Find the Key to Engineered Products

Undergraduate Experience

Materials science is about understanding the physical origins of material behavior. Materials engineering is the design of materials to optimize their properties.

Materials science and engineering professionals can work in metallurgy or semiconductor manufacturing. They may design composites or engineer reliability into a system. Materials span a broad scale, ranging from foundry creations to atomic scale samples. Innovative materials play an important role in providing resources for a growing population. As our society becomes more complex, new materials become key components.

Bachelor's Degree

Student holding a sample with tongs.

Materials Science and Engineering, BS

With a bachelor's degree in materials science and engineering, you can design materials that are central to quality-of-life improvements. Together we can make materials stronger, lighter, safer, greener, and more cost-effective. Our relatively small size as a department enables a rich, personalized learning environment that is also a lot of fun. Our students discover options to decrease metal waste from industry. They practice high pressure die casting. They can produce an aluminum alloy that can be gravity die-cast and anodized. They employ additive manufacturing in material design.

Materials are everywhere and part of everything. The MSE ﬁeld is immensely broad and provides opportunities in a wide range of industries, world locations, and a variety of functions. Michigan Tech MSE graduates enjoy high starting salaries and high employment rates.

Minors

Add to your degree at a flagship technological university with a materials science and engineering minor. A minor allows you to specialize in a discipline outside of or complementary to your major. We recommend that you begin your minor studies as early as possible in your academic career.

Electronic Materials
Structural Materials
Nanoscale Science and Engineering (Interdisciplinary)

Connected, innovative.

Build real skills at Michigan Tech. Become an engineer.

Gain diverse experience.

Engage in design and research.

Leap forward in your program.

Connect with students and industry.

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying materials science and engineering at Michigan's flagship technological university.

Preview image for My Michigan Tech: Matt Johnson video

“I was inspired to become a materials science student because I love the combination of chemistry and physics.”
Matt Johnson, undergraduate student in materials science and engineering

Earn an ABET Accredited Engineering Degree

With ABET accreditation, you can be sure that your Michigan Tech degree meets the quality standards that prepares you to enter a global workforce.

And, because it requires comprehensive, periodic evaluations, ABET accreditation demonstrates our continuing commitment to the quality of your program—both now and in the future.

Sought Worldwide

ABET's voluntary peer-review process is highly respected. Its criteria are developed by technical professionals and focuses on what you, as a student, experience and learn. It adds critical value to academic programs in technical disciplines—where quality, precision, and safety are of the utmost importance.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering

The undergraduate Materials Science and Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Materials, Metallurgical, Ceramics, and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.

Review the educational objectives and student outcomes for the BS in Materials Science and Engineering.

ABET logo

The MSE Department

Our facilities, including a suite of labs dedicated to undergraduate studies, allow students to experiment with characterizing and making new materials. Our casting facility affords undergraduate students unique training in the use of scanning electron microscopes for characterization.
Undergraduate research opportunities are plentiful in the department. As early as your sophomore year, you can gain valuable experience working with a faculty mentor in diverse research thrust areas:
- Nanomaterials
- Energy
- Battery technology
- Biomaterials
- Environment
- Failure analysis
Funding is available through the Charles and Carroll McArthur Undergraduate Research Endowment. Faculty often hire undergraduate students to work on funded research projects
Our department specializes in working with metals.
Get ready to contribute on the job from day one. Our students benefit from hands-on experiences ranging from Enterprise to Senior Design to internships/co-ops.
Faculty and staff focus on giving students the personal attention and support necessary not only for academic success, but also a positive overall undergraduate experience. Faculty encourage students to take advantage of their open-door policy. Class sizes are small (our student to faculty ratio is one of the lowest at Michigan Tech), and faculty are very teaching-oriented (teaching assistants do not lead instruction in the department). The department hosts social events throughout the academic year, such as barbecues and sporting events.
Opportunities for intercultural exchange abound at Michigan Tech. The Study Abroad Program sends students to countries around the world for stints ranging from two weeks to one year.
Students are encouraged to join the Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration, Materials United, the Society of Women Engineers, or one of many other organizations and opportunities for self-improvement.

Real Engineering. Meaningful Work.

We are committed to inspiring students, advancing knowledge, and innovating technological solutions to create a sustainable, just, and prosperous world. With an entering engineering class of about 1,000 students, 17 degrees to choose from, and 160 faculty in the College of Engineering alone, we provide a world-class education with the trusted reputation of Michigan Tech.

As a student at Michigan Tech you’ll work closely with faculty mentors, immerse yourself in experience-powered learning, and gain a thorough understanding of engineering practice. Collaborate and innovate in laboratories, coursework, Enterprise, and Senior Design—you'll work with industry partners on real engineering projects and develop strong skill sets for your future.

You could study abroad, with engineering opportunities ranging from a few weeks to one full year. Or focus on problems facing disadvantaged communities in countries around the world. Michigan Tech’s Global and Community Engagement program offers you a range of options.

More than 400 employers regularly recruit our students for internships, co-ops, and full-time employment. Engineering students average seven interviews, and 98 percent are employed within their field of study, enlist in the military, or enroll in a graduate school within six months of graduation. A degree in engineering from Michigan Tech can take you anywhere.

Tomorrow Needs You

Engineers do a lot of things, but there's one thing we do first and foremost: we help people. We use creative ideas and technologies to solve problems in health care, energy, transportation, hunger, space exploration, climate change, and more—much more. Become an engineer who is ready for what tomorrow needs.

Student Stories