Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Graduate Degree Requirements (2005-2007)

MS Requirements

Students are required to maintain a cumulative 3.0 GPA in all their coursework.

They must also complete and submit a “Graduate Student CV Update” form by the last day of classes in each academic semester of enrollment (Fall, Spring, and Summer). These reports will be reviewed periodically by the Graduate Program Committee.

Coursework

The MS Program of Study must include at least 30 total credits

Thesis Proposal

Students must complete the thesis proposal process no later than the third semester of enrollment. The proposal process will include a public oral presentation and a formal written proposal, both evaluated by the Program of Study (POS) Committee.

Thesis Document

The thesis document must be prepared in accord with the guidelines and formatting requirements of the Graduate College. A complete draft of the thesis must be presented to each POS Committee member and the MSE Graduate Program Coordinator (for public display) at least two weeks before the oral examination.

Final Thesis Presentation/Oral Examination

The final oral examination consists of two parts:

  1. Presentation of the thesis work in the form of a formal seminar that is open to the public
  2. Oral examination by the POS Committee, which will immediately follow the seminar and may include thesis topics and other topics, at the discretion of the POS Committee and Graduate Studies Committee delegate. (See also: Request for Oral Examination.)

For more information about the requirements, see the graduate handbook.

PhD Requirements

Students are required to maintain a cumulative 3.3 GPA in all their coursework.

They must also complete and submit a “Graduate Student CV Update” form by the last day of classes in each academic semester of enrollment (Fall, Spring, and Summer). These reports will be reviewed periodically by the Graduate Program Committee.

Coursework

Every PhD Program of Study in MSE has at least 72 total credits:

  • 18 graduate course credits, including:
    • 12 credits of 500 or 600 level MSE courses (Students holding an MS in MSE from Iowa State University may be exempt from these course requirements, subject to approval)
    • 6 non-MSE credits, approved by the Graduate Program Committee for graduate credit
  • A minimum of 36 credits of MSE 699 (Research – graded as A, B, C, D, F)

Beginning in the semester that the student accrues 15 hours of MSE 699 credit, the student is required to maintain a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.3 for all MSE 699 credits taken (including the original 15).

PhD Preliminary Examination

The PhD Preliminary Examination consists of a written research proposal and a two-part oral examination. The Preliminary Examination must be competed by the end of the fifth semester of
enrollment or the third semester after receiving the MS degree.

The preliminary exam must be a public event with all students and faculty members invited to participate in the discussion.

The exam has two parts.

The first part is devoted to public presentation and discussion of the research topic, literature review, preliminary results, and proposed research plan.

The second part will include an examination and discussion period
conducted by the members of the POS committee. This part will be focused on the fundamentals of Materials Science and Engineering in Thermodynamics, Structure, and Properties of materials, as related to the research field of the candidate. The examination questions will be derived largely from the student’s written proposal and oral presentation.

For more information about the requirements, see the graduate handbook.