Materials Science and Engineering, University of Michigan

Through one of the oldest and largest graduate programs in the United States, the University of Michigan's Department of Materials Science offers students a challenging, well-rounded education at the forefront of materials research. With its well-established roots, the department is also one of the most technically diverse in the country. Core strengths include structural, electronic and inorganic materials, organic and bio materials, and computational materials science. These competencies are continually expanding with advances in areas such as nanoscience, energy conversion and storage, photonics and sensor design.

The graduate program is consistently highly ranked, due in large part to its internationally recognized, diverse faculty, high levels of research funding and a diverse and collegial student body. Women comprise nearly a quarter of the MSE faculty, which is more than twice the national average, and women and underrepresented minorities comprise 35 percent of the graduate class. Faculty members are renowned not only for research accomplishments; they serve as leaders of and hold fellowships in many professional and technical societies.

The majority of the 20-member faculty hold joint appointments in other engineering and scientific disciplines, including macromolecular science and engineering, chemical, biomedical and mechanical engineering, physics, biology and chemistry. Faculty involvement throughout the College of Engineering and the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts results in a highly interdisciplinary approach to both coursework and research.

"Collaborations across departmental boundaries are plentiful," says Professor John Kieffer, chair of the graduate program. "The interdisciplinary culture we have here helps the department flourish."

A more recent area of focus is computational materials science, which encompasses computer modeling and simulation to guide the design, development and characterization of materials. Computation has been identified by the National Science Foundation and other organizations as an area of national need. "We have been perceiving and anticipating this trend in how science is done and have responded by hiring several new faculty members working in this area," says Professor Kieffer.

The diversity of faculty expertise has impressed Jessica Bickel, now a third-year doctoral student. "We have some very well known metallurgists; good semiconductor people; strong computational people -- we've got a lot of breadth and depth," she says. The energy and enthusiasm of the faculty is also clear -- and was part of the reason she enrolled in the graduate program.

Bickel appreciates the flexibility of the curriculum too. While proficiency in five core areas is required, specific courses are not. Students are encouraged to take courses outside of the department, and Bickel has taken some science policy classes, for example. "The classes were interesting, and my understanding of how the National Science Foundation works and how policy is changed within Congress will help me in the future."

Research funding in the MSE department currently includes three multi-million-dollar, multi-investigator, interdisciplinary grants from the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Education and the National Science Foundation. Industrial funding is strong and exceeds the College of Engineering average. Research expenditures in the MSE department are among the highest in the College--nearly $8 million in 2005, demonstrating the focus on not merely keeping abreast of but leading developments in the field. The department also has a training grant from the Department of Education, providing fellowships for research and studies in areas of national need.

Graduate students have high-caliber materials synthesis and characterization facilities at their disposal. The department's Electron Microbeam Analysis Laboratory, or EMAL, includes a state-of-the-art electron microscope and focused ion beam machining equipment. A new X-ray Micro Analysis Laboratory, or XMAL, provides nanoscale characterization capabilities to students, faculty and other members of the university community.

"I spend a lot of time in EMAL," says Obi Ezekoye, an MSE doctoral candidate. "All the equipment is centrally located and dedicated staff are there to help you with your experiments, which is unusual."

A spirit of entrepreneurship pervades the program as well, giving graduate students the chance to work on start-up ventures that spin off from laboratory research. Graduates are extremely well prepared for a competitive, global workplace. Alumni find positions with the world's top academic, governmental and corporate institutions. "Our faculty projects are cutting-edge," says Professor Kieffer, "which gives students an advantage when they enter the job market. There's vibrant intellectual stimulation here that gets students involved and engaged, and their U-M MSE pedigree helps provide many career options after they graduate."

College- and University-wide resources and social networks enhance the MSE graduate experience. "I had always known that the University of Michigan had great graduate engineering programs," says Ezekoye, "but during my first visit I realized that Michigan has highly regarded programs in virtually every field, including medicine, business and law. This was very important to me; today many of my friends and colleagues are from schools outside of the College of Engineering."

The city of Ann Arbor, too, offers myriad opportunities for balancing the academic workload with culture and recreation -- music, art, parks and green spaces, hiking and biking trails, restaurants, theaters, a walkable downtown. "Of course it's necessary for students to work hard to earn their degrees," says Professor Kieffer, "but there is plenty of opportunity here among the very collegial student community and the surrounding Ann Arbor infrastructure to find balance."