Admission Requirements
The Master of Science (MS) and Doctorate (PhD) degrees in Materials Science, are for students wishing to conduct research in an exciting interdisciplinary field of soft matter science, open to students with backgrounds in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics, engineering and materials science. Students will join the program, complete course work and then join a research lab. With assistance from their research advisor, students complete research projects, write their thesis or dissertation, develop professional skills, present research, and attend scientific meetings.
Admissions into the MS/PhD programs are for Fall semester only.
** We are no longer accepting applications for the Fall 2023 admission cycle. The application cycle for Fall 2024 admission should open the first week in August. **
MS/PhD Admission Requirements
- Copies of Official Transcripts
- GRE scores are NOT required
- Bachelor’s degree from accredited college/university
- Personal Statement that clearly explains why the applicant wishes to pursue an advanced degree and describes research experience and interest; statement must include a list of potential faculty mentors
- 2 Letters of Recommendation
- CV/Resume
- English Proficiency (if educated outside the United States)
Competitive Applicants
- GPA average for accepted students 3.5
- Minimum GPA 2.75 required; however, applicants must demonstrate an ability to maintain a 3.0 GPA in graduate coursework. Applicants can demonstrate this by meeting one or more of the following conditions: solid science background in physics, chemistry and math.
Clearly explain in their personal statement why they wish to pursue a MS or PhD in Materials Science, a description of their research experience and outline their research interests and long-term goals. Students should identify 3-5 faculty who they are interested in working with based on their and the faculty’s research interests. Faculty research interests can be found on the program webpages. It is not necessary to reach out to faculty, as they do not have any impact on admission.
Meets English proficiency requirement (or eligible for an English language proficiency waiver). CHECK ELIGIBILITY FOR AN ENGLISH PROFICIENCY WAIVER
- 71 TOEFL-internet
- 525 TOEFL-paper
- 6.0 IELTS
- 74 MELAB
- 50 PTE
- 100 Duolingo English Test (DET)
If you are interested in applying to the MS or PhD graduate program in Materials Science, please click on the button below.
Click here to apply to our MS/PhD programs.
Admission Timeline for Fall Admission
- Applications begin to be accepted in August.
- Application deadline is January 15th. We will continue to accept applications past the deadline, they simply have a decreasing chance, the later they arrive, for consideration for admission.
- Applications reviewed at the end of January. Applications must be complete at time of review for admission consideration.
- Top applicants interviewed February-March.
- Begin to send offers mid February.
- Our application process remains formally open until our entire class is full.
- Rejection notices are not usually sent until June.
Graduate Assistantships
Admissions into our PhD program is competitive; thus we do not offer "conditional" admission. These programs are full-time so graduate assistantships are awarded to all admitted PhD students in the form of teaching or research assistantships. Applicants do NOT need to apply separately for an assistantship. Our MS program is a self-supporting program, that does not come with an assistantship.
Teaching/research assistantships include:
- A full tuition waiver
- Annual stipend
- Partial health insurance
Additional financial support includes:
- Travel money to conferences
- Graduate Student Senate research awards
- Opportunities to apply for additional graduate student awards/endowments/fellowships