Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Massachusetts Institute of Technology


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Graduate Program

SM Degree Requirements

The Department offers a single Master’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering, which may also be taken simultaneously with other Departmental or interdepartmental programs, such as the Leaders for Global Operations program. The requirements for this degree are:

Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering

The student must complete a minimum of 66 units approved for at least “G” credit, of which 42 units must be of “Graduate H” level in Course III (with exclusions noted below). Of the “Graduate H” units, 32 units must comprise a coherent program (but not necessarily all Course III subjects) approved by the appropriate department Academic Program Chair. All unit requirements must be a letter grade.

Note: 3.ThG "Graduate Thesis" units cannot be used toward the 66-unit requirement.

By the time of graduation, the student must have completed subject 3.205 or its equivalent. The equivalent subjects may have been taken at a different institution. Students must submit a petition to the Departmental Committee on Graduate Students for approval to use equivalent subjects taken at a different institution. The academic credit may also be satisfied by completing the subjects 3.20 and 3.21 for academic credit. Completing certain other undergraduate or graduate subjects for credit ensures that the student has substantially mastered the material in 3.205. Any one of the following subjects may be taken to satisfy the 3.205 requirement: 3.03, 3.07, 3.14, 3.40J, 3.44, and 3.50, and 3.52J. A petition is not required if a student chooses to satisfy the requirement by completing a Course III subject.

Certain subjects are excluded from satisfying the SM degree requirements. Subjects 3.577, 3.80J, 3.81J, and 3.83J may not be used to satisfy the 42-unit Graduate H requirement. Leaders for Manufacturing program students may not use Subject 3.56 to satisfy the 42 unit requirement because similar material forms a part of the Sloan School core program. Course III Internship students may not use subject 3.932, “Industrial Practice” to satisfy the 66-unit subject degree requirement.

Subjects in English as a Second Language and undergraduate subjects taken as an undergraduate are not acceptable for graduate credit. Graduate subjects taken as an undergraduate and not applied toward the requirements of a degree, and advanced undergraduate subjects taken as a DMSE graduate student, may be used for graduate “G” credit upon successful petition to the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Graduate Students.

The subject of the thesis must have a clear materials related component. The student must give a public presentation based on the thesis. The thesis presentation must be scheduled and publicized through the Academic Office at least one week in advance. The student must provide a draft copy of the thesis to both the thesis advisor and the Academic Office at least one week in advance of the public presentation. An internal departmental thesis reader is required if the student’s advisor is outside Course III. The reader must sign the title page of the thesis.

Master of Science as Recommended by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering

In special cases, a student may petition the Graduate Committee to recommend, on behalf of the Department, the awarding of a Master’s degree without Departmental specification. The requirements for this degree are a minimum of 66 units, approved for at least “G” credit, of which 42 units must be “Graduate H” level. The petition should be submitted early in the student’s residence.

Note: 3.ThG "Graduate Thesis" units cannot be used toward the 66 unit requirement.

The subject of the thesis must have a clear materials related component. The student must give a public presentation based on the thesis. The thesis presentation must be scheduled and publicized through the Academic Office at least one week in advance. The student must provide a draft copy of the thesis to both the thesis advisor and the Academic Office at least one week in advance of the public presentation. An internal departmental thesis reader is required if the student’s advisor is outside Course III. The reader must sign the title page of the thesis.

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