The program is offered in two options, the Materials Science option and the Materials Engineering option. These options are administered by the CSLA (College of Science and Liberal Arts) and NCE (Newark College of Engineering) colleges, respectively. A joint committee involving CSLA and NCE faculty will be in charge of overseeing this program.

Materials Science Option

Administered by Department of Physics, CSLA

Degree Requirements

Students with an appropriate master's degree in materials science or related field, physics, chemistry or engineering, are required to complete a course work of 12 credits in 700 level courses beyond the master's degree. Students must also complete sufficient credits of dissertation research (MTSE 790) and meet the milestone deadlines, as specified by the Office of Graduate Studies. Specific course selection, the track and dissertation topics are approved by the program advisor on an individual basis.

Students entering with bachelor's degrees are required to complete a course work of 36 credits. Students must also complete sufficient credits of dissertation research (MTSE 790) and meet the milestone deadlines, as specified by the Office of Graduate Studies. For the course work, the required courses for the M.S. in Materials Science are mandatory; no less than 12 credits must be at the 700 level and none at the 500 level. Specific course selection, the track, and dissertation topics are approved by the program advisor on an individual basis.

Seminar

All students must enroll each semester in MTSE 791 Graduate Seminar (0 credit), unless the requirement is waived by the Director for Materials Science Option of Materials Science and Engineering program.

Tracks

The range of possible tracks and courses is broad and is not limited to the tracks and courses listed here.  Students should consult the graduate advisor in designing the track and course requirements of the track.

Cross-listed courses

Any cross-listed courses will not be offered simultaneously, but only one of the two will be offered at a time.

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering – Materials Science option (entering with master's degree)

700-level courses in a chosen track12
Graduate Seminar
Total Credits12

Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering – Materials Science option (entering with bachelor's degree)

Required Courses (2 common and 2 selective courses)
MTSE 601Fundamentals of Engineering Materials3
or MTEN 610 Found of Materials Sci & Engr
MTSE 602Thermodynamics of Materials3
or MTEN 612 Thermodynamics of Materials
Select two of the following four courses9
Intro to Phys Prin of Material
Mathematical and Statistical Methods in Materials Science
Science and Technology of Thin Films
Nanomaterials
Nanomaterials
Remaining courses
600- or 700-level courses in a chosen track
700-level courses in a chosen track
MTSE 791Graduate Seminar0
Total Credits of Course Work36

* No less than 12 credits must be at the 700 level, including credits from the required courses.

Tracks

Electronic and Photonic Materials Tracks

MTSE 603Intro to Phys Prin of Material3
MTSE 688Mathematical and Statistical Methods in Materials Science3
MTSE 765Science and Technology of Thin Films3
CHEM 748Nanomaterials3
or MTEN 712 Nanomaterials
MTSE 610Mechanical Properties of Materials3
MTSE 655Diffusion and Solid State Kinetics3
or MTEN 611 Diffusion & Solid State Kineti
MTSE 681Composite Materials3
MTSE 719Physical Principles of Characterization of Solids3
MTSE 719Physical Principles of Characterization of Solids3
MTSE 724Transport of Electrons and Phonons in Solids3
PHYS 661Solid-State Physics3
PHYS 682Introduction To Mems3
PHYS 687Physics of Materials3
PHYS 789Physics of Advanced Semiconductor Device Processing3
PHYS 611Adv Classical Mechanics3
PHYS 621Classical Electrodynamic3
PHYS 641Statistical Mechanics3
R755 631Quantum Mechanics3
PHYS 731Quantum Mechanics II3
CHEM 610Advanced Inorganic Chemistry3
CHEM 658Advanced Physical Chemistry3
CHEM 737Applications of Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling3
CHEM 764Advanced Analytical Chemistry3
CHE 702Selected Topics in Chemical Engineering II3
ECE 625Fiber and Integrated Optics3
ECE 626Optoelectronics - Nonlinear Modulators for Optical Communication3
ECE 657Semiconductor Devices3
ECE 658VLSI Design I3
ECE 659Fabrication Principles of Electronic and Optoelectronic Devices3
ECE 739Laser Systems3

Particulate and Nano Materials Track

MTSE 603Intro to Phys Prin of Material3
MTSE 688Mathematical and Statistical Methods in Materials Science3
MTSE 765Science and Technology of Thin Films3
CHEM 748Nanomaterials3
or MTEN 712 Nanomaterials
MTSE 610Mechanical Properties of Materials3
MTSE 655Diffusion and Solid State Kinetics3
or MTEN 611 Diffusion & Solid State Kineti
MTSE 681Composite Materials3
MTSE 719Physical Principles of Characterization of Solids3
CHEM 605Advanced Organic Chemistry I: Structure3
CHEM 610Advanced Inorganic Chemistry3
CHEM 658Advanced Physical Chemistry3
CHEM 673Biochemistry3
CHEM 737Applications of Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling3
CHEM 764Advanced Analytical Chemistry3
BME 669Engineering Physiology3
BME 672Biomaterials3
PHYS 661Solid-State Physics3
PHYS 682Introduction To Mems3
PHYS 687Physics of Materials3
PHYS 611Adv Classical Mechanics3
PHYS 621Classical Electrodynamic3
PHYS 641Statistical Mechanics3
R755 631Quantum Mechanics3
PHYS 731Quantum Mechanics II3
ME 676Applied Plasticity3
ME 678Engineering Design of Plastic Products3

Mathematical and Computational Materials Science Track

MTSE 603Intro to Phys Prin of Material3
MTSE 688Mathematical and Statistical Methods in Materials Science3
MATH 611Numerical Methods for Computation3
MATH 613Advanced Applied Mathematics I: Modeling3
MATH 666Simulation for Stochastic Systems3
MATH 671Asymptotic Methods I3
MATH 675Partial Differential Equations3
MATH 677Calculus of Variations3
MATH 689Advanced Applied Mathematics II: Ordinary Differential Equations3
MATH 690Advanced Applied Mathematics III: Partial Differential Equations3
MATH 712Numerical Methods II3
MATH 713Advanced Scientific Computing: Multi-Dimensional Finite-Difference Schemes and Spectral Methods3
MATH 722Wave Propagation3
MATH 767Fast Numerical Algorithms3
PHYS 661Solid-State Physics3
PHYS 611Adv Classical Mechanics3
PHYS 621Classical Electrodynamic3
PHYS 641Statistical Mechanics3
R755 631Quantum Mechanics3
PHYS 731Quantum Mechanics II3
CHEM 737Applications of Computational Chemistry and Molecular Modeling3
MTSE 765Science and Technology of Thin Films3
CHEM 748Nanomaterials3
or MTEN 712 Nanomaterials

Qualifying Examination

The student must pass a written and an oral qualifying examination. The written qualifying exam given every summer is administered to test general academic preparation and competence in the research of Materials Science. Within one year after passing the written qualifying exam, the student is required to pass the oral qualifying exam to achieve Ph.D. candidacy, in which the potential Ph.D. candidate presents a preliminary research proposal for approval by the dissertation committee. The student will be allowed two attempts to pass the written or oral qualifying exam.

Students take written qualifying exams on the following common required courses.

MTSE 601Fundamentals of Engineering Materials3
or MTEN 610 Found of Materials Sci & Engr
MTSE 602Thermodynamics of Materials3
or MTEN 612 Thermodynamics of Materials

Formation of Dissertation Committee

Within one year of passing the written qualifying examination, doctoral students must form a five-member dissertation committee that meets the approval of the graduate program director for Materials Science Option of Materials Science and Engineering. The committee must include the dissertation advisor, three additional faculty members from the program, and at least one member from outside the program or NJIT.

Dissertation and Defense

An oral presentation and public defense of the doctoral dissertation is required.