Penn State’s Intercollege Graduate Degree Program (IGDP) in Materials Science and Engineering offers Ph.D. students one-on-one mentorship by professors from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering and many other departments in the College of Engineering and Eberly College of Science. Currently, more than 80 faculty members advise more than 180 Ph.D. students.

Doctoral students hold prior degrees in materials science and engineering, metallurgy, ceramics, polymers, physics, chemistry, engineering science, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, or other STEM fields. Students have the opportunity to pursue core coursework offered by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering as well as many elective courses offered by various departments across campus. Students also benefit from outstanding user facilities run by the Materials Research Institute and in other specialized laboratories. 

Penn State IGDP graduates land coveted positions in industry, national laboratories, and academia.

Our doctoral program consists of a combination of courses and research that fulfills the requirements of the Graduate School, and is approved by the student’s doctoral committee. A master's degree is not a prerequisite for the doctorate; however, the first year of graduate study leading to the Ph.D. may be the same as that for the M.S. degree. Acceptance into the Ph.D. program is based on the student's performance on the Ph.D. qualifying exam, which is administered by a graduate qualifying exam committee.

Ph.D. Requirements

Igdp requirements.

Grade and Credit Requirements Minimum GPA: 3.00 The IGDP PHD requires a minimum of 30 credits Graduate Credits (includes minimum of 6 MATSE 600 research credits). The IGDP PHD Degree requires the following:

MATSE Core Courses Credit Requirements - Must have at least 30 credits prior to completing Comprehensive Exam

• Thermodynamics of Materials (MATSE 501 - 3 credits),
• Kinetics of Materials Processes (MATSE 503 - 3 credits) or approved substitute.
• Principles of Crystal Chemistry (MATSE 512/GEOSC512 - 3 credits).
• MATSE 590 Colloquium (Fall/Spring – Must be completed each semester - 1 credit per semester)

*500-Level Elective Credits:

• 500 Level courses (excluding MATSE 582 and MATSE 590 - 9 credits minimum)

Research Credits:

• MATSE 600 (6 credits mimimum)

Research and Integrity Credits:

• MATSE 582 (1 credit)
• CITI SARI on-line course

*Core Courses cannot be used to satisfy the 500-level elective requirement

• Two credits per year of MatSE 590 seminar is also required.
• Additional courses are determined by the student and the advisor, in consultation with the student’s doctoral committee. 
• A student with a M.S. degree from Penn State can use the 500-level credits earned during his or her M.S. study to (partially) fulfill the course requirement.

Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI)

The Graduate School requires that all candidates for advanced degrees complete training in Scholarship and Research Integrity (SARI). The SARI requirements for the iMatSE program include completion of an online Responsible Conduct of Research training program and a 1 credit Professional Development course (MATSE 582). Students should complete the SARI requirements by the end of their first year of study.

Comprehensive Exam, Thesis, and Defense

Upon completion of coursework, a comprehensive exam will be administered by the student’s Doctoral Committee. The comprehensive exam consists of a written progress report and thesis proposal, and its defense, to the student’s Doctoral Committee. 

Qualifying Examination

Successful completion of a qualifying examination is required for formal admission into the Intercollege MatSE Ph.D. program. The exam is scheduled each Fall and Spring semester. It is recommended that the exam be taken after at least 12 course credits have been earned beyond the B.S. degree.

What to expect

The qualifying exam committee is populated by faculty members of the graduate program, including a chair. A sub-committee of three faculty will evaluate each candidate. Members of the student’s sub-committee will be selected on the basis of relevant expertise and to avoid conflict of interest. If the exam is not passed on the first try, it must be taken again within the next year. If the student does not pass on the second try, he/she will not be permitted to enter the iMatSE Ph.D. program.

• Students will write a research proposal (maximum of 10 pages of text, including references and figures)
• Provide a one hour and thirty minute oral presentation to three members of the program qualifying committee, whose members will ask questions about the proposal and other topics related to the student’s prior coursework.
• The student will choose one of three topics for the proposal provided by the faculty committee. These topics will be chosen to reflect the interest area(s) of the individual candidate.
• Once the three topics have been provided to the student, the student may not withdraw from the qualifying exam attempt unless  illness or other unforeseen circumstances prevent the student from having a fair opportunity to complete the proposal.
• Students will be given 3 weeks to write the proposal and turn it in to the iMatSE Graduate Office in electronic form. This proposal must be prepared and written by the candidate alone.

For complete details please review the Graduate Handbook (available in our Links and Forms section here) 

• University of Wisconsin-Madison

DEGREE Materials Science and Engineering, PhD

Doctoral degree in materials science and engineering

Meeting many of the most critical challenges facing modern society requires advances in the materials that underpin new technologies—and the field of materials science and engineering is in the middle of a revolution in how we design and deploy new materials. As a PhD student in materials science and engineering, you’ll leverage advances in computational materials science; materials databases, data science, and machine learning; and high throughput materials synthesis and characterization to achieve true design of materials. And because materials research at UW-Madison crosses many departments, you’ll have the opportunity to work within a robust interdisciplinary community.

At a glance

Materials science and engineering department, learn more about what information you need to apply., how to apply.

Please consult the table below for key information about this degree program’s admissions requirements. The program may have more detailed admissions requirements, which can be found below the table or on the program’s website.

Graduate admissions is a two-step process between academic programs and the Graduate School. Applicants must meet the minimum requirements of the Graduate School as well as the program(s). Once you have researched the graduate program(s) you are interested in, apply online .

Applicants normally are expected to have a B.S. in the physical sciences or engineering. Undergraduate studies normally would include mathematics through differential equations, at least one year each of general physics and chemistry, a course in physical chemistry or modern physics, and an elementary course in properties of materials. Applicants may be admitted with deficiencies. These must be made up as soon as possible after entering the program.

Required Application Materials:

• Academic transcripts
• English proficiency scores , if applicable
• Three letters of recommendation
• Statement of purpose

Admission to the  University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School  is a prerequisite for admission to study materials science. A minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 is required. Admission is highly selective. Most admitted students have an undergraduate GPA above 3.5. However, full consideration will be given to all students meeting the UW–Madison graduate school requirements. 

International students must submit satisfactory results on the  TOEFL  or another acceptable English Language Test. Please use institution code: 1846; no department code is necessary. Information about these exams can be obtained from the Educational Testing Service, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 or Berkeley, California 94704.

Please use the  online application  to begin your application. To be considered for fellowships, all application materials are due by December 15th. If you have questions about the application or admissions process, please do not hesitate to send an email to [email protected] .

The graduate school offers a limited number of application fee grants (covers of all or part of the application fee) that are available in a few specific circumstances.  Further information is available  here.

Application deadlines:

Spring semester: September 1 Fall semester: December 15 Summer: December 15

Admission to the  University of Wisconsin–Madison Graduate School  is a prerequisite for admission to study materials science. A minimum GPA of 3.0/4.0 is required. Admission is highly selective. Most admitted students have an undergraduate GPA above 3.5. However, full consideration will be given to all students meeting the UW–Madison graduate school requirements.

Please use the  online application  to begin your application. To be considered for fellowships, all application materials are due by December 15th. If you have questions about the application or admissions process, please do not hesitate to send an email to  [email protected] .

Tuition and funding

Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).

Graduate School Resources

Resources to help you afford graduate study might include assistantships, fellowships, traineeships, and financial aid.  Further funding information is available from the Graduate School. Be sure to check with your program for individual policies and restrictions related to funding.

Various types of financial assistance  are available for entering graduate students, including research assistantships, teaching assistantships, fellowships and special grants. Decisions regarding financial support are made on the basis of letters of recommendation, grades, GRE general test scores, and, for research assistantships, the matching of the interests or experience of the applicant to the research programs of individual faculty members. December 15th is the deadline for receipt of fellowship applications. International students are generally not eligible for university fellowships. Applications for other types of support are accepted until mid-February.

Research assistantships (RAs) are available in any materials science area. These appointments are under the supervision of the major professor directing the research. Students interested in research assistantships in a particular area are encouraged to contact professors whose work is of special interest. The faculty’s research interests are given in the Department of Materials Science And Engineering faculty section. An RA permits the most rapid progress toward a degree. Research assistantships in materials science graduate students are comparable to similar stipends from other institutions. Information about stipends can be obtained from the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, [email protected] . 

Teaching assistantships involve teaching rather than research experience. They pay approximately the same as research assistantships. Teaching experience is especially desirable for students considering an academic career.  The Department of Materials Science and Engineering supports a limited number of teaching assistantships, which are allocated after admissions. 

Herb Fellowships in Materials Science are given out each year. The Herb Fellowship is a one-year full-ride fellowship for incoming graduate students. It is intended to provide especially strong students extra flexibility and independence in formulating their graduate research program.

Fellowships supporting graduate education are also offered on a competitive basis by organizations such as the  National Science Foundation , the  Hertz Foundation , UW-Madison  Graduate School , the U.S. Department of Defense and a number of industries and foundations. Because some of these fellowships have fall application deadlines, early application is necessary. GRE scores for the General Test are required for fellowship applications.

If you choose to attend UW–Madison and plan to pursue funding on your own, the following sites could be very helpful:

• Graduate School Funding Resources
• Graduate School Costs and Funding

Materials define the major technological ages of humankind and are central to overcoming challenges in areas that include energy, the environment and human health. We are developing materials’ most impactful new capabilities, including atomic and nanoscale control, 3D printing, low-dimensional and quantum properties, and predictive simulation and machine learning. Our facilities include outstanding equipment for synthesis, processing and characterization, and some of the most advanced tools in the world, from nano-calorimetry to ultrafast electron microscopy.

View our research

Curricular Requirements

Required courses, courses for students starting from a bachelor’s degree and enrolling directly in the ph.d. program.

All course requirements are subject to modification or substitution to better serve the research needs of the student. To request a change, submit a letter to the department Graduate Coordinator signed by the student and advisor proposing a change and explaining how the change will better suit the student’s needs, especially as it pertains to their research. Course substitutions and other curriculum variances are decided by the department’s director of graduate studies, subject to appeal to the department’s Graduate Governance Committee and the grievance procedure.

Take two consecutive semesters. 

Take three materials core courses, chosen from these options.

Electives must be selected from the list of Materials Elective Courses.

• Before earning the Master’s degree, students should register for  M S & E 790 Master’s Research or Thesis .
• After earning the Master’s degree, they should register for  M S & E 890 Pre-Dissertator’s Research .
• Once they have achieved dissertator status, they should register for  M S & E 990 Research and Thesis .

Materials Elective Courses

Additionally, the student’s research advisor must sign a form available from the department Graduate Coordinator approving the five courses taken to fulfill the materials core and materials electives requirements.

Courses for Students Starting from a Master’s Degree and Enrolling Directly in the Ph.D. Program

These requirements cover students who (1) have already earned a master’s degree in M S & E or a related field and (2) do not wish to earn an M S & E master’s from UW.

Students must enroll in the introductory seminar, M S & E 900 Materials Research Seminar , for their first two semesters of enrollment.

Students must satisfy all of the course requirements for the Ph.D. given in the preceding section. However, they may request that courses taken as part of a previous master’s degree at another institution serve to satisfy a portion of the requirements. Students will have one month after matriculation to identify that they wish to follow this track to their Ph.D. and to submit all their course substitution requests. Course substitutions will not be considered later in the student’s Ph.D. studies.

To make such a request, the student should submit a request to the department Graduate Coordinator describing (1) the course from a previous institution; (2) the UW course equivalent; (3) the M S & E course requirement that will be satisfied. The request must include sufficient information to determine if the courses are equivalent. Typically, a syllabus listing the course textbook and lecture topics is sufficient. A course catalog description is typically insufficient. Courses taken while enrolled as an undergraduate student at another institution will not be considered for substitution. This includes courses at the graduate level taken while the student is enrolled as an undergraduate.

If a request is not approved, the student must fulfill the corresponding requirement at the University of Wisconsin–Madison.

If one or more course substitutions are accepted, the student will not earn a master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering from UW–Madison as part of their Ph.D. studies.

M.S. and Ph.D. Program, Admissions Inquiries [email protected] https://engineering.wisc.edu/admissions/graduate/

Don Stone, Associate Chair of Graduate Studies [email protected]

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Materials Science and Engineering, PhD

Whiting school of engineering, admission requirements.

To be admitted to graduate study in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, students must submit credentials sufficient to convince the faculty that they have the potential to successfully complete the program requirements.

A graduate student pursuing a Ph.D. with the Department of Materials Science and Engineering who is funded by the department as a teaching assistant or research assistant may not enroll simultaneously in a master’s program in another department, unless they receive written approval from their advisor, the DMSE Doctoral Program Committee, and the department chair/head.

Please visit the WSE Graduate Admissions website for more information.

Program Requirements

To receive the Ph.D. degree, the candidate must fulfill the requirements below. The department must be satisfied that all academic requirements have been satisfied by the candidate before a recommendation will be made to the University Graduate Board to confer the Ph.D. degree.

• Students who have an undergraduate degree in Materials Science & Engineering may waive EN.510.615.
• Students who have completed prior graduate-level coursework substantially similar to one of the other courses,   EN.510.601 Structure Of Materials , EN.510.602 Thermodynamics Of Materials or EN.510.603 Phase Transformations of Materials  or EN.510.610 Fundamentals of Biomaterials may waive that couse. 
• Students desiring a waiver of a required course must submit their petition no later than the end of the first semester after matriculation.  If the petition requests a waiver on the basis of graduate-level coursework taken elsewhere, documentation of the course level, content (syllabus) and grade received must be included in the petition

​​2.   Successful completion of three advanced (600-level or higher) elective courses in materials science and engineering or a related field .

• Elective courses must be completed with a grade of C or higher, but there is no cumulative GPA requirement. Any 600-level or higher regular course in materials science and engineering may be used to fulfill this requirement.  Courses from other departments may also be used, but must either appear on the list of approved electives (available from the Academic Program Administrator) or be approved by the Doctoral Program Committee. Students wishing to use a course not on this list must submit a request to the Doctoral Program Committee no later than the end of the first week of the semester in which the course is taken. 

The following courses may not be used to fulfill the Ph.D. elective course:

• Undergraduate courses, unless cross-listed at 600-level or higher
• Graduate Research (EN.510.807 or EN.510.808)
• Courses in part-time graduate programs (Engineering for Professionals in WSE or Advanced Academic Programs in KSAS), unless by rare exception by the Doctoral Program Committee with an endorsement from the student's advisor;
• Seminars (courses with fewer than three contact hours per week

Waiver of elective courses:   Students who have completed prior graduate-level coursework may petition the Doctoral Program Committee to waive one of the elective courses. Students desiring such a waiver must submit a petition, no later than the end of the first semester after matriculation, describing the course they wish to use to fulfill this requirement.  Documentation of the course level, content (syllabus) and grade received must be included in the petition. In some cases, an advisor may require a student to complete additional coursework, beyond the four required courses and three electives described above.

3. Coursework required by Whiting School of Engineering policy. These include the following:

• Responsible Conduct of Research training ( AS.360.624 Responsible Conduct of Research (Online) or AS.360.625 Responsible Conduct of Research ) in accordance with Whiting School of Engineering policy. Details about this requirement, including the criteria for determining whether the online or in-person course must be taken, are provided in the  description of the policy .
• Training on academic ethics in accordance with Whiting School of Engineering  policy . This requirement can be satisfied by passing EN.500.603 Graduate Orientation and Academic Ethics .
• Attendance is required at the weekly Department of Materials Science & Engineering Seminar (EN.510.803 or EN.510.804)

4.  Teaching Assistant Requirement: Students in their second year in the department will be required to act as teaching assistant for two courses .

5.  Successful completion of a comprehensive oral examination.  The exam is offered semiannually, usually the week before the beginning of the fall semester and the spring semester.  The exam covers three areas of materials science and engineering:

• Structure of Materials
• Thermodynamics of Materials
• Either Kinetics and Phase Transformations in Materials​ OR Biomaterials (at the student's choice) ​

Although these subject areas correspond to the four core courses, the topics covered in the exam are not strictly limited to material covered in those courses.  Furthermore, each section may include questions related to the properties of materials at a level similar to that covered in EN.510.615 (Physical Properties of Materials).

Additional information about the oral exam is provided in the document Information for Doctoral Students regarding the oral comprehensive examination , available from the Academic Program Coordinator.

6.  A proposal for a research project to form the basis of the candidate’s dissertation . Each student must write a dissertation proposal and present it orally at a public seminar no later than the end of the sixth semester following matriculation. The written dissertation proposal must be submitted to the department no later than two weeks prior to the scheduled date of the oral presentation. The public seminar will be followed by a closed session with a committee consisting of the research advisor and two other faculty members (to be selected in consultation with the advisor). During the closed session, the committee members will ask questions about and provide comments on the proposed plan of research. The thesis proposal is also an examination, with the committee testing the candidate’s depth of knowledge in their area of specialization (and not only on the proposed research). Students who do not successfully complete the dissertation proposal requirement by the end of the sixth semester following matriculation will be placed on probation, with a specified time limit (ordinarily no more than six months) within which to complete this requirement and be removed from probation. Students on probation who do not complete the dissertation proposal requirement within the specified time limit will be dismissed from the program.

7.  Completion of an original research project, documented in a dissertation that is defended by the candidate in a public presentation . Candidates must write a dissertation conforming to university requirements that describes their work and results in detail. A public defense of the dissertation is required, and will be followed by a closed examination session. The committee for the closed examination shall consist of five faculty members, chosen by the Doctoral Program Committee, with at least two members being from outside the department. The outcome of the closed examination will be decided by majority vote of the committee. Because the closed examination session fulfills the university Graduate Board Oral (GBO) examination requirement, all procedures pertaining to GBOs as established by the University Graduate Board must be followed. The committee may impose certain conditions (e.g. changes to the dissertation) for the candidate to meet prior to final certification that they have passed the exam. For this reason, the thesis defense must be scheduled for a date at least two months prior to any personal or university deadline for degree completion. A complete draft of the dissertation must be submitted to all committee members no later than two weeks prior to the defense. The dissertation in its final form must be read and approved in writing by two members of the committee (the advisor and one other member to be chosen by the committee as a whole).

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Materials Science and Engineering, PhD

Materials science is a highly versatile discipline that enables innovations across a wide variety of technologies from cell phones to solar energy to bioimplants to airplanes. Applying insights from the basic sciences, this discipline designs new materials and fabrication methods to continually expand the scope and combination of mechanical, electrical, optical and transport properties available in materials. The newer fields of nanotechnology, biomaterials and quantum materials are providing materials scientists with an entirely new palette of atomic, molecular, organic, biological and inorganic building blocks to engineer materials with unique functionalities. The research and academic programs in the MSE Department and the broader MSE Graduate Group at Penn reflect these exciting new developments and our goal is to provide students enrolling in our program with a broad and multidisciplinary training so that they can be part of this materials revolution and contribute to solving the 21st century challenges.

For more information: http://www.mse.seas.upenn.edu/current-students/masters/doctoral-degree.php

View the University’s Academic Rules for PhD Programs .

Required Courses

Students are required to take at least 10 graduate level courses, including courses outside of their research area to gain a broader understanding of materials science and engineering. Doctoral students with a Master's degree may transfer up to eight credits as course units to the Ph.D. program upon the approval of the Graduate Group Chair. However, a maximum of five transferred courses count toward the 10 courses required for the Ph.D. program.

Non-core courses may be selected from offerings within MSE and other departments in SEAS, as well as the physical, biological, and mathematical sciences.

Courses must be at the 5000 level or greater.

The degree and major requirements displayed are intended as a guide for students entering in the Fall of 2023 and later. Students should consult with their academic program regarding final certifications and requirements for graduation.

Sample Plan of Study 

The Qualifying Examination will be held at the end of May after the second semester.

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DPhil in Materials

• Entry requirements
• Funding and Costs

College preference

• How to Apply

About the course

The Oxford DPhil in Materials is a doctoral research degree programme, typically of three to four years in duration and known as a PhD at other universities. Doctoral research projects in this leading materials department are available in most branches of materials science, as well as some aspects of solid state physics and chemistry.

As a student on the DPhil in Materials programme you will be part of one of the top-ranked materials departments in the world ( QS World University Rankings 2023 ). This vibrant research school consists of around 33 academic staff, about 13 Senior Research Fellows, and around 240 research students and 80 postdoctoral researchers. Research students are of many nationalities and come to the department from diverse scientific backgrounds. They are graduates in the traditional subjects of materials science, physics, chemistry and engineering and also mathematics, earth sciences and biology.

The DPhil in Materials is normally carried out in three and a half to four years of full-time study under the supervision of an experienced member of staff. A wide range of exciting DPhil projects is available. Details of the DPhil programme, including training opportunities (academic courses, research- specific skills and generic transferable career skills) and progression requirements, can be found in the current version of the Materials graduate course handbook.

Research interests of the department extend over most branches of materials science, as well as some aspects of solid state physics and chemistry: they include the study of a wide range of materials of relevance in advanced technological applications, including metals and alloys, composites, semiconductors, superconductors, polymers, biomaterials, ceramics and materials for quantum information processing.

Much of the research is carried out in close collaboration with industry. World-leading research takes place on:

• characterisation of materials, where there is emphasis on electron microscopy and related techniques
• processing and manufacturing of materials
• modelling of materials, where there is attention to both structures and processes
• properties of materials
• energy materials, including those for batteries, nuclear fusion and photovoltaics
• quantum computing and quantum devices, which includes groups working on experimental studies, theory and modelling.

Each of the department's research groups works within one or more of the following broad themes and research projects available to applicants for the DPhil in Materials are listed under these themes:

• energy storage materials
• structural and nuclear materials
• device materials; including semiconductors, superconductors, quantum computing and quantum devices, and NEMS
• polymers and biomaterials
• nanomaterials
• processing and manufacturing; including metals, alloys, superconductors and polymers
• characterisation of materials
• computational materials modelling.

Supervision

The allocation of graduate supervision for this course is the responsibility of the Department of Materials and it is not always possible to accommodate the preferences of incoming graduate students to work with a particular member of staff. Under exceptional circumstances a supervisor may be found from outside the Department of Materials.

Typically, a student should expect to have meetings with his/her supervisor or a member of the supervisory team with a frequency of at least once every two weeks averaged across the year. The regularity of these meetings may be subject to variations according to the time of the year, and the stage the student is at in his or her research programme.

In common with other UK universities, the first year is a probationary year, soon after which, subject to satisfactory progress, you will normally transfer from Probationer Research Student (PRS) to full DPhil status. A second formal assessment of progress, Confirmation of Status, takes place later in the programme, normally in the middle of the third year. The Transfer of Status and Confirmation of Status assessments are conducted by two members of staff other than the student’s supervisor(s) or advisors.

Examination for the DPhil takes place at the end of the programme by means of a written thesis and an oral examination.

Graduate destinations

Graduates of the DPhil and MSc by Research in Materials are highly regarded by a wide range of employers, including universities, high-tech start-up companies, engineering consultancies, industry (including aerospace, electronics, automotive, steel manufacture, medical and household products sectors), world-famous technology companies, schools and colleges, and the financial and business sectors.

Changes to this course and your supervision

The University will seek to deliver this course in accordance with the description set out in this course page. However, there may be situations in which it is desirable or necessary for the University to make changes in course provision, either before or after registration. The safety of students, staff and visitors is paramount and major changes to delivery or services may have to be made in circumstances of a pandemic, epidemic or local health emergency. In addition, in certain circumstances, for example due to visa difficulties or because the health needs of students cannot be met, it may be necessary to make adjustments to course requirements for international study.

Where possible your academic supervisor will not change for the duration of your course. However, it may be necessary to assign a new academic supervisor during the course of study or before registration for reasons which might include illness, sabbatical leave, parental leave or change in employment.

For further information please see our page on changes to courses and the provisions of the student contract regarding changes to courses.

Entry requirements for entry in 2024-25

Proven and potential academic excellence.

The requirements described below are specific to this course and apply only in the year of entry that is shown. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

Please be aware that any studentships that are linked to this course may have different or additional requirements and you should read any studentship information carefully before applying. 

Degree-level qualifications

As a minimum, applicants should hold or be predicted to achieve the following UK qualifications or their equivalent:

• a first-class or strong upper second-class undergraduate degree with honours in a suitable science subject.

The qualification above should normally be achieved in one of the following subject areas:

• materials science
• mathematics.

However, other subjects may be acceptable depending on the area of research chosen.

For candidates offering a UK bachelor's degree or UK integrated undergraduate master's degree normally an overall grade of at least 65% is required. 

As examples of international equivalents to this requirement: for the US system a GPA of 3.5 out of 4.0 on a four-year bachelor's programme is normally regarded as equivalent and for the Chinese system an overall degree mark of 85% on a four-year bachelor's degree programme from a Double First Class University is normally regarded as equivalent.

In some countries at least some of their bachelor's degrees are not acceptable for direct progression to a PhD in that country; normally such degrees are not acceptable for entry to the course unless the candidate also holds or expects to achieve a master's degree with an overall mark equivalent to at least 65% in a UK taught master's degree.

If your degree is not from the UK or another country specified above, visit our International Qualifications page for guidance on the qualifications and grades that would usually be considered to meet the University’s minimum entry requirements.

Normally the required qualification(s) must be achieved by the date of commencement of the research programme for which you have applied.

GRE General Test scores

No Graduate Record Examination (GRE) or GMAT scores are sought.

Other qualifications, evidence of excellence and relevant experience

Additional indicators considered when assessing an application against the department's criteria include performance in previous research project(s), the award of national prizes, the award of substantial scholarships to assist with previous university-level study/activity (if you mention such scholarships in your CV please indicate the monetary value and duration), preliminary knowledge of relevant research techniques, and your suitability for the research projects in which you have expressed interest.

The criteria against which your written application and performance at interview will be assessed are:

• appropriate indicators of proven and/or potential: academic excellence, research excellence, originality, ability to absorb new ideas, reasoning ability, creativity of thought, initiative, and capacity for sustained and intense work; 
• sufficient evidence, in the view of the assessors, to suggest that you have the academic ability, motivation and commitment to (i) pursue the chosen research programme to a successful conclusion within the required time limits, and (ii) to pursue research in the subject of materials at a high level;
• the programme of study, including research topic, that you wish to pursue is well suited to the academic interests and abilities to which you and/or your referees have drawn attention in your application. For some projects this may include the ability to work as part of a team; and
• sufficient evidence of ability to (i) engage in a scientific or technical discussion in English at a satisfactory level, both verbally and in writing, (ii) understand a reasoned case presented in English and (iii) present a reasoned case in English.

Publications are not essential but will be taken into account. Please include in your CV the references and abstracts of any publications you may have in peer-reviewed international journals.

Further guidance

It should be noted that acceptance on a particular programme gives no guarantee of final success, and all research programmes require you to develop your learning and skills to new levels in order successfully to undertake all the assessment hurdles of a research programme.

English language proficiency

This course requires proficiency in English at the University's  standard level . If your first language is not English, you may need to provide evidence that you meet this requirement. The minimum scores required to meet the University's standard level are detailed in the table below.

*Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Advanced English or Cambridge English: Advanced (CAE) † Previously known as the Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English or Cambridge English: Proficiency (CPE)

Your test must have been taken no more than two years before the start date of your course. Our Application Guide provides further information about the English language test requirement .

It is very important that, at the earliest possible opportunity, you take steps to meet the University’s standard minimum English language requirement. If you have yet to attain this minimum level any offer of a place that may be made to you will be conditional on your achieving the standard minimum requirement. Students who require a visa will not be able to apply for this visa until they have met this and other conditions of their offer. If you do not meet the conditions of your offer by the deadline set by the department, normally the offer will lapse.

Please note that it can take up to three months to obtain an examination date for IELTS or TOEFL, so it is strongly recommended that all applicants who need an English test apply for one at the earliest opportunity, and preferably sufficiently in advance that you would have time to obtain a date for a retake examination should this be necessary. In this respect please note also that the department requires not only a minimum overall score in the English test but also minimum scores in each individual component of the tests.

Declaring extenuating circumstances

If your ability to meet the entry requirements has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (eg you were awarded an unclassified/ungraded degree) or any other exceptional personal circumstance (eg other illness or bereavement), please refer to the guidance on extenuating circumstances in the Application Guide for information about how to declare this so that your application can be considered appropriately.

You will need to register three referees who can give an informed view of your academic ability and suitability for the course. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the types of reference that are required in support of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Supporting documents

You will be required to supply supporting documents with your application. The  How to apply  section of this page provides details of the supporting documents that are required as part of your application for this course and how these will be assessed.

Performance at interview

Interviews for short-listed candidates are normally held as part of the admissions process.

Interviews normally take place after you submit your application and normally within an eight-working week period of the application deadline for which you submitted a complete application.

These interviews may be conducted face-to-face or by telephone or video-link. Shortlisting for interview is carried out according to the criteria included in the present entry requirements as judged from your written application (including references).

Normally the applications of candidates who are recommended post-interview by a prospective supervisor as suitable for a place will be assessed by at least two members of staff with experience of supervising doctoral students and in addition may be assessed by the department’s Director of Graduate Studies. All decisions to offer a place require approval by the Director of Graduate Studies or deputy.

How your application is assessed

Your application will be assessed purely on your proven and potential academic excellence and other entry requirements described under that heading.

References  and  supporting documents  submitted as part of your application, and your performance at interview (if interviews are held) will be considered as part of the assessment process. Whether or not you have secured funding will not be taken into consideration when your application is assessed.

An overview of the shortlisting and selection process is provided below. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide  more information about how applications are assessed . 

Shortlisting and selection

Students are considered for shortlisting and selected for admission without regard to age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy and maternity, race (including colour, nationality and ethnic or national origins), religion or belief (including lack of belief), sex, sexual orientation, as well as other relevant circumstances including parental or caring responsibilities or social background. However, please note the following:

• socio-economic information may be taken into account in the selection of applicants and award of scholarships for courses that are part of  the University’s pilot selection procedure  and for  scholarships aimed at under-represented groups ;
• country of ordinary residence may be taken into account in the awarding of certain scholarships; and
• protected characteristics may be taken into account during shortlisting for interview or the award of scholarships where the University has approved a positive action case under the Equality Act 2010.

Processing your data for shortlisting and selection

Information about  processing special category data for the purposes of positive action  and  using your data to assess your eligibility for funding , can be found in our Postgraduate Applicant Privacy Policy.

Admissions panels and assessors

All recommendations to admit a student involve the judgement of at least two members of the academic staff with relevant experience and expertise, and must also be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies or Admissions Committee (or equivalent within the department).

Admissions panels or committees will always include at least one member of academic staff who has undertaken appropriate training.

Other factors governing whether places can be offered

The following factors will also govern whether candidates can be offered places:

• the ability of the University to provide the appropriate supervision for your studies, as outlined under the 'Supervision' heading in the  About  section of this page;
• the ability of the University to provide appropriate support for your studies (eg through the provision of facilities, resources, teaching and/or research opportunities); and
• minimum and maximum limits to the numbers of students who may be admitted to the University's taught and research programmes.

Offer conditions for successful applications

If you receive an offer of a place at Oxford, your offer will outline any conditions that you need to satisfy and any actions you need to take, together with any associated deadlines. These may include academic conditions, such as achieving a specific final grade in your current degree course. These conditions will usually depend on your individual academic circumstances and may vary between applicants. Our ' After you apply ' pages provide more information about offers and conditions . 

In addition to any academic conditions which are set, you will also be required to meet the following requirements:

Financial Declaration

If you are offered a place, you will be required to complete a  Financial Declaration  in order to meet your financial condition of admission.

Disclosure of criminal convictions

In accordance with the University’s obligations towards students and staff, we will ask you to declare any  relevant, unspent criminal convictions  before you can take up a place at Oxford.

Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS)

Some postgraduate research students in science, engineering and technology subjects will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate prior to applying for a  Student visa (under the Student Route) . For some courses, the requirement to apply for an ATAS certificate may depend on your research area.

The department has excellent and wide-ranging research resources including:

• a world-class suite of electron microscopy facilities including a JEOL ARM analytical STEM, a JEOL 3000F FEG STEM, and two Zeiss Merlin ultrahigh resolution SEMs optimised for EBSD and EDX analysis, together with a number of supporting and training instruments. Much of this equipment is installed in the David Cockayne Centre for Electron Microscopy ;
• additional electron microscopy facilities are available at the national electron Physical Science Imaging Centre ;
• extensive further facilities for characterising materials including, for example, AFM, XPS, and Raman microscopy;
• advanced sample preparation and micromachining facilities including a Zeiss NVision 40 FIB/SEM and three other FIB instruments;
• microhardness measurement facilities (at high temperatures and at the nm scale);
• special processing or manufacturing facilities for ceramics, composites, carbon nanomaterials, rapidly solidified materials and devices such as novel batteries
• superb facilities for 3-D atom probe analysis (including LEAP 5000XS and LEAP 5000XR);
• an alloy processing and mechanical properties laboratory, for aerospace and nuclear materials; and
• a wide range of specialist modelling software including some operated by the Materials Modelling Laboratory, and access to Oxford's High Performance Computing resources.

The department’s Institute for Industrial Materials and Manufacturing, located at the University's Begbroke Science Park, offers world-class facilities for advanced materials processing. The Begbroke site also houses a number of materials-related spinout companies.

The  Oxford Materials Characterisation Service  provides a major suite of equipment for the characterisation of materials used in microtechnology and nanotechnology.

In addition to the excellent central and college library provision, there is a specialist Materials Science Library housed within the department.

Department of Materials

As a student on one of Oxford's research degree programmes in materials, you will be part of one of the top-ranked materials departments in the world ( QS World University Rankings 2023 ).

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) assessment of research excellence in UK universities, research from the University's Department of Materials and Department of Engineering Science was jointly submitted to REF Unit of Assessment (UOA) 12 - Engineering (there is not a specific REF UOA for Materials). The results for this submission show that:

• 71% of the research activity of the two departments was judged to be in the highest category of excellence, Grade 4* ('World-leading');
• a further 26% of the research activity of the two departments was judged as Grade 3* ('Internationally Excellent'); and
• 90% of research impact was judged to be ‘World-leading’.

The department's high rating for research is evidence of its excellence in a wide range of materials research.

The department's vibrant materials research community consists of around 33 academic staff, 13 Senior Research Fellows, and around 240 DPhil students and 80 postdoctoral researchers. Research students are of many nationalities and come to the department from diverse scientific backgrounds.

Leading-edge research is carried out across a wide range of materials science, ranging from atomic-scale characterization, through state-of-the-art materials modelling, to pilot industrial-scale processing. 

Research students in the Department of Materials are also members of the University's MPLS Graduate School, which provides a wide range of support and training in addition to that offered by the department.

View all courses   View taught courses View research courses

The University expects to be able to offer over 1,000 full or partial graduate scholarships across the collegiate University in 2024-25. You will be automatically considered for the majority of Oxford scholarships , if you fulfil the eligibility criteria and submit your graduate application by the relevant December or January deadline. Most scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit and/or potential. 

For further details about searching for funding as a graduate student visit our dedicated Funding pages, which contain information about how to apply for Oxford scholarships requiring an additional application, details of external funding, loan schemes and other funding sources.

Please ensure that you visit individual college websites for details of any college-specific funding opportunities using the links provided on our college pages or below:

Please note that not all the colleges listed above may accept students on this course. For details of those which do, please refer to the College preference section of this page.

Further information about funding opportunities for this course can be found on the department's website.

Annual fees for entry in 2024-25

Further details about fee status eligibility can be found on the fee status webpage.

Information about course fees

Course fees are payable each year, for the duration of your fee liability (your fee liability is the length of time for which you are required to pay course fees). For courses lasting longer than one year, please be aware that fees will usually increase annually. For details, please see our guidance on changes to fees and charges .

Course fees cover your teaching as well as other academic services and facilities provided to support your studies. Unless specified in the additional information section below, course fees do not cover your accommodation, residential costs or other living costs. They also don’t cover any additional costs and charges that are outlined in the additional information below.

Continuation charges

Following the period of fee liability , you may also be required to pay a University continuation charge and a college continuation charge. The University and college continuation charges are shown on the Continuation charges page.

Where can I find further information about fees?

The Fees and Funding  section of this website provides further information about course fees , including information about fee status and eligibility  and your length of fee liability .

Additional information

There are no compulsory elements of this course that entail additional costs beyond fees (or, after fee liability ends, continuation charges) and living costs. However, please note that, depending on your choice of research topic and the research required to complete it, you may incur additional expenses, such as travel expenses, research expenses, and field trips. You will need to meet these additional costs, although you may be able to apply for small grants from your department and/or college to help you cover some of these expenses.

Living costs

In addition to your course fees, you will need to ensure that you have adequate funds to support your living costs for the duration of your course.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the range of likely living costs for full-time study is between c. £1,345 and £1,955 for each month spent in Oxford. Full information, including a breakdown of likely living costs in Oxford for items such as food, accommodation and study costs, is available on our living costs page. The current economic climate and high national rate of inflation make it very hard to estimate potential changes to the cost of living over the next few years. When planning your finances for any future years of study in Oxford beyond 2024-25, it is suggested that you allow for potential increases in living expenses of around 5% each year – although this rate may vary depending on the national economic situation. UK inflationary increases will be kept under review and this page updated.

Students enrolled on this course will belong to both a department/faculty and a college. Please note that ‘college’ and ‘colleges’ refers to all 43 of the University’s colleges, including those designated as societies and permanent private halls (PPHs). 

If you apply for a place on this course you will have the option to express a preference for one of the colleges listed below, or you can ask us to find a college for you. Before deciding, we suggest that you read our brief  introduction to the college system at Oxford  and our  advice about expressing a college preference . For some courses, the department may have provided some additional advice below to help you decide.

The following colleges accept students on the DPhil in Materials:

• Corpus Christi College
• Exeter College
• Harris Manchester College
• Hertford College
• Linacre College
• Lincoln College
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• Oriel College
• The Queen's College
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• St Edmund Hall
• St Peter's College
• Trinity College
• Wolfson College
• Wycliffe Hall

Before you apply

Our  guide to getting started  provides general advice on how to prepare for and start your application. You can use our interactive tool to help you  evaluate whether your application is likely to be competitive .

If it's important for you to have your application considered under a particular deadline – eg under a December or January deadline in order to be considered for Oxford scholarships – we recommend that you aim to complete and submit your application at least two weeks in advance . Check the deadlines on this page and the  information about deadlines  in our Application Guide.

Application fee waivers

An application fee of £75 is payable per course application. Application fee waivers are available for the following applicants who meet the eligibility criteria:

• applicants from low-income countries;
• refugees and displaced persons; 
• UK applicants from low-income backgrounds; and 
• applicants who applied for our Graduate Access Programmes in the past two years and met the eligibility criteria.

You are encouraged to  check whether you're eligible for an application fee waiver  before you apply.

Readmission for current Oxford graduate taught students

If you're currently studying for an Oxford graduate taught course and apply to this course with no break in your studies, you may be eligible to apply to this course as a readmission applicant. The application fee will be waived for an eligible application of this type. Check whether you're eligible to apply for readmission .

Application fee waivers for eligible associated courses

If you apply to this course and up to two eligible associated courses from our predefined list during the same cycle, you can request an application fee waiver so that you only need to pay one application fee.

The list of eligible associated courses may be updated as new courses are opened. Please check the list regularly, especially if you are applying to a course that has recently opened to accept applications.

Do I need to contact anyone before I apply?

Having first read the guidance and  project descriptions  on the Department of Materials website, if you wish to learn more about a specific project please contact the relevant supervisor by e-mail.

Before applying you are strongly encouraged to contact the department's Graduate Admissions Secretary for advice and assistance using the contact details provided on this page.

Completing your application

You should refer to the information below when completing the application form, paying attention to the specific requirements for the supporting documents . 

If any document does not meet the specification, including the stipulated word count, your application may be considered incomplete and not assessed by the academic department. Expand each section to show further details.

Proposed field and title of research project

Proposed supervisor.

Under 'Proposed supervisor name' enter the name of the academic(s) who you would like to supervise your research. 

Referees Three overall, of which at least two must be academic

Whilst you must register three referees, the department may start the assessment of your application if two of the three references are submitted by the course deadline and your application is otherwise complete. Please note that you may still be required to ensure your third referee supplies a reference for consideration.

It is desirable that one of your references is from an academic staff member who has supervised you in a research project.

If you are a current master’s student or have completed a master’s course, one of your referees should be your supervisor or course director on this course. If you do not provide a reference from your master’s supervisor or course director, the department will usually ask you to do so before completing the assessment of your application.

Normally at least two of your references should be from academic staff members who taught or supervised you during your bachelor’s and/or master’s degree programmes. The primary purpose of the three references is to provide the department with evidenced insight into your potential to excel as a research student.

Official transcript(s)

Your transcripts should give detailed information of the individual grades received in your university-level qualifications to date. You should only upload official documents issued by your institution and any transcript not in English should be accompanied by a certified translation.

More information about the transcript requirement is available in the Application Guide.

It is very important that you include official evidence of your overall mark (%) or cumulative GPA if this is not clearly stated on your transcript.

A CV/résumé is compulsory for this course. Most applicants choose to submit a document of one to two pages highlighting their academic achievements and any relevant professional experience.

In your CV/résumé, please include the references and abstracts of any publications you may have in peer-reviewed international journals. Please do not include full copies of your publications.

Statement of purpose/personal statement: A maximum of 400 words, accompanied by a list of preferred projects and supervisors

A detailed research proposal is not required. Instead, you should provide a single document comprising both:

• a list of up to four research projects (and the associated supervisors) in which you are interested, in order of preference, selected from currently advertised projects; and
• an outline of your research interests, written in English, that clearly indicates the rationale behind your choice of projects.

Please be sure to also include all of the supervisor names in the supervisors field of the application form. However, there is no need to repeat the project titles in the research project field of the application form.

The 400-word limit applies to the outline of your research interests. There is no word-count limit for the list of preferred projects and supervisors. 

If possible, please ensure that the word count is clearly displayed on the document.

Start or continue your application

You can start or return to an application using the relevant link below. As you complete the form, please  refer to the requirements above  and  consult our Application Guide for advice . You'll find the answers to most common queries in our FAQs.

Application Guide   Apply

ADMISSION STATUS

Open - applications are still being accepted

Up to a week's notice of closure will be provided on this page - no other notification will be given

12:00 midday UK time on:

Friday 10 November 2023 Applications more likely to receive earlier decisions

Friday 19 January 2024 Latest deadline for most Oxford scholarships

Friday 1 March 2024 Applications may remain open after this deadline if places are still available - see below

A later deadline shown under 'Admission status' If places are still available,  applications may be accepted after 1 March . The 'Admissions status' (above) will provide notice of any later deadline.

*Three-year average (applications for entry in 2022-22 to 2023-24)

Further information and enquiries

This course is offered by the Department of Materials

• Course information  on  department website
• Funding information from the department
• Academic and research staff
• Summary of provision for materials research students
• Supervision arrangements for materials research students
• Departmental research
• Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences
• Residence requirements for full-time courses
• Postgraduate applicant privacy policy

Course-related enquiries

Advice about contacting the department can be found in the How to apply section of this page

✉ [email protected] ☎ +44 (0)1865 283226

Application-process enquiries

See the application guide

Other courses to consider

You may also wish to consider applying to other courses that are similar or related to this course:

View related courses

University of Washington Information School

Doctorate in information science.

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Ph.D. Application Materials

Ph.d. application for graduate study.

The online application for Autumn 2024 is open until Dec. 5, 2023, at 11:59 p.m. PT. Visit the Application for Graduate Study and create a log-in ID and password.

Retain your log-in ID and password, as you will need them to:

• Save a partially completed application
• Pay the application fee ($85 payable by debit or credit card)
• Monitor the submission of recommendations and test scores (if applicable)
• Check the status of your application

Once you have paid the fee, you will be unable to make further changes to your application with the exception of letters of recommendation, contact information and transcript updates.

Application Materials

Personal statement, diversity statement, research statement.

• Recommendations

Faculty and Research Interests

Resume or curriculum vitae, transcripts.

• Extenuating Circumstances or Additional Information  (optional)
• Submit Work Sample  (optional)
• Official  GRE Scores (optional)
• English Language Proficiency for Non-Native English Speakers

Please tell us about yourself and what brought you to the information field. We encourage you to draw upon your positionality, passions and personal history to discuss how you are uniquely situated to pursue impactful scholarship – research, teaching, and service – in the information field. Please limit your personal statement to 350 words.

The Information School works to address today’s most pressing issues, and believes that diversity, equity and inclusion, in their many forms, are critical to the intellectual and social fabric of the iSchool and the fields of information. We seek applicants who have varied cultural, educational, political, philosophical, and socioeconomic backgrounds, and who recognize their impacts on and relationship to society’s power and privilege dynamics. 

With diversity as a core value and foundational concept in the Information School, we strive to create a community of scholars that is inclusive of underrepresented populations and in service to underserved communities. How would you contribute to these efforts? We recognize that your contribution may not necessarily be through your Ph.D. research; teaching, service, and community outreach are equally important areas of contribution. We also welcome your thoughts on how the Information School could ensure that you experience a positive, inclusive environment that supports your growth as a scholar. 

Please limit your diversity statement to 350 words. (You may want to consider the  iSchool diversity statement  when writing your response.)

Your research statement should be between 1,000 and 2,000 words and contain the following elements:

• Your specific research interests and questions
• A description of one or two potential research projects
• Rationale for applying to the UW Information School
• Research experiences and skills that you will build upon
• Your professional aspirations; how will you become a leader in the information field?

Recommendations (3 Required)

Enter the names and contact information for three recommenders into the the Application for Graduate Study. These individuals will be sent an e-mail prompt with instructions for submitting their recommendation online.

The Ph.D. admissions committee prefers to review recommendations from academic sources. We strongly encourage applicants to choose professors, instructors and/or research staff who are familiar with your research, writing and other academic experience and abilities. Unless academic- or work-related, do not submit recommendations from family members, clergy or friends.

Select three or four Information School faculty members who could potentially serve as faculty advisors. The Information School faculty you list should be both eligible to advise doctoral students and share your research interests.

• Complete the faculty and research interests form within the online application to indicate the faculty that you most want to work with, ranking them in the order of your preference (#1 being your top choice). The online form will allow you to select as few as one faculty member or as many as five, however, candidates are urged to select 3-4 faculty.
• For each choice, provide a short explanation (2-3 sentences) regarding why you are interested in working with them. Please be as specific as possible and consider providing examples by referencing publications and/or areas of research.
• When listing potential advisors, please confirm they are eligible to advise doctoral students by referencing the  Ph.D. Faculty Advisors  page. Another good resource is the Research Areas section of the website, where faculty are grouped by research area, though Research Area lists are not restricted to faculty who can advise students.

Many of our successful applicants are admitted after having conversations directly with our faculty. Applicants are strongly encouraged to review faculty profiles and reach out to those who have interests similar to yours. Your cold emails will be warmly and enthusiastically received, so don't be shy!

Upload a PDF of your résumé or curriculum vitae. There is no preferred formatting or specific requirements that need to be met. However, your submission should include the following information, as applicable:

• Academic history (including institution, degree, dates of attendance)
• Professional experience (including employer, position title, and dates of employment)
• Involvement with volunteer, community, and/or diversity-related activities (including the organization, position title, and dates of service)
• Honors, awards, publications, and presentations
• Research experience

In the Report Prior Schools section of the the Application for Graduate Study, list all schools (colleges, universities and institutions) where you have earned collegiate-level credit.

In the Submit Transcripts section of the application, upload a transcript for each school listed.

Each transcript should be complete, legible and include the following: name of the institution, name of the student, dates of attendance, courses taken, grades/marks/credits earned and be organized by term (quarters, semesters or trimesters).

Please observe the following guidelines:

• All transcripts should be submitted through the Application for Graduate Study. Please do not mail (or email) transcripts to the iSchool unless specifically directed to do so.
• Unofficial transcript from the school, often a PDF
• Official transcript that the applicant scans and uploads into the Application for Graduate Study
• Information from an online system or dashboard (Applicants are welcome to copy/paste into a Word document. As long as it is complete and legible, we are happy to accept it.)
• Degree audits cannot be accepted in place of a transcript as they are not a comprehensive summary of the coursework a student has attempted.
• Applicants should not submit transcripts that they have typed out themselves. Any documentation that is submitted should originate from the degree-granting institution.
• Foreign transcripts: if not in English, must be accompanied by an  English translation .
• Certificate coursework: You only need to provide a transcript for certificate coursework if you earned academic credit in the process of earning the certificate. If you earned continuing education units (CEUs), a transcript does not need to be submitted.
• Study abroad (credits earned at a school outside the U.S.): Please refer to instructions for foreign transcripts.
• Study abroad (credits earned at a school inside the U.S.): Transcripts that fall into this category should be submitted as any other domestic transcripts.
• Transcripts from a clearinghouse or automated service may not be accessible when submitted through the Application for Graduate Study. As such, it is best to avoid using these services, if possible.
• In order to submit electronic transcripts, the applicant should have them sent to themselves and then upload them into the Application for Graduate Study.

Please note: The Ph.D. admissions committee retains the right to require that official transcripts be submitted for review at any time; during the application process or after admissions decisions have been made.

Applicants admitted to the program who accept the offer of admission will be required to submit official transcripts from all degree granting institutions to the Graduate School.

Extenuating Circumstances or Additional Information (optional)

If there are extenuating circumstances related to your academic transcript, resume or personal history which you haven’t addressed elsewhere but would like the admissions committee to consider, please describe them here. This section of the application can also be used to provide any additional information that you would like the committee to be aware of when considering you for admission. Please limit your response to 500 words.

Submit Work Sample (optional)

Applicants can opt to submit one example of their work. Possible samples include (but are not limited to): research paper, writing sample, portfolio, poster, project, research, presentation (basically anything you want to submit). If the sample you would like to submit doesn’t fit within the size limitations provided or isn’t conducive to the format options (plain text, PDF, Word or RTF), please post it online and provide a link.

Official GRE Scores (optional)

Though no longer part of our standard requirements, applicants with a lower GPA are encouraged to submit official GRE scores. If it is necessary to enter a low GPA petition with the Graduate School, having submitted official GRE scores may be beneficial and support the petition. When reporting scores, please use ETS report code 4854, no department code.

English Language Proficiency Requirement for Non-Native English Speakers

Proficiency in English is required for graduate study at the University of Washington. Therefore, every applicant whose native language is not English (regardless of citizenship) must demonstrate proficiency with the English language. (See UW Policy 3.2 for Graduate School policies.)

Non-native English speakers will indicate how they will fulfill the requirement in the application. The options are:

• submitted to the UW with ETS code 4854; use department code 99
• submitted to the UW with organization code 365
• Official Duolingo scores — minimum score of 105
• No additional documentation is required. We will use the transcript submitted with the application to verify that the requirement has been fulfilled.
• We will accept a notation directly on the transcript or a separate document issued by the institution.

Full Results

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Graduate Study in Materials Science and Engineering

Materials graduates are essential to the economic growth of the country. They contribute to the development, selection, and use of materials in all engineering and scientific applications. Master's and doctoral degrees in materials science and engineering are offered. An excellent selection of undergraduate courses is also offered in preparation and support of graduate studies. Course offerings and research activities cover a diversity of subjects in the broad field of materials. Subjects include biomaterials, nanotechnology, computational materials science, physical metallurgy, mechanical properties, fracture mechanics, corrosion phenomena, processing, thermodynamics and phase equilibria, non-destructive testing, X-ray analysis, phase transformations, glass science, electronic/technical ceramics, thin-film semiconductors, electronic and optical microscopy, dispersions and rheology, refractories, surface analysis, fiber science, polymerization reaction engineering, polymer process simulation, mechanical properties of polymers, and process-structure-property characterization of polymers. State-of-the-art research facilities in the School of Materials Science and Engineering contribute to the strength of both the academic and research programs.

MSE graduates find employment with manufacturing firms in light and heavy industry, in research laboratories of private firms and federal agencies, and in academic institutions. Several recent graduates have filled positions of high responsibility in these areas and have been instrumental in advancing the level of materials engineering practice in the United States. The MSE faculty participate in numerous multidisciplinary programs including manufacturing engineering, surface science technology, microelectronics, electronic packaging, and composites.

The Master's Degree

MSE offers graduate work leading to the degrees of Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering, Master of Science in Paper Science and Engineering, and Master of Science with a major in Materials Science and Engineering. The student admitted for graduate work will normally have completed an undergraduate program in materials, ceramics, metallurgy, or polymers. However, students with undergraduate degrees or backgrounds in other fields (e.g., physics, chemistry, geology, and chemical, mechanical, nuclear, or geological engineering) may qualify by taking certain minimum prerequisites during the early part of their graduate studies. To assure a smooth transition into the graduate program, the student should select appropriate electives during his or her undergraduate studies.

Students in the MS program must complete a core of graduate materials courses and prepare an individualized program of study for this degree in consultation with their graduate advisors. The proposed program must receive the approval of the graduate coordinator and the School chair. Thesis, non-thesis, and industrial internship options are available. The minimum credit hour requirements for the MS degree with include eighteen credit hours of courses and a minimum of twelve credit hours of thesis research, with a total minimum of 30 credit hours, or 30 credit hours of courses, or twenty-five hours of courses and six hours of project work conducted as part of an industrial internship. A total of twelve course hours must be in the major, and twelve course hours must be at the 6000 level or higher. A minimum GPA of 2.7 is required for graduation.

The Doctoral Degree

The Doctor of Philosophy degree is directed to attain proficiency in the pursuit of independent scholarly work. The degree comprises coursework in the general principles of materials, with emphasis on metallurgy, polymers, ceramics, paper science and engineering, or electronic materials. Additional requirements include specialized core courses and elective courses both in the area of the doctoral thesis and in one or two other areas, passing comprehensive examinations, and an independent research investigation.

Candidates for the doctoral degree are required to complete at least sixteen credit hours of graduate-level coursework beyond the MS degree, with a minimum GPA of 3.0, and pass the PhD qualification examination. Each student must also earn 9 credit hours in a coherent minor field, chosen in consultation with the advisor, to satisfy the School of Material Science and Engineering's core course requirements. Students should commence participation in the School's research programs early in their graduate careers.

Financial Aid

A number of fellowships and research assistantships from outside sources and industry are available to provide financial assistance for qualified graduate students. In addition, a limited number of presidential fellowships, as well as research assistantships, are available from the Institute. Further information can be obtained by contacting the director of graduate programs in the School of Materials Science and Engineering.

Mechanical Properties Research Laboratory

The Mechanical Properties Research Laboratory (MPRL) is an interdisciplinary College of Engineering laboratory that supports education and research with emphasis on structural materials. Its principal activities are directed toward the measurement and modeling of the mechanical properties of engineering materials, primarily related to deformation, fatigue, and fracture. The MPRL has an international reputation for excellence in areas of:

• fatigue and fracture studies of structural materials, structures and joints
• development of constitutive equations for deformation and damage, incorporating these advances into life prediction methodologies
• characterization and quantitative analysis of microstructure and damage in engineering materials such as structural alloys, composites, metal foams, biomaterials and nanostructured materials and alloys
• development of improved constitutive models for material deformation, fatigue and fracture behaviors
• multiscale simulation of materials and microstructure-sensitive fatigue and fraction approaches
• durability and degradation of aging materials and structures

Master's Degrees

• Bachelor of Science/Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering
• Master of Science in Bioengineering
• Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

Doctoral Degrees

• Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Bioengineering
• Doctor of Philosophy with a Major in Materials Science and Engineering

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Academics   /   Graduate Study   /   Materials Science Engineering (PhD) Curriculum & Requirements

The following six courses comprise the graduate core curriculum in materials science and engineering and are to be taken in sequence by all students in their first three quarters (excluding summer) of graduate study.

First Year Core Courses

Fall quarter.

• 401 Chemical and Statistical Thermodynamics of Materials
• 402 Structure of Crystalline and Noncrystalline Materials

Winter Quarter

• 404 Imperfections in Materials
• 408 Phase Transformations in Materials

Spring Quarter

• 405 Physics of Solids
• 406 Symmetry and Mechanical Properties of Materials

Additional Courses

Students take six additional courses, excluding 499.  Three must be 400-level courses, at least two of which must be MatSci courses.  Three must be engineering, mathematics or the physical sciences, selected with advisor approval.  Two of these six courses must constitute a recognizable minor.

Course offerings

General topics.

• 318 Materials Selection
• 333 Composite Materials
• 390 Materials Design
• 391 Process Design
• 381 Energy Materials
• 382 Electrochemical Energy Materials and Devices
• 483 Solid State Electrochemistry for Energy Storage and Conversion
• 485 Electronic and Thermal Properties of Materials
• 495 Special Topics: Solar Energy Conversion

Computational MSE

• 411 Phase Transformations in Crystalline Materials
• 458 Computational Materials Science
• ES_APPL 495 Advanced Special Topics: Modeling of Soft Materials

Characterization

• 361 Crystallography and Diffraction
• 380 Introduction to Surface Science and Spectroscopy
• 460 Electron Microscopy
• 461 Diffraction Methods in Materials Science
• 465 Advanced Electron Microscopy and Diffraction
• 466 Analytical Electron Microscopy

Electronic, Photonic, and Magnetic Materials

• 337 Conducting Polymers
• 376 Nanomaterials
• 395 Special Topics: Magnetic Properties of Materials
• 398 Introduction to Plasma Science and Processing Technology
• 415 Fundamentals of Thin Film Materials
• 451 Advanced Physics of Materials
• 452 Selected Topics in the Solid State
• 455 Physics of Nanostructures
• 456 Functional Metamaterials

Hard Materials

• 340 Ceramic Processing
• 341 Introduction to Modern Ceramics
• 434 Fracture of Brittle Solids
• 435 Special Topics in Mechanical Behavior of Solids

Soft and Hybrid Materials

• 331 Physical Properties of Polymers
• 333 Composite Materials 
• 370 Biomaterials
• 371 Biominerals: Hierarchical Architecture & Function
• 372 Engineering Strategies in Tissue Engineering & Regenerative Medicine
• 445 Special Topics in High Polymer Science
• 495 Advanced Special Topics: Biomineralization

More in this section

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• Materials Science Engineering (PhD)

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Contact Info

Academic Outreach Team 847-491-3537 Email [email protected]

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Ph.D. Books & Notes For All Semesters in PDF – 1st, 2nd Year

• Daily Exams
• November 18, 2021
• Books , Reference Books , Study Material

Download  Ph.D. Books & Notes For All Semesters in PDF – 1st, 2nd Year .   Ph.D. Full Form is  Doctor of Philosophy.  Doctorate in Philosophy is the highest level of degree that a student can achieve after Masters.  In this page, we are sharing links (పీహెచ్డీ పుస్తకాలు) to access study material for Law Ph.D. subjects which are taught in the first year and Second Year. You may easily Download these Ph.D. Books & Notes by visiting the following links for each subject.

Also, Check the following Links:

• Doctor of Philosophy Course Details

Ph.D Full Form: Doctor of Philosophy

Ph.D. Course Structure and Syllabus for 2-Years

The Doctor of Philosophy course duration is 2 years and the course follows the semester system as with theory and the practical versions on the Specialization on the Respective course.

Ph.D. Course Subjects

• Computer Science
• Quantitative Method
• Review of Research Work
• Research Methodology

Specialization Courses:

• Biological & Medical Sciences
• Chemical Sciences
• Physical Sciences
• Earth Sciences
• Business & Finance
• Engineering
• Maths & Computing
• Social Science & Health

Ph.D. Books & Notes in PDF Download

Students who are Searching for Study materials of Ph.D.  course can Download in the pdf Format as Links Available below. Students can Also use the following Reference Books and Notes for their Academic Preparation.

Ph.D. Reference Books & Authors for All Semesters

Ph.D. Course Reference Books with Authors can be given below. Students can Follow the Text Books for the Academic Exam Preparations. Following you can get the Reference Books & Authors List with Study materials.

• Best, John W. & James Kahn Research in Education (2008).New York, Prentice Hall,
• Borg, Walter R. (1981) Applying Educational Research: A practical guide for teachers, New York Longman.
• Borg, Walter R. & Meridith, D. Gall (1979) Educational Research An introduction, New York, Longman
• Engelhart, Max D. (1972) Methods of Educational Research. Chicago, Rand Mc Nally &Co.
• Fox, David J. (1969) the Research Process in Education. New York, Holt, Rinehart & Winston. Inc.
• Guilford J.P. Fundamental Statistics in Psychology and Education, McGraw Hill, New York.
• Garrett H.E. (1967) Statistics in Psychology of Education. Vakils Peffer and SimonsPrivate Ltd. Bombay.
• Paulo Freire (1996) Pedagogy of the Oppressed, Penguin Books.
• Mani R S (1964) Educational Ideas and Ideals of Gandhi and Tagore, New Book Society New Delhi.
• UNESCO: A System Approach to teaching & learning procedures a guide for teacher Educators, Paris: UNESCO, 1981.
• Government of India (1987) Programme of Action, New Delhi: MHRD.

Books Online Available at Amazon

Here you can get the Books of Ph.D. Course for References. There are Plenty Books for the Ph.D. Programs according to their Specialization Courses. Candidates can Refer the Amazon and buy through Online. So We Provide Some Books of the Ph.D. program for Candidate Reference. Students can Get the Study materials and Preparation Books on Sites like Amazon.

Check the Following Links for more information,

• BA Books & Notes For All Semesters in PDF – 1st, 2nd, 3rd Year
• M.Sc Books & Notes For All Semesters in PDF – 1st, 2nd Year
• M.Com Books & Notes For All Semesters in PDF – 1st, 2nd Year

We’ve given Ph.D. Books & Notes in PDF for all Semesters. Any University student can download Ph.D. Notes and Study material or you can buy Ph.D.   Books at Amazon also. For any Query, you can Contact us via Comment Box. You can Subscribe to our Website For more Updates on the Study materials on Different Courses.

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From admission to dissertation. Tips on making the PhD journey happy, productive and successful

How to Prepare for a PhD Entrance Exam and Crack it | PET Preparation Tips |

Here are the excellent tips on how to prepare for Ph.D. entrance exam in your subject and crack Ph.D. entrance exam. For PET entrance preparation, Firstly, Know your syllabus and read more books. PhD entrance exam preparation and practice must be done with the help of previous PhD test question papers.

Follow these 12 rocking tips to crack your upcoming PhD entrance exam

• Apply for PhD National Eligibility Test
• Prepare the prescribed PhD entrance exam syllabus .
• Find the study material for PhD entrance exam.
• Select carefully best PhD entrance books for preparation.
• Get a perfect time-table to crack PhD entrance .
• Appear for PhD entrance mock tests online.
• Prepare PET previous question papers.
• Discuss your subject with friends.
• Follow skim and scan technique .
• Write a short summary of each chapter.
• Do a second and third revision.
• Revise PhD entrance exam syllabus until the exam day.

My 120 days schedule to Prepare for Ph.D. Entrance Exam

Do at least 3 revisions if you want to crack any type of PhD entrance examination. So here my calculation of studying for Ph.D. is 15+60+30+15=120 Days schedule. First 15 days you will read summaries of all the chapters. Second 60 days you will do the first revision. The other 30 days you will do the second revision and the last 15 days will be your final revision just when during the 16th day you will appear for PhD entrance exam.

Do you ever ask great people about their secret in getting good marks or the secret behind receiving that gold medal? Most of them tell that revision is the secret of the good marks that they get.

The more they revised the better they became. So taking their example, I want to tell you that you must revise all your 60-day timetable again for the second revision. This may not be too difficult to do.

It may not be for another 60 days but half of that for 30 days. So here we must know that 2 nd revision will become easier. So I am giving you 30 days for it. In a similar way, you must go for 3 rd revision too. This will be for 15 days again.

This is the exact schedule that you must follow to crack Ph.D. entrance exam without any single problem of losing your PhD admission.Revision of a subject is over all the secret and best study tip to crack any examination be it either PhD or any sort of other examinations. So be serious with revision schedules

Revision of a subject is over all the secret and best study tip to crack any examination be it either PhD or any sort of other examinations. So be serious with revision schedules

Here is my explanation for each point to get success in your preparation for Ph.D. entrance exam in English Literature.

PhD Entrance Syllabus point of view

Whenever you prepare for a PhD entrance test, the most important part that we neglect is not to follow the syllabus. This is because each university has its own framed syllabus.

You cannot study the same syllabus for every university. So it is very important to get not of the exact syllabus that is pertaining to the university that you have applied or if you are going to apply.

This is where you will start seeing success. If you start your beginning wrongly, then everything will go wrong. So the beginning is very important when it comes to any PhD entrance exam.

Once you are very well versed in the exact syllabus of the university. You are ready to set go on practicing some methodology that could be effective to crack the PhD entrance exam.

Many times we overlook the syllabus that we really want to prepare. We think that if we buy any book which is popular and studies, it is quite enough. It is not so.

When you think that way you will be in a bad situation. You will never realize how important the syllabus learning is. The whole secret on how to crack your PhD entrance exam lies in the way you learn it. You cannot simply make it differently to undertake the exam with your own preparation.

This will really put you off.  There is no shortcut unless you study according to the syllabus and get your PhD admission. This is the only suggested thought from my side. So do not waste your thinking about studying some private syllabus. This happens when you join in any coaching center.

They will prepare some special syllabus and give you. Many time coaching institutes do them wrong. They frame it according to the old syllabus and sometimes they may not update.

They may just think that the printing costs would become waste as there are old books still need to be sold to the students when they join the institute.  So take care not to follow the institute’s syllabus.

You must learn by heart the chapters

The next very important step while preparing for a PhD entrance exam is to learn and by heart the names of the chapters. This is very beneficial just because you must know them to reflect when you are free without a book. So I suggest you have at least some time to learn them by heart first.

Do not learn any other stuff unless you learn all the names of the chapters clearly and strongly. This makes a huge sense to know exactly what you are studying in the future.

Why learning by heart is so important is that it has to go into your long-term memory to again ponder over when you are without any book or when you get some free time. This way you will really foresee all that is coming in the chapter. I mean by the minute details.

The other benefit of learning by heart all the chapters is that when you get some question in the exam related to the chapter, you can simply remember exactly where the question has come from. This is the major advantage of learning all the names of your subject’s chapters.

If you cannot learn then it will become a problem in the future when you appear for the Ph.D. entrance exam. Learning all the names may not at all happen all at once in a day or two.

Take as many days as you can but not more than a week. You cannot waste your time more than a week. Just go ahead at least sit calmly and learn all the headings of the chapters and if possible learn also all the subheadings and their meanings. Learning subheadings is something advanced technique of how you use.

So make sure you do not really stress up yourself while learning by heart all the names of the chapter. It may be difficult for a few hours, but as you move, by the way, you will feel easier than previous to learn by heart.

Write a short summary of each chapter

A short summary is the best way o understand any chapter easily. If you can really understand the importance of short summary you can clearly come to the point what exactly that chapter wants to convey to you. Once you write your summary, it is up to you to read the summary a number of times.

Till your exam date, you must go on revising the summary. This is the best practice to crack PhD entrance exam. When you want to write the exam, summarize is one of the key concepts for anybody to get through. There are different types of summaries. Do not make so large summary.

Make it a simple one and make an interesting one to read. Many time I see students do not know how to make a good summary. Do not panic with summarizing.

As you write more summaries, you will automatically tune to the things. My other best suggestion is to read other’s summaries how they exactly look like. Once you read, you will know the method to write any summary.

So make it one for you. Each chapter must be summarized with elements and point that has been discussed. I have just told that it must be short on each chapter. Short in the sense, you must not skip the main points of the chapter at all. You must never skip the main gist of the chapter.

While doing a summary of a chapter you must take care of how practical are you doing it. This must be understood.

Set separate hours for studying each chapter

Do not read all the chapters at a time. You have to read them clearly one by one. Set some days to read one chapter and then follow the timetable.

Once you set some timetable for studying one each chapter in depth, do that without forgetting or getting lazy. If you do not feel interested to study that particular chapter, wait till you cultivate interest.

Try to get interested. But never jump to other chapters just because you are not interested in reading the designed chapter. If you do this way, you cannot really study well.

You will miss out some chapters at the end or you will just not learn about some chapters thoroughly. And there are possibilities that you may forget that too.

There are certain ways to study chapters separately. Now that already you know summaries very well, It becomes very easy to read all the chapters separately in detail. While reading your chapters separately, you must write some questions coming across the chapters,

Underline some important points which will help you for further study. If you do not understand any vocabulary, you must try to check a dictionary without postponing then and there itself. Never read chapters without understanding or become lazy to know the meanings of difficult words.

This is the best practice and you can crack your PhD entrance exam easily If you have enough depth of knowledge about the concepts of each chapter read in different days. Your timetable must be effective.

Plan the timetable for a number of days

Plan your timetable for 60 days and stick to those days without giving any room for procrastination. In the beginning, it may be difficult to follow the timetable that you have prepared.

But later on, you will get accustomed to doing it. Once you are in the well, you will have no problem what so ever in following the timetable. So make sure you get to note these points. I myself have made this type of timetable and I was really confident after some days about my Ph.D. entrance exam.

Your success lies in how good you have formulated your timetable rather than how much you studied. If you do not cover all the chapters in the number of days that your timetable has been designed, then what is the use of studying so much hard. You may get questions for other chapters too in the Ph.D. entrance exam.

That is why I tell you to take more interest in framing the timetable clearly. This will take you towards the road of cracking your Ph.D. entrance examination.

While preparing your timetable you must make sure to relax in some days. Like, for example, make Sunday free from the timetable or any other day that you feel comfortable to relax your mind.

All other days you can study hard according to the given schedule. This way of doing will refresh your mind and you can easily remember what you study on all the other weekdays.

Take Ph.D. mock entrance tests

If you have some money to pay online for mock exams conducted by some experts, then you can go for it. But do it 10 before your Ph.D. entrance test.

I say it is not required for the entrance exam. But it is all an option from your end. This will only extend our 120-hour plan to somewhat more hours. If you do not have money to attend mock exams online, then it is well and good. It is not a big problem what so ever.

There is a process of attending Ph.D. mock entrance test. Do not just go and pay blindly online. Just make some research about quality mock tests that are currently relevant and not age-old mock test with the old syllabus. Some online service will screw your money down from your pocket and they give you cheaper services.

So once you find a good site that serves with genuine mock tests online, Pay them the fees and join the group and take the regular test for some 10 days. Here there is a problem that after subscribing to the service, we are not determined to take those tests. In another case, you may attend just one mock test and keep silent for lack of your interest.

Do not do this way. This will waste your money. Unless you are serious with Ph.D. mock tests only, you try this methodology of studying.

Otherwise, it is always better for go with my suggested 120-hour schedule to crack the Ph.D. entrance test. Mock tests are really useful if you utilize them the proper way.

Practice previous papers of different PhD tests

One of the biggest mistakes that any Ph.D. aspirant can do is not going through the previous papers of PhD entrance test from a particular university that you are attending to.

Never do this. Unless you are sure about what type of questions are the giving in the exam, you cannot plan your 120 hours timetable effectively. So it is very important to gather all the PhD previous papers list and get through them with proper answers.

Learn the important question and include them to study in your 60 days normal study. I recommend collecting papers from the last 3 years.

Do not study older than 3 years. Usually, examiners will not give questions from too old question papers. Another secret I am giving out freely is that just stay away last years question paper.

For example, you are attending an exam in 2022, never study question paper that has been given in 2021. Nobody wants to give last years question paper exactly this year.

This is the right way. So leave out studying previous years question paper and practice the other last 3 years from then that you have left. This we call a smarter study which will help so much to crack your Ph.D. entrance test. Do not study supplementary question papers too.

Try to study regular exam previous papers to know exactly what are the important questions that are repeatedly given in the exam and that there is a chance to get in the upcoming exam of yours.

Give a break after a week of preparation

This is something psychological while preparing for your entrance exam. When you give some long after studying some chapter and revising, you will come to know whether you have sent all the information to your long-term memory or short-term memory.

Either are you able to recollect the information after a long time or you are forgetting such read information after a certain period of time? When you give a break for a week,   you must be in a position to remember what you have studied. You must be able to answer questions clearly.

There is no meaning to study casually for that day’s satisfaction. You must send all information to long-term memory by revision again and again and testing your brain after some break.

Usually, I say this just because there are enough chances to forget because of tension during your PhD entrance exam. I have seen many PhD students saying me that they have forgotten what they have studied during the PhD entrance exam. So here tension plays its role.

So studying must be a serious task as long as you are able to remember during certain circumstances. I suggest you give a break for a week or even for a month to test your memory strongly.

This way of practicing your brain or training your memory will lead to a good chance of success in your entrance exam. Follow through all these techniques and think about doing and implementing them strongly. Be a doer rather than satisfied.

Follow certain PhD entrance tips

These are the tips that I am giving out from my success cracking a PhD entrance exam. But there are a lot more outside in some books or somewhere out there in the library about how to study effectively.

You can use all those resources and follow one regime without mixing up and getting confused well. In the end, you will give up. So follow the one-time table strongly that you are convinced.

The amount of effort that you put to crack this Ph.D. depends on how well you organize your studies. So not wasting much of your time. Start today itself doing things better to crack your Ph.D. entrance exam. Once you do them you will remain confident even in your oral interview.

This all happens with your steady determination about achieving something. This is to get admission in the university you desire and not the university that offers you admission for the sake of money. So think cleverly before feeling to appear for any Ph.D. entrance examination.

Prepare with all the techniques and smarter way of preparation will pay you much better than what you think to be. I am very confident that if you follow all that I have just told you in this article, you will win for sure.

You will stand first among all the Ph.D. aspirants. Admission is 100% guaranteed. Today itself you go out and collect some books that are important to study for the Ph.D. entrance exam and start studying them. I recommend studying research topic in details.

Sometimes universities ask you to write something about the topic you have chosen in a few lines. You must be ready for any type of question to answer in your Ph.D. entrance examination.

Never leave any questions blank in your Ph.D. entrance examination just because you do not know them. Attempt every question even though they are not up to the mark. Examiner will award you marks even for the garbage stuff.

So attempt fully all the questions and use all the exam time given to you. Do not leave your exam hall beforehand without the time getting over.

Use all the time until the end. This is another mistake that I have found with Ph.D. aspirants. They leave the exam hall within 30 minutes. This is not fair. If the exam time is 1-hour use that hour to write something good stuff or revise for some spelling mistakes.

Books for PhD entrance exam in English Literature

There are many books on Amazon. Once can easily look into one good book on English literature and prepare for PhD entrance exam.

PhD entrance exam question papers English literature

How to prepare for phd entrance exam in management.

Firstly you must try to understand what are the important chapters in management that more questions will be coming in every exam. For this, you must collect previous papers of PhD entrance exam in management subjects and try to observe them deeply. Here you will come to know which questions are important and which are not. This way you can understand which to include for your studies and which to exclude that are unimportant. For preparation books: check on amazon. You will get so many PET books for cracking PhD entrance exam.

PhD entrance exam question papers for psychology

These are the real time questions given in PhD entrance for Psychology subject

Syllabus for PhD entrance exam in English literature

The syllabus for English literature covers most of the periods. Below is the original syllabus that is almost common to every exam.

PhD examination previous question papers

Here is the site that can give previous questions for PhD exam.

Syam Prasad Reddy T

Hello, My name is Syam, Asst. Professor of English and Mentor for Ph.D. students worldwide. I have worked years to give you these amazing tips to complete your Ph.D. successfully. Having put a lot of efforts means to make your Ph.D. journey easier. Thank you for visiting my Ph.D. blog.

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Materials Scientist Awarded Schmidt Science Fellowship

• Katherine Connor - [email protected]

Published Date

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Wonjun Yim, who earned a PhD in materials science at the University of California San Diego, is one of 32 researchers selected from the world’s leading science and engineering institutions to receive a 2024 Schmidt Science Fellowship . The prestigious postdoctoral scholar program, launched in 2018, harnesses an interdisciplinary approach as a way to break down silos among scientific fields in order to solve the world’s biggest challenges and support future leaders in STEM.

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As a Schmidt Science Fellow, Yim will apply materials science to cancer diagnostics, integrating nanotechnology with medical devices to develop a new biomedical chemical imaging tool with the goal of improving the early detection of cancer. 

The fellowship is supported by Schmidt Sciences , a philanthropic initiative co-founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy, in partnership with Rhodes Trust . The fellowship aims to equip the next generation of scientists and engineers to collaborate across disciplines by funding training for the scientists and their research. 

As a Ph.D. student at UC San Diego, Yim studied in the lab of Jesse Jokerst, a professor in the Department of NanoEngineering at the Jacobs School of Engineering, focused on developing nanomaterials made out of a class of chemicals called phenols, for biomedical applications. Now a postdoctoral scholar at MIT, Yim plans to develop novel nanosensors for early-stage cancer diagnostics in a clinical setting.

“Specifically, I work with single-walled carbon nanotubes, functionalizing them with polymer libraries to detect cancer biomarkers,” said Yim. “My primary objective is to integrate nanotechnology into medical platforms for cancer diagnosis. By incorporating nanosensors into medical devices, I aim to create a powerful imaging platform to significantly advance the current state of cancer diagnosis.”

While at UC San Diego, Yim learned that context and understanding the broader impacts of research is key.

“UC San Diego holds a special place in my heart,” he said. “I met my amazing advisor, wonderful colleagues, and friends. I vividly remember the moment when I published my first research paper on disinfection methods for respirators , a project that made a positive impact during the COVID-19 pandemic. This memory ignited my passion for biomedical research to improve global human health. In the final year of my Ph.D. I was honored to receive the Gareth Thomas Materials Excellence Award. During the ceremony, I made a promise to myself and the committee members to continually ask myself 'why' questions in pursuit of scientific breakthroughs. I remain committed to this promise, striving to push the boundaries of knowledge and make meaningful contributions to science.”  

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Dylan Lewis Named to Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography

April 22, 2024 College of Arts and Humanities | English

The prestigious fellowship is a capstone graduate career achievement for the English doctoral candidate.

By Chloe Kim

English doctoral candidate Dylan Lewis has been named to the Andrew W. Mellon Society of Fellows in Critical Bibliography , a prestigious community of scholars housed at the Rare Book School at the University of Virginia. The Rare Book School is a renowned hub for the study of texts and books as material artifacts.

Lewis researches 17th- and 18th-century Anglo-German print history, queer bibliography and hands-on pedagogy, which includes teaching in BookLab . His current work primarily focuses on typography, or the study of letters and type, where he analyzes the significance of blackletter—also known as Gothic script, most commonly seen now in newspaper mastheads—in early modern Anglophone print culture. 

Through the fellowship, he will receive access to resources such as professional networking, exclusive annual research symposiums, free courses at the Rare Book School, and funding for travel, research and conference expenses. Lewis called it a “lifelong honor.” 

The school “is the go-to place for learning about rare book cataloging in libraries and archives, handling rare books, rare book conservation and bibliographical methodology,” Lewis said.

Members of the society undergo a rigorous, highly selective admission process and are widely recognized among peers as leaders in the bibliography field. Out of hundreds of applications and approximately 20 to 25 finalists, only 10 are chosen each year to join the society. They include librarians, archivists, curators, doctoral candidates, independent scholars and faculty members.

Newly named fellows are “junior fellows” for the first two years, during which they are expected to host a conference, take two Rare Book School courses and participate in two annual meetings, which are all funded by the fellowship. After meeting the requirements, they become full fellows for life.

Lewis credited his education at the University of Maryland and his experience in BookLab specifically as providing the training necessary to complete a successful application as a graduate student. BookLab is the Department of English’s makerspace, which hosts classes, workshops and other activities centered around letterpress printing, book history and book arts.

“BookLab has really been my home to explore a lot of what I’m interested in,” Lewis said. “We refer to it as a ‘mini Rare Book School’: we have a teaching collection, we do hands-on work where students learn how to study hand press-era books. It’s invaluable for people who are interested in book history, and we have so much here for exploring that.”

Matthew Kirschenbaum, Distinguished University Professor of English and co-director of BookLab, called the fellowship “the capstone to [Lewis’] professional development.”

“To have Dylan advance to this level speaks volumes about his extraordinary scholarly profile, the depths and promise of his research, and the professional profile he has built for himself in the bibliography and rare books community, as well as the kind of training and preparation available here at Maryland,” Kirschenbaum said.

Lewis plans on enrolling in a course with the Rare Book School this summer that will take place at the Newberry Library in Chicago, which holds one of the premier typography collections in the world. Next year, he hopes to host an interdisciplinary conference at the University of Maryland that brings together typographical experts from fields including literature, history, library science, and communications and marketing.

Image provided by Dylan Lewis. From Henry Neville’s 1668 “The Isle of Pines,” which uses blackletter typography to illustrate Dutch speakers in contrast to the roman type used to represent English speakers and the English text. (The Isle of Pines, or, A late discovery of a fourth island near Terra Australis, Incognita. Neville, Henry. Shelfmark 838.d.24. Courtesy of the British Library.)

Early Modern

Study Identifies New Metric for Diagnosing Autism

Autism spectrum disorder has yet to be linked to a single cause, due to the wide range of its symptoms and severity. However, a study by University of Virginia researchers suggests a promising new approach to finding answers, one that could lead to advances in the study of other neurological diseases and disorders.

Current approaches to autism research involve observing and understanding the disorder through the study of its behavioral consequences, using techniques like functional magnetic resonance imaging that map the brain’s responses to input and activity, but little work has been done to understand what’s causing those responses.

However, researchers with UVA’s College and Graduate School of Arts & Sciences have been able to better understand the physiological differences between the brain structures of autistic and non-autistic individuals through the use of Diffusion MRI, a technique that measures molecular diffusion in biological tissue, to observe how water moves throughout the brain and interacts with cellular membranes. The approach has helped the UVA team develop mathematical models of brain microstructures that have helped identify structural differences in the brains of those with autism and those without.

“It hasn’t been well understood what those differences might be,” said Benjamin Newman, a postdoctoral researcher with UVA’s Department of Psychology, recent graduate of UVA School of Medicine's neuroscience graduate program and lead author of a paper published this month in PLOS: One . “This new approach looks at the neuronal differences contributing to the etiology of autism spectrum disorder.”

Building on the work of Alan Hodgkin and Andrew Huxley, who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Medicine for describing the electrochemical conductivity characteristics of neurons, Newman and his co-authors applied those concepts to understand how that conductivity differs in those with autism and those without, using the latest neuroimaging data and computational methodologies.  The result is a first-of-its-kind approach to calculating the conductivity of neural axons and their capacity to carry information through the brain. The study also offers evidence that those microstructural differences are directly related to participants’ scores on the Social Communication Questionnaire, a common clinical tool for diagnosing autism.

“What we're seeing is that there's a difference in the diameter of the microstructural components in the brains of autistic people that can cause them to conduct electricity slower,” Newman said.  “It's the structure that constrains how the function of the brain works.”

One of Newman’s co-authors, John Darrell Van Horn, a professor of psychology and data science at UVA, said, that so often we try to understand autism through a collection of behavioral patterns which might be unusual or seem different.

“But understanding those behaviors can be a bit subjective, depending on who’s doing the observing,” Van Horn said. “We need greater fidelity in terms of the physiological metrics that we have so that we can better understand where those behaviors coming from. This is the first time this kind of metric has been applied in a clinical population, and it sheds some interesting light on the origins of ASD.”

Van Horn said there's been a lot of work done with functional magnetic resonance imaging, looking at blood oxygen related signal changes in autistic individuals, but this research, he said “Goes a little bit deeper.” 

“It’s asking not if there’s a particular cognitive functional activation difference; it’s asking how the brain actually conducts information around itself through these dynamic networks,” Van Horn said. “And I think that we've been successful showing that there’s something that’s uniquely different about autistic-spectrum-disorder-diagnosed individuals relative to otherwise typically developing control subjects.”

Newman and Van Horn, along with co-authors Jason Druzgal and Kevin Pelphrey from the UVA School of Medicine, are affiliated with the National Institute of Health’s Autism Center of Excellence (ACE), an initiative that supports large-scale multidisciplinary and multi-institutional studies on ASD with the aim of determining the disorder’s causes and potential treatments. 

According to Pelphrey, a neuroscientist and expert on brain development and the study’s principal investigator, the overarching aim of the ACE project is to lead the way in developing a precision medicine approach to autism. 

“This study provides the foundation for a biological target to measure treatment response and allows us to identify avenues for future treatments to be developed,” he said.

Van Horn added that study may also have implications for the examination, diagnosis, and treatment of other neurological disorders like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

“This is a new tool for measuring the properties of neurons which we are particularly excited about. We are still exploring what we might be able to detect with it,” Van Horn said. 

Study: direct-to-patient educational material helps older adults reduce their benzodiazepine use

Home » Study: direct-to-patient educational material helps older adults reduce their benzodiazepine use

Patients who received brochures about risks, alternatives, and tapering recommendations were more likely to successfully quit taking benzodiazepine medications, drugs which pose particularly high risks for older adults.

Providing brochures that contain information on benzodiazepine risks and ways to safely taper off of them can help older adults reduce their use of these medications, according to a new study .

Benzodiazepines are medications that slow down activity in the brain and nervous system and are often used to treat anxiety, seizure disorders, and insomnia; well-known brand names in this class of medications include Valium, Ativan, and Xanax. However, long-term use can result in dependence, and older adults are also at higher risk for suffering falls and other accidents when taking the sedating drugs.

“Benzodiazepines are high-risk medications for older adults given the risks of falls, fractures, motor vehicle accidents, and mortality,” said senior author Michelle Keller , assistant professor of gerontology and holder of the Leonard and Sophie Davis Early Career Endowed Chair in Minority Aging at the USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology. “Even for younger adults, they have a high risk of dependence and the potential for accidental overdose when combined with other sedatives, such as opioids.”

The study adapted the Eliminating Medications Through Patient Ownership of End Results (EMPOWER) materials, originally used in a 2014 intervention in Canada , for a population of older patients of 22 primary care providers in the Cedars-Sinai Medical Group in Los Angeles County. 308 patients received the EMPOWER materials in the mail, while 291 patients received standard care.

“Many physicians assume that patients are already aware of the risks of benzodiazepines, but our study found that patients may not know these risks. These medications may have been initially prescribed decades ago – before we knew all of the risks of benzodiazepines or when the person was younger and had a lower risk of falls, fractures, etc.,” Keller explained. “We found that several patients reached out to their physicians using the patient portal and expressed surprise that these medications had serious risks such as increased risk of falls, fractures, motor vehicle accidents, and accidental overdose. That was really illuminating and increases our motivation to make sure that people know that these medications aren’t without risks.”

The EMPOWER materials not only illustrate the risks of benzodiazepines but also offer alternative strategies for managing symptoms and provide an example tapering schedule for gradually reducing medication use, all within a short brochure. The materials also aim to encourage patients to discuss benzodiazepine cessation strategies with their doctor.

Keller said the EMPOWER brochure was developed using social cognitive theory, a psychological theory which states that people learn by watching others. It provides a quiz about the risks of benzodiazepines and a short narrative about an older adult who has successfully stopped taking the medication.

“Imagine you’re learning to cook by watching a cooking show. You see the chef chop onions and sauté them, then you try it yourself. That’s social cognitive theory in action – learning by observing others and then imitating their actions,” she explained. “It’s not just about copying, though; it also involves things like paying attention, remembering what you saw, and being motivated to do it yourself. So, it’s all about how we learn from the world around us, especially by watching other people.”

Another powerful part of the intervention was a letter from the patient’s primary care physician, which encouraged the patient to come in and talk to them about these medications, Keller added. “Many people have a trusted, strong relationship with their primary care physician and trust their opinion, so we felt that this approach would be a successful way to start the conversation,” she said.

Overall, 26% of patients who received the EMPOWER brochure had stopped benzodiazepine use completely, versus 17% of the control group, when assessed after nine months.

“We found that for every 10 brochures we sent – a very low cost intervention – one person completely stopped these medications [while] working closely with their doctor,” Keller said. “This is a neat intervention because it is so simple. All it requires is sending patient education materials to a patient via mail. Sometimes healthcare is so complicated that it is nice to see such a simple intervention work.”

Another important finding was that patients with a pain diagnosis were twice as likely to discontinue benzodiazepines versus those without a pain diagnosis. This could be because people with chronic pain may be taking other medications that increase their risk of a dangerous drug-drug interaction, Keller said.

“For example, the risk of accidental overdose is 10 times higher among patients taking benzodiazepines and opioids compared to patients only taking opioids,” she explained. “The EMPOWER intervention may have prompted important conversations about these risks.”

In the future, Keller and her colleagues hope to reach out to different populations with the brochures, which have been translated into multiple languages . Keller added that the next phase of this research will involve providing the EMPOWER materials to patients in the hospital who have experienced a serious event such as a fall or fracture.

“Sometimes patients do not make the connection between use of these drugs and serious events, and we want to prevent the next serious fall or fracture,” she said. “We call these events ‘sentinel events,’ and we think that healthcare professionals, patients, and patient’s family members should do a thorough review of the patient’s medications whenever something serious like this happens.”

The study, “Implementation of an intervention aimed at deprescribing benzodiazepines in a large US healthcare system using patient education materials: a pre/post-observational study with a control group,” first appeared in BMJ Open on April 3, 2024. Coauthors included Tammy Le of the UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine; Scott Campbell, Alexa Andraos, Pedro Ahlmark, and Caroline Goldzweig of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Care Foundation; Ha Hoang, Sean Isserman, and Allison Mays of Cedars-Sinai Medical Center; and Kristin Bradley of the University of North Carolina.

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