Opportunities for DMSE Undergraduates
DMSE offers many educational and extracurricular opportunities for undergraduate students. These include membership in the SUMS student community, 24-hour access to the DMSE Student Commons, research opportunities through the UROP program, study abroad options, and engagement with DMSE’s FORGE program for mentorship and industry connections.
Social Activities and Professional Development
SUMS (Society of Undergraduate Materials Scientists)
All DMSE undergraduates are members of SUMS, or the Society of Undergraduate Materials Scientists, a welcoming, supportive community of students. Elected SUMS student officers plan events, work on career development and outreach, provide student feedback to the faculty, buy promotional swag, and keep the DMSE Commons stocked with snacks.
DMSE Commons
All DMSE undergraduates have 24-hour access to the DMSE Student Commons in 4-134. The Commons features free coffee and tea, and the undergraduate side is typically well stocked with snacks.
The FORGE Initiative
DMSE’s FORGE program works to strengthen connections between DMSE alumni and the current DMSE community. As a DMSE major, you’ll have access to FORGE’s one-on-one mentorship program, alumni career panels and company info sessions, and more.
Career Fair
The fall DMSE Career Fair connects DMSE undergraduate and graduate students with companies applying materials science and engineering to numerous fields, including energy and environment, electronics and optoelectronics, health care, aerospace and automotive industries, additive manufacturing, nanotechnology, and more.
DMSE Breakerspace
The Breakerspace is a characterization lab open to all undergrads coming soon to the Infinite Corridor. It will feature state-of-the-art lab equipment for materials analysis and explorations in materials science and a lounge with free snacks and coffee.
I chose to declare Course 3 because I had heard really great things about the community. I heard rumors that it was the happiest major. Also, I thought the combination of chemistry and physics was really cool.
Marilyn ’24
Educational Opportunities
Study Abroad
DMSE has three study abroad opportunities via MIT’s MISTI program.
For more than two decades, DMSE has maintained an academic and research exchange program with the University of Oxford Department of Materials. Students from Course 3 can apply through their department to study for the spring semester of their junior year at the University of Oxford. The spring semester is split into two UK terms. Students take classes during the first term (January-March) and focus on a research project during their second term (April-June). There is also a summer research exchange program. Students from Oxford also routinely visit DMSE, take classes, and conduct research with DMSE faculty. The Oxford exchange is administered through MISTI United Kingdom.
DMSE is a member of a larger group of MIT departments that offer academic and research exchanges at Imperial College London. Students can apply to study for a semester at Imperial College London and receive DMSE elective credit. There is also a summer research exchange program. Summer projects are typically eight weeks long and begin in June. The Imperial exchange is administered through MISTI United Kingdom.
DMSE has offered a more recent exchange with the University of Tokyo and specifically its Department of Materials Engineering. DMSE students can participate in the Spring academic semester at UTokyo, receive transfer credit for DMSE electives, and take Japanese language and culture classes as well as broader engineering and science electives. Because of UTokyo’s modular education system, students typically take a broad range of short lectures or seminars and group these together into transfer credit units toward their DMSE electives. Students from UTokyo also routinely visit DMSE, take classes, and conduct research with DMSE faculty. Although no Japanese language background is required for admissions, some preparation in Japanese is helpful, and students who are accepted generally undertake some language study before starting the program. The exchange is administered through MISTI Japan.
Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP)
The Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) encourages and supports research-based intellectual collaborations of MIT undergraduates with Institute faculty members.
DMSE has many active labs in which to develop lab skills, explore different aspects of materials science, and interact with grad students, postdocs, and faculty, as well as conduct research which could turn into a thesis, a conference poster, or even a collaboration on published work. DMSE offers UROPs for pay and credit.
The best way to find a UROP is to look at the research interests of the faculty on the DMSE website and contact faculty members directly. For guidance or more information, contact dmse-ugoffice@mit.edu. More information on the MIT UROP program, including deadlines and proposals, can be found at urop.mit.edu.