Graduate School Bulletin

Spring 2023

Requirements for the M.S. Degree in Materials Science and Engineering

In addition to the minimum requirements of the Graduate School, the requirements for the M.S. degree in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering can be satisfied by either one of the two following options:

M.S. Non-Thesis Option

A. Election
The election of this option must be made by the student upon admission to the program and is considered a terminal degree.

B. Coursework
1. A minimum of 30 graduate credits with a grade point average of 3.0 or better in all graduate courses taken is required to graduate. All credits must be from coursework.

2. The 30 credits must include the following three core courses: ESM 511 Thermodynamics of Solids; ESM 513 Strength of Materials; and ESM 521 Diffusion in Solids.

3. Only six credits of ESM 696 Special Problems in Materials Science are allowed. Additional ESM 696 credits require permission of the Graduate Program Director.

4. All courses taken outside the Department require permission from the Graduate Program Director.

M.S. Thesis Option

A. Election
The election of this option must be made by the student upon admission to the program and is normally considered part of the Ph.D. sequence. Students may not transfer to the Non-Thesis Option while registered for a Thesis Master’s or a Ph.D. degree.

B. Coursework
1. A minimum of 30 graduate credits is required to graduate; 24 credits must be from coursework.

2. The 30 credits must include the following three core courses: ESM 511 Thermodynamics of Solids; ESM 513 Strength of Materials; and ESM 521 Diffusion in Solids.

3. The 30 credits must include six credits of ESM 599 Research.

4. Only six credits of ESM 696 Special Problems in Materials Science are allowed. Additional ESM 696 credits require permission of the Graduate Program Director.

5. All courses taken outside the Department require permission from the Graduate Program Director.

C. Thesis
For the student who elects to complete a thesis for the M.S. degree, the thesis must be approved by three faculty members, at least two of whom are members of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering, including the research advisor.

D. Final Recommendation
Upon fulfillment of the above requirements, the Graduate Program Committee will recommend to the Dean of the Graduate School that the Master of Science degree be conferred or will stipulate further requirements that the student must fulfill.

E. Transfer to Other Options
Transfer to another degree option in the Department can be made only with the written permission of the Graduate Program Director.

 

Requirements for the Ph.D. Degree in Materials Science and Engineering

A. Plan of Work
Before completion of one year of full-time residency, the student must have selected a research advisor who agrees to serve in that capacity. The student will then prepare a plan of further coursework. This must receive the approval of the student’s advisor and of the Graduate Program Committee.

B. Coursework
1. An average grade of B or higher is required for all courses.

2. A minimum of 24 graduate course credits is required to graduate (excluding ESM 501, ESM 514, ESM 599, ESM 697, ESM 698, and ESM 699).

3. The 24 course credits must include the following three core courses: ESM 511 Thermodynamics of Solids; ESM 513 Strength of Materials; and ESM 521 Diffusion in Solids. If the student does not receive a minimum of a B in a core course, he or she may repeat that course one other time.

4. All students must complete ESM 501 Teaching and Mentoring Techniques and ESM 514, Technical Writing for Scientist. These 2 courses do not count towards the 24 graduate course credits required.

5. The student must pass at least three credits of ESM 698 Practicum in Teaching and six credits of ESM 699 Dissertation Research on Campus.

6. Only six credits of ESM 696 Special Problems in Materials Science are allowed. Additional ESM 696 credits require permission of the Graduate Program Director.

7. All courses taken outside the Department require permission from the Graduate Program Director.

8. All PhD students must act as teaching assistants for five semesters (regardless of support), and they must register for ESM 698 Practicum in Teaching in all five semesters for a total of 3 credits and 0 credits for the rest.

C. Preliminary Examination
The preliminary examination must be taken before the beginning of the student’s fifth semester. This is an oral examination designed to test the student’s ability to utilize his or her materials science background to carry out research in a chosen field of study, and to make clear written and oral presentations of research. At least ten days prior to the examination, the candidate should submit a research proposal (10-15 pages) to the examiners that places the research in context and outlines a scenario for its completion. The student must have finished the required coursework for the PhD program prior to taking the oral exam.

The examination committee will consist of three(3) Materials Science and Engineering Department faculty members. If a second examination is required, it must be completed by the tenth week of the sixth semester.

D. Advancement to Candidacy

After the prelims, the department processes the Advancement to Candidacy once the student’s preliminary examination committee has signed to confirm that the student has passed the prelims. It is important to note, that a student must have no “I” or “U” grades for courses that count towards the degree to advance to candidacy. He/she must have completed all coursework requirements to advance to candidacy.

E. Dissertation
The most important requirement of the Ph.D. degree is the completion of a dissertation, which must be an original scholarly investigation. The dissertation shall represent a significant contribution to the scientific literature, and its quality shall be compatible with the publication standards of appropriate and reputable scholarly journals. At least two semesters should elapse between the preliminary exam and submission of the dissertation.

F. Defense
The candidate shall defend the dissertation before an examining committee consisting of four members, including the research advisor, two members of the Materials Science and Engineering Department, and one member from outside the Department.

G. Time Limit

All requirements for the Ph.D. degree must be completed within seven years after completing 24 graduate course credits and other requirements as needed to complete the program.

Requirements for the Bachelor of Science Degree/Master of Science Degree Accelerated Program

The Accelerated BE/MS program is designed to allow undergraduate students in Engineering Science (ESG), Engineering Chemistry (ECM), and Physics (PHY) majors, in good academic standing with a GPA of 3.0 and above, to apply at the end of their junior year for admission to this special program, which leads to a Bachelor of Engineering or Bachelor of Science degree at the end of the fourth year and a Master of Science degree at the end of the fifth year. This is achieved by allowing undergraduate students in the program to take up to two graduate courses as their undergraduate technical electives. These graduate courses will also be counted towards their Master's degree. According to Graduate School policy, up to 6 credits taken as an undergraduate senior student may be counted for both degrees. As a result, students can complete both degrees in five years (i.e., just one extra year or two semesters for the MS)

Engineering Science students in the junior undergraduate year take ESM 455, which is normally taken in the senior year, instead of ESM 335. In the senior year, a student takes ESM 513, to use in lieu of ESM 335, in the fall and another graduate course in the spring. For details of the B.E./M.S. program, please see the graduate program coordinator in the department.

Students are not allowed to enroll in ESM 513 if they have already taken ESM 335. Then that student will be required to replace ESM 513 with another ESM course to fulfill the requirement to complete the PhD program.

Requirements for Application

  1. Applicant must be an Engineering Science (ESG) or Engineering Chemistry (ECM) or Physics (PHY) major with a cumulative undergraduate GPA of at least 3.00 at the time of application in their junior year.
  2. Students are encouraged to apply to the five-year program by the end of the spring semester of their junior year.
  3. 3.0 GPA must be maintained to begin the student’s graduate career in the 5th year of the accelerated program.
  4. Please contact the department at ESMandCME_GradAdmissions@stonybrook.edu to apply to the program.

Applications are reviewed by the ESM Graduate Program Committee and students are generally accepted by the beginning of their senior undergraduate year and are then notified if they have been admitted to the Accelerated Program. The BE/MS is a sequential degree program. Students in the Accelerated Bachelor's/Master's program typically matriculate to the graduate career at the beginning of their third semester. Students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher to be admitted to the Graduate School. The Master's in Materials Science and Engineering is a 30 credit program and 24 of those credits must be earned as a matriculated graduate student.

Applicants interested in a graduate degree who do not meet these criterias are encouraged to apply directly to the M.S. program in their senior year.

As an undergraduate, students will be charged tuition at the undergraduate rate for both graduate and undergraduate courses. Once the graduate career begins in the 5th year of the program, the student will be subject to graduate tuition, fees and Graduate School regulations. Students will be permitted to live in Graduate Housing however they will no longer be eligible for Undergraduate Financial Aid.

Students who transfer to Stony Brook must complete at least one semester at Stony Brook before they will be considered for admission to the five-year BE-BS/MS program and decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis to ensure they meet all other requirements to qualify for the combined degree program.

Transfer of credits into M.S. or Ph.D. programs

Students may transfer up to 9 credits of graduate courses obtained from another US accredited university. The following conditions and procedure is required to transfer any credits.

In order to be counted towards graduation, the credits must be evaluated by Materials Science Graduate Program committee and faculty. The evaluation must establish equivalence between a course being transferred from another institution and an ESM course in Stony Brook, which is accepted as part of the graduation requirements. The faculty member must be one of those who are teaching the corresponding graduate course on a regular basis. The professor typically evaluates the course materials/contents, student transcripts, etc. The approval is not automatic and we generally take a very careful look at such transfer requests.

Graduate courses that do not meet the previous requirement can be transferred without being counted towards graduation. This can sometimes be useful because students who have earned 24 graduate credits of any kind need to be registered for only 9 credits (instead of 12) in order to have full status. Therefore, gaining this status early might reduce tuition liability.

M.S. to Ph.D

A student in the M.S. program from ESM or any related field at Stony Brook can subsequently apply for admission into the Ph.D. program, only if the student can be supported by an advisor to complete the PhD program in ESM at Stony Brook. Student will require to complete a change of level/program  form and will enter the PhD program as a G-4 student.

The ESM Ph.D. program also recognizes M.S. degree from other accredited US institutions, person that has M.S. degree in CME will still require to complete courses totaling 24 credits. The student will be accepted as G4 level student and expected to complete all requirements towards the Ph.D. degree.