PhD in Materials Science and Engineering

Class Profile

Class Size

25

Average Age

28

Average Work Experience

2 Years

Diversity

Others:

30%

Wisconsin:

45%

Illinois:

11%

Minnesota:

8%

Iowa:

6%

Career Outcomes

Median Earnings After Graduation

$1,10,000 / year

Graduation Rate

90%

Job Placement

72%

Top recruiters

IBM

Google

Amazon

Microsoft

Apple

Intel

Siemens

GE

Lockheed Martin

Meta

The Boeing Company

Fees and Funding

Tuition Fees

$39,041 / year

Overall Cost

$54,041 / year

FAQs

• What are the research areas?
  
  Research spans ceramics, computational materials science, composites, corrosion, electronic/optical/magnetic materials, growth and synthesis, joining, and more.
• What are the advisor/committee requirements?
  
  Students must have an advisor by the end of the first year. The doctoral committee must have five faculty members, including the advisor, with at least three from the department and at least two different departments represented.
• What is the maximum course load per term?
  
  15 credits per term maximum
• What are the major exams and milestones?
  
  Qualifying Exam: Must be attempted within 13 months of starting. If failed, a second attempt is allowed within four months. Failing twice disqualifies the student from the PhD program. Preliminary Exam: Must be completed by the end of the fifth semester. If failed, a retake must occur within three months. PhD Defense: Must be completed within five years after passing the preliminary exam, or another preliminary exam may be required.
• What are the main curricular requirements?
  
  Minimum credits required: 51 credits Minimum residence credits: 32 credits Graduate-level coursework: At least 26 credits must be graduate-level Overall GPA: Minimum of 3.00 Required components: Materials Research Seminar (2 credits, two consecutive semesters) Three core courses (9 credits) Graduate-level math course (choose from approved list) Materials elective courses (6 credits) Additional coursework/research (25 credits) Doctoral minor or graduate/professional certificate (9 credits)