What is Materials Science and Engineering?
Materials science explores the relationship between processing (how a material is made and modified), structure (how a material is organized from atomic to macroscopic lengthscales), and properties (how a material responds to stress, electrical field, temperature gradients, etc.). Materials engineering is an applied field that seeks to design materials with some desired physical properties to serve a particular engineering function.
Why is Materials Science and Engineering Important?
Many of the technologies that we need to solve pressing societal problems (efficient energy generation, access to clean water, information processing and storage, safe and efficient transportation as examples) are fundamentally limited by the materials that we have available to us. Materials scientists and engineers are critical to discovering new materials to advance these technologies.
Materials Science and Engineering at Texas A&M University
The face of materials science and engineering is continuously evolving. Currently, there is massive interest domestically and internationally in new manufacturing processes (3-D printing, additive manufacturing, etc.) and in utilizing computational and informatics approaches to intelligently and rapidly design new materials. Here at Texas A&M, our faculty embrace these new aspects, while maintaining vigorous educational and research efforts in the classical core tenants of materials structure, thermodynamics, and kinetics.
This department also offers additional studies in the following Academic Areas of Interest:
- Corrosion Science and Engineering
- Electronic Materials
- Materials Characterization and Failure Analysis
- Soft Materials
- Structural Materials
To help you succeed, our program offers:
- Hands-on lab series starting in sophomore year, culminating in capstone design course
- Flexibility to choose three “specialty electives” to complement your B.S. degree
- Faculty mentoring program starting sophomore year
- Industry-driven capstone projects
The department also offers a minor degree program designed to provide a strong materials science educational program for undergraduate engineering majors and to integrate a materials focus into their undergraduate training. Learn more and see a complete description of the minor here.