MS/ME in Materials Science
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers two degrees at the masters level:
The Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (MS)
and
The Master of Engineering in Materials Science and Engineering (ME).
Both degrees typically take up to about two years of full time work and consist mostly of course work.
The MS degrees generally require a thesis, but this is based on much less research than the thesis for a PhD.
The ME degree is generally based solely on course work.
Both degrees require the completion of 30 credit hours of study. There is no specific program for these degrees. Each student organizes a program to match their interests with the help of a faculty advisor. However, for both the MS and ME degrees, students must complete three "foundation" courses. The other 21 credits are selected to match the student's goals from a wide range of courses. In the case of ME students all of these 21 credits are earned in coursework. In the case of MS students, 15 credits are from coursework and 6 from research contributing to the thesis.
Many students who go on to work for a PhD start by getting a master's degree.
Students, who seek admission to a master's program with the intention of going on to a PhD, should follow admissions procedures for the PhD program.
Students, who intend to obtain a master's degree and not go on to a PhD, should contact Anne Marie Lobley, Department Graduate Administrative Coordinator at (610) 758-4222 or amme@lehigh.edu. The criteria for admission are generally similar to the criteria for admission to the PhD program.