
Our Program Objectives have guided the development of the undergraduate degree curriculum so that graduates of our program will be able to:
• recognize, understand and further the evolving role that materials science and engineering plays in society.
• pursue careers in materials science and engineering, or in fields that require an understanding of materials, using a broad, fundamental view of materials as well as a solid foundation in science and engineering.
• engage in materials research and apply research methods in advancing a wide range of established and emerging technologies.
• pursue graduate studies in materials and in related engineering fields or enter professional fields such as medicine or law.
• communicate effectively in a range of technical and non-technical forums and engage productively in team-based efforts.
• provide leadership and standards of ethical behavior in their professional roles that serve the scientific community, the engineering profession as well as broader segments of our society.
In relation to the program, students majoring in materials science and engineering:
• are well prepared for professional scientific and engineering practice, as well as for advanced study in materials science and engineering or other scientific, engineering or professional areas;
• have acquired a solid grounding in the mathematics, chemistry, biology and the physics that are required for the solution of materials problems related to the structure, properties, processing and performance of materials;
• can utilize modern scientific, engineering and computer tools to analyze problems in materials science and engineering;
• can identify important scientific and engineering problems related to materials and design systems and processes as well as perform and complete relevant experiments to aid the solution of these problems within the constraints provided by social, economic, environmental and cultural factors;
• learn to work both independently and in teams;
• have obtained extensive experience in oral and written communication including science and engineering specific forms of communication such as technical reports, scientific notebooks and technical presentations of research;
• are instilled with an appropriate appreciation of the broad need for life-long learning, the scope and meaning of professional responsibility and the relevance of engineering practice to contemporary economic, environmental and societal issues on local and global levels.
When Jerry Prince first studied medical imaging as an undergraduate, his work focused on ultrasound images—"essentially 2-D pictures," he explains. "We were trying to identify characteristics of cancer tumors by looking for meaningful patterns of reflections."