Materials Science involves the study of the relationships between the synthesis, processing, structure, properties, and performance of materials that enable an engineering function. The properties of interest can be mechanical, electrical, magnetic or optical; the engineering function can impact industries involved in electronics, communications, medicine, transportation, manufacturing, recreation, energy, and the environment.

While the field has evolved from materials formed from metals, ceramics, polymers and their various composites, in recent years there has been increasing focus on creating novel metastable nanostructured materials using, for example, routes inspired by nature. The new fields of nanotechnology and biomaterials are providing the materials scientist with an entirely new palette of molecular, organic, biological and inorganic building blocks to design and assemble nano-engineered materials with unique functionalities. The research and academic programs in MSE at Penn reflect these exciting new developments and our goal is to provide students enrolling in our programs with the tools to be part of this materials revolution.

The MSE undergraduate program has recently undergone extensive revision to reflect the explosive growth of interest in the nano and bio sectors of engineering science and technology. The program builds upon an introductory knowledge of physics, mathematics and chemistry and starts with an ‘Introduction to Nanotechnology’, followed by the courses ‘Introduction to Nanoscale Functional Materials’ and ‘Structural and Biomaterials’. Each of these courses incorporates the fundamentals of materials science with illustrations focusing on applications in nano and bio technology. The parallel courses ‘Nano-scale Materials Laboratory’ and the ‘Energetics of Macro/Nanoscale Materials’ round out the sophomore year. At the next level, the MSE program involves a study of the structure, bonding, and phase transformations in materials systems; courses that focus on the unique properties of “Soft Materials”, and on the selection of Materials for specific technological applications. Armed with a basic understanding of materials of all types, students are able to select upper level courses that concentrate on specific areas of interest such as polymers, biomaterials, nanostructured systems, mechanical properties, and electronic materials.

The MSE program emphasizes hands-on-experience and most students take the opportunity to work in a research group to conduct research and independent study, and utilize the outstanding research facilities in the Materials program at PENN. A senior design project forms the capstone to the MSE curriculum providing students with the opportunity to design and conduct their own independent research, which is often linked to industry. Since the founding of the department 1946, graduates have received numerous University and National awards recognizing the excellence they have achieved in our program, and have gone on to numerous positions of national prominence.