Master’s Degree and Requirements
DMSE offers a rigorous master’s degree program that equips students with a comprehensive understanding of the principles and applications of materials science, enabling them to make significant contributions in fields such as energy, nanotechnology, and advanced manufacturing.
DMSE offers a Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (with departmental specification) and Master of Science as Recommended by the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (without specification).
Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering
The Master of Science degree at DMSE is a one-to-two-year program that prepares the graduate for an advanced position in materials science and engineering through lectures and laboratory research.
- The general requirements for the Master of Science degree are cited in the section on General Degree Requirements for graduate students.
- English evaluation test (for non-native English speakers, if not previously satisfied at MIT)
- 66 graduate level units, of which 42 units must be in materials science and engineering.
- Of the 66 units, 34 units must comprise a coherent program, not necessarily all DMSE subjects, approved by the chair of the Departmental Committee on Graduate Studies. All unit requirements must be taken for a letter grade.
- Two foundational classes: 3.20 (Materials and Equilibrium) and 3.21 (Kinetic Processes in Materials) or their equivalents. The equivalent subjects may have been taken at a different institution. Students must submit a petition to the Departmental Committee on Graduate Studies for review.
- Download the Graduate Student Petition (pdf) and complete it
- Send the completed petition to dmse-gradoffice@mit.edu.
English Evaluation Test
International graduate students may be required to take the MIT English Evaluation Test upon arrival in the fall semester. Results from the test will indicate whether the student will be required to take an English class at MIT.
Some students may qualify for a waiver of the English Evaluation Test
- Students who studied at a US university or an international university whose primary language of instruction is English for at least three years and received a degree from that US/international university.
- Students whose language of instruction was English during primary and secondary school years.
The DMSE Graduate Academic Office informs incoming students by early summer if they qualify for this waiver.
Submit Master of Science Program Proposal outlining your plan before the end of your first year at MIT.
- Preview the Master of Science Program Proposal (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and submit the proposal via DocuSign.
The student and their advisor will work together to determine the master’s thesis topic. Here are the requirements for a master of science thesis:
- 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 DMSE. The reader must sign the title page of the thesis and attend the student’s presentation.
After successful completion of your Master of Science thesis presentation, the student and advisor must complete the Master of Science Seminar Report Form.
- Preview the Master of Science Seminar Report Form (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and submit the form via DocuSign.
- 3.ThG Graduate Thesis or 3.932 Industrial Practice units cannot be used toward the 66-unit requirement.
- Subjects that do not satisfy the SM degree requirements include subjects in English as a Second Language and undergraduate subjects taken as an undergraduate.
- Graduate subjects taken as an undergraduate and not applied toward that degree’s requirements, 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 Studies.
Master of Science as Recommended by DMSE
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 general requirements for the Master of Science degree are cited in the section on General Degree Requirements for graduate students.
- English evaluation test (for non-native English speakers, if not previously satisfied at MIT)
- 66 graduate-level units, of which 42 units must be DMSE subjects.
English Evaluation Test
International graduate students may be required to take the MIT English Evaluation Test upon arrival in the fall semester. Results from the test will indicate whether the student will be required to take an English class at MIT.
Some students may qualify for a waiver of the English Evaluation Test:
- Students who studied at a US university or an international university whose primary language of instruction is English for at least three years and received a degree from that US/international university.
- Students whose language of instruction was English during primary and secondary school years.
The DMSE Graduate Academic Office informs incoming students by early summer if they qualify for this waiver.
Submit Master of Science Program Proposal outlining your plan before the end of your first year at MIT.
- Preview the Master of Science Program Proposal (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and submit the proposal via DocuSign.
The student and their advisor will work together to determine the master’s thesis topic. The requirements for a master of science thesis are as follows:
- 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 DMSE. The reader must sign the title page of the thesis.
After successful completion of your Master of Science thesis presentation, the student and advisor must complete the master’s thesis Seminar Report Form.
- Preview the Master of Science Seminar Report Form (pdf) and prepare your responses. Then click the button below, add the responses, and submit the form via DocuSign.
- 3.ThG Graduate Thesis or 3.932 Industrial Practice units cannot be used toward the 66-unit requirement.
- Subjects that do not satisfy the SM degree requirements include subjects in English as a Second Language and undergraduate subjects taken as an undergraduate.
- Graduate subjects taken as an undergraduate and not applied toward that degree’s requirements, 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 Studies.