Northwestern University’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering is recognized throughout the materials community for its educational and research accomplishments. Since it established the first materials science academic department in the world more than 50 years ago, Northwestern has continued to lead the field. As evidence:
Our department was formed because faculty across several sciences realized
that materials could and should be studied as a whole from all their perspectives.
As you read through this web site, you’ll notice that collaboration
remains our hallmark. We carry out joint research projects with most Northwestern
engineering departments; the chemistry, physics, and geological sciences
departments; the Medical School; and national laboratories, especially nearby
Argonne National Laboratory, with its neutron radiation facilities and the
world’s newest synchrotron light source. We take pride in the supportive
atmosphere we provide for students from a variety of backgrounds, including
all areas of materials science as well as physics, chemistry, and other branches
of engineering. Students are able to work on research projects matching their
interests and to interact with faculty and students in other disciplines.
The most important element in your choice of a graduate program is the faculty.
Our faculty’s major research interests are reviewed on this site to
assist you in your decision. We also include detailed descriptions of our
advanced research equipment and facilities.
If you have any questions that are not answered here, please feel free to
contact us. We look forward to receiving your application.
Sincerely,
Peter W. Voorhees, Frank C. Engelhart Professor and Chair
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) The MS degree is not needed for the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering. All PhD students are provided with tuition and stipend, subject to satisfactory progress and availability of funds.
Master of Science (MS) Research Thesis MS - Financial aid is not available.
Non-thesis MS - No financial aid is available to students in this degree
program.
All applicants must have the results of their Graduate Record Examination
(GRE) General Test (verbal, quantitative, and analytical writing) sent to
the Graduate School (school code 1565, no department code neccesary).
Supporting materials (letters of recommendation and transcripts--see FAQ
below) should be sent to:
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Materials Science and Engineering
Northwestern University
2220 Campus Drive
Cook Hall, Room 2036
Evanston, IL 60208-3108, USA
Applicants whose native language is not English must also supply scores from the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or International English Language Testing System (IELTS). The examinations should be taken no later than December to ensure that results reach the Graduate School and the department before February 1, 2008. This same deadline applies to GRE test scores and supporting materials for international applicants.
Applications are evaluated soon after they are complete; virtually all decisions for fall quarter admission are made before the preceding March 15. An admitted applicant must respond to an offer of financial aid by April 15.
Virtually all full-time graduate students in materials science and engineering making normal progress toward the degree objective secure a research assistantship, fellowship, or teaching assistantship that provides a stipend and payment of full tuition. Only those international students pursuing the PhD are eligible for financial aid.
Research assistantships are funded by grants or contracts directed by individual
professors. Fellowships may be from University, government, or industrial
sources; teaching assistantships are normally temporary assignments from
the University.
The stipend level — $24,840 for 12 months in 2007-08 — is subject
to annual adjustment for cost-of-living changes. The stipend level is increased
to $2,170 per month for students the first quarter after they qualify. Fellowships
with larger stipends are available for those with advanced standing or special
qualifications. Externally funded fellowships are often supplemented.
Research assistants and fellows serve as part-time department teaching assistants, for which they receive additional remuneration. Funds may also be obtained through low-interest loans from the University or elsewhere. Veterans’ benefits may be received simultaneously with other aid.
Many students choose to room in private homes or to rent apartments in Evanston or nearby communities. Current students are happy to provide advice and can be reached through the department office at the phone number that follows.
Northwestern operates an apartment building, Engelhart Hall, for both married and unmarried graduate students. Apartments are available for one-year lease; preference is given to students beginning full-time degree programs on the Evanston campus. For more information and application forms, contact the Graduate Housing Office at the address given in the "Where to Write or Phone" section at the bottom of this page.
Graduate Admissions Coordinator
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Northwestern University
Cook Hall, Room 2036
Evanston, Illinois 60208-3108 U.S.A.
Phone 1-847-491-3537 (800-562-6291--toll free, US only)
E-mail matsci@northwestern.edu with
Graduate Admissions in the Subject.
http://www.matsci.northwestern.edu/
Admissions
The Graduate School
Northwestern University
Rebecca Crown Center
Evanston, Illinois 60208-1113 U.S.A.
Phone 847-491-7264
Contact list http://www.tgs.northwestern.edu/admission/contact/
Web http://www.northwestern.edu/graduate/
Graduate Housing Office
Northwestern University
1915 Maple Avenue
Evanston, Illinois 60201 U.S.A.
Phone 847/491-5127
E-mail grad-housing@northwestern.edu
Web http://www.northwestern.edu/gradhousing/
The department offers both MS and PhD degrees in materials science and engineering. Evaluation of applicants for either degree is based on the same criteria. The MS is not required for the Ph.D.
We strongly recommend that students begin their graduate programs in the fall quarter, although those with unusual circumstances and an appropriate background may begin in the winter quarter or during Summer Session.
The graduate program in materials science and engineering is designed to integrate core courses that apply across the field, specialty courses selected with the advisor, and research. Students have opportunities to develop presentation and writing skills through participation in individual research groups, presentations at national and international meetings, and submission of papers for publication. Students also participate as full- or part-time teaching assistants in graduate and undergraduate courses.
The PhD curriculum includes five courses that provide a foundation for any specialization within materials science and engineering. Students take ten additional courses, two of which constitute a recognizable minor and four of which must be in Materials Science at the 400 level or above. The other courses are appropriate to the specialization or are useful for dissertation research. The following list of courses is not inclusive because new courses based on emerging fields are continually being developed. For example, Synthesis of Materials has recently been taught as a special topics course.
401 Analytical and Statistical Thermodynamics of Materials
404 Imperfections in Materials
405 Physics of Solids
406 Symmetry and Mechanical Properties of Materials
408 Phase Transformations in Materials
318 Materials Selection
322 Kinetics of Heterogeneous Reactions
333 Composite Materials
390 Materials Design
391 Process Design
411 Phase Transformations in Crystalline Materials
412 Interfaces in Crystalline Solids
361 Crystallography and Diffraction
380 Introduction to Surface Science and Spectroscopy
385 Image Analysis
460 Electron Microscopy
461 Diffraction Methods in Materials Science
465 Advanced Electron Microscopy and Diffraction
466 Analytical Electron Microscopy
340 Ceramic Processing
341 Introduction to Modern Ceramics
440 Crystal Defects and Transport Phenomena in Ceramics
441 Selected Topics in Ceramic Science
355 Electronic Materials
398 Introduction to Plasma Science and Processing Technology
415 Fundamentals of Thin Film Materials
451 Advanced Physics of Materials
452 Selected Topics in the Solid State
In addition to course work, PhD candidates write and defend a research proposal before a committee of four people—three faculty members from the department and a fourth person from another department or from outside the University. The same committee reads the final dissertation and hears the student defend it.
PhD candidates may choose to participate in the Crown Family Graduate Internship Program, gaining practical experience in industry or national research laboratories in areas related to research interests. An internship can significantly boost the thesis effort and may provide a basis for future employment.
A student may elect the graduate internship option in the latter stages (e.g., third year) of PhD study. A proper position is found with the help of the student’s PhD advisor, the associate dean of graduate studies and of research, and the director of industry relations. The student works full-time for three, six, or nine months and generally is paid by the participating sponsor.
MS candidates take six courses, at least four of which are in the department. The latter include 401 Analytical and Statistical Thermodynamics of Materials and two other 400-level courses. A wide variety of courses in other science and engineering departments may be used as electives. MS candidates write a thesis and defend it before a committee of three faculty members from the department. A paper accepted for publication in a refereed journal may be substituted for a thesis.
A nonthesis MS option of twelve courses available for students who do not require financial support. Eight of the twelve must be in the department, including 401 and four other 400-level courses.
Each PhD and MS candidate works closely with a faculty advisor on a research project. Projects may be experimental, theoretical, or a combination thereof, depending on student and faculty interest. Through faculty involvement in collaborative research and through the science and technology centers, research teams often include other Northwestern faculty members, professors from other universities, scientists from national laboratories (particularly nearby Argonne National Laboratory), postdoctoral research associates, and other graduate students. All research done in the department directly applies to the dissertation or thesis. We believe that active involvement in and reporting of original research are key elements in a graduate student’s maturation.
Ryan Fellowships to Advance
the Field of Nanotechnology
The Ryan Fellowship, made possible by a generous donation from Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan, supports graduate students dedicated to the exploration of fundamental nanoscale science and to advancing this knowledge into practical applications of benefit to society. The fellowship, created in 2007, is to support the finest graduate students in the country and to provide them with the education and experience to assume leadership roles in the realm of nanotechnology. Ryan Fellows will participate in a variety of activities, including retreats, lectures and symposia, and other opportunities to engage in collaborative discussion and research with domestic and international partners. Applications are by nomination only.
The fellowship includes an annual $7500 award: $5000 as an additional stipend and $2500 for research expenses. Incoming students receive two years of Ryan Fellowship funding after which they are eligible to apply for the award for continuing students. Continuing students are eligible to be nominated at the end of their second year. Awardees will receive Ryan Fellowship funding in addition to their current funding for three years or until they graduate, whichever comes first.
The fellowship competition is open to incoming PhD students who demonstrate aptitude and interest in nanoscience and continuing students who have shown exceptional scientific talent and who have committed to a specific research project in the area of nanoscience and technology. The inherent interdisciplinarity of nanotechnology makes the Ryan Fellowship applicable to gifted students in a broad spectrum of scientific and engineering disciplines.
Ryan Fellows will represent a select group of scholars who assume a leadership
role in the NU graduate student community and present their accomplishments
each year at the Ryan Fellows Symposium. In addition, recipients will have opportunities to engage
in collaborative research with domestic and international partners (some countries
where representative partnerships are already in-place include Spain, Germany,
France, Sweden, Switzerland, Korea, Japan, and China).
Northwestern University is uniquely positioned to provide the ideal environment for graduate researchers in nanotechnology. Its history of substantial contributions to the field has made the mid-west a major hub of nanotechnology research and education. As early as 2000 and prior to the establishment of the National Nanotechnology Initiative by the U.S. Congress, Northwestern recognized the importance of the field and established the Institute for Nanotechnology in 2000. Since then, the Institute (now called the International Institute for Nanotechnology or IIN) has helped to nucleate and develop new efforts in nanoscience and nanotechnology research campus-wide, and now encompasses over $300 million in extramural funding including funding for one of the nation’s first Nanoscale Science & Engineering Centers and Centers of Cancer Nanotechnology Excellence, among others.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
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Northwestern University reserves the right to change without
notice any statement on this site concerning, but not limited to, rules, policies,
tuition, fees, curricula, and courses.
It is the policy of Northwestern University not to discriminate against any individual on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, disability, or veteran status in matters of admissions, employment, housing, or services or in the educational programs or activities it operates, in accordance with civil rights legislation and University commitment.
Any alleged violations of this policy or questions regarding the law with respect to nondiscrimination should be directed to Director of Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action, and Disability Services, 720 University Place, Evanston, Illinois 60208-1147, phone 847/491-7458; Office of the Provost, Rebecca Crown Center, Evanston, Illinois 60208-1101.
Robert
R. McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science
Materials
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