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Definitions
Registration
Graduate
Group Committee
Advisors
Master
of Science in Engineering Degree
Dual-Degree
Master's Program
PhD
Degree
Modifications
and Exceptions
All rules and regulations contained in the current Bulletin
on Graduate Study in Engineering and Applied Science apply
to all graduate students in the School of Engineering and
Applied Science. The following statements of procedures, rules,
and regulations are additional specifications and details
for graduate students in Materials Science and Engineering
who matriculated during Fall 2004 or later.
1. Definitions
A regular graduate student is regarded as one studying towards
a degree (MSE or Ph.D.), i.e.; he/she is a degree candidate.
An unclassified student is one who is permitted to enroll
in specific courses but is not studying for a degree. Regular
students may be either full-time or part-time; unclassified
students are part-time. A student whose principal activity
is studying for a degree is considered a full-time student.
Also, any student receiving a full stipend through a fellowship,
grant, or contract is considered a full-time student. In the
event of an ambiguity, the Department Chairman in consultation
with the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research
will decide whether a student is full-time or part-time. Normally,
a full-time student is registered for four course units each
semester (except for teaching fellows who are allowed to register
for three course units each semester). The maximum course
load for part-time students is two course units per semester.
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2. Registration
Registration requirements are determined by the University
and by the School. At present, all regular students are required
to remain registered continuously. This means they must register
for four course units (unless they are teaching fellows) each
fall and spring semester and two course units of MSE 999 in
the summer until graduation. Part-time students must register
for at least one course unit each fall and spring semester.
When all the requirements for the degree have been met and
the student has only to submit the thesis or defend the dissertation,
he/she may register for either the master's registration fee
or the dissertation fee. To be eligible to register for 995,
a student must have completed four years of full-time study
(4 c.u.'s each semester and both summer sessions) equal to
40 course units. If he or she came to SEAS with a Master's
degree, up to eight of those credits can be transferred as
course units to the Ph.D. program upon the approval of the
Graduate Group Chair (GAC - 9/14/94). No more than five transferred
courses can be counted toward to the 10 courses required for
the Ph.D. program. Masters students may transfer up to 2 course
units. A student may take 995, which also carries full-time
status with 0 credit units, up to eight semesters.
This continuous registration requirement may be lifted only
if the student applies for, and is granted, a leave of absence.
On the leave of absence - it is only granted for medical or
military reasons. All other requests to leave SEAS are granted
as withdrawals without prejudice (meaning they can request
to be readmitted, no reapplication required).
All full-time graduate students are expected to attend departmental
seminars; consistent absences can result in removal from the
graduate program.
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3. Graduate Group Committee
The admission of students to the graduate program, the setting
of degree requirements, the granting of exceptions to the
requirements, and the approval of the awarding of degrees
are all decided by the Graduate Group Committee in Materials
Science and Engineering under the general supervision of the
Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research. The Graduate
Group Committee consists of all the members of the faculty
of Materials Science and Engineering plus selected faculty
members from other departments of the University. The Graduate
Group Chair supervises and records the formal progress of
the students, arranges the preparation and evaluation of examinations,
schedules the preliminary oral examination, etc.
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4. Advisors
During orientation each student will meet individually with
the MSE Graduate Advising Committee to select and approve
the first year course selection based on the student's undergraduate
transcript and the student's needs and interests. This meeting
will be held on the day of departmental orientation. An official
course approval form must be filled and signed by the committee
members and the student and entered in the student's departmental
file. Typically students will register for four courses in
their first semester, and three courses plus one research
course unit in their second.
During the first month of residence each student must attend
presentations given by each of the faculty that provide an
overview of their research programs. After additional individual
meetings with the faculty by a specified date in early October
each student should submit to the Graduate Group Chair a list
of three faculty members (in order of preference) whom the
student would like to have as advisor. The Faculty will assign
students to advisors in accordance with these choices, subject
to limitations imposed by the availability of research support,
the wishes of the faculty members, and the existing distribution
of students among advisors. The faculty advisor is principally
responsible for the student's program and progress. The advisor
must approve all course registrations and any requests by
the student for changes in status or for permission to deviate
from normal requirements and procedures.
A student may at any time without prejudice request a change
of advisor, and the request will be honored if it is in any
way possible. Such a change should normally be made before
the end of the first year of study or, for students proceeding
to doctoral studies, at the completion of work for the Master
of Science in Engineering degree, since a change in research
topic will probably be required.
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5. Master of Science in Engineering
Degree
(a) An entering student who does not hold a Master's degree
in science or engineering and plans to obtain the MSE degree
will be enrolled in the Master of Science in Engineering program.
(b) The minimum requirement for the award of a Materials
Science and Engineering Masters of Science degree is the completion
of ten course units of graduate level work and a research
thesis. At least five of the course units must be courses
in materials science other than 999, Thesis/Dissertation Research.
Five other electives can be selected from graduate course
offerings from departments in SEAS or the Physical Sciences.
A maximum of one independent study (MSE 899) and two research
course units (MSE 999) can be included in the electives. A
graduate student is expected to maintain an average grade
point average of 3.0 or better and may be required to withdraw
if this condition is not met. The course MSE 999 is graded
as S or U (Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory) and does not affect
the grade-point average.
(c) Upon successful completion of the course work, all students
supported by a research fellowship must also complete a MSE
research thesis according to the specifications of the School
of Engineering and Applied Science. The thesis must be read
and approved by the advisor and by one other faculty member.
Upon fulfillment of this requirement a Degree Certification
form is signed by the advisor and Graduate Group Chair and
sent to the Associate Dean for Graduate Education and Research
for approval.
(d) In certain cases a terminal Master's degree candidate
may request to submit a project report in place of the thesis.
The MSE Graduate Group must approve this request. The project
report is a written account of a comprehensive (non-experimental)
study of an engineering or scientific problem. It should include
a statement of the problem, a review of the background literature,
a summary of the present status of the subject, and suggestions
for future work. The report must be read and approved by the
advisor and one other faculty member. A student who submits
a project report may include no more than one course unit
of MSE 999 (thesis research), in the ten course units required
for the degree.
(e) The minimum time required for the completion of the
MSE degree requirements is one calendar year. The normal time
is three to four terms.
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6. Dual-Degree Master's Program
Students undertaking a dual master's degree program in Engineering
and Wharton who want their MSE in Materials Science are required
to meet the normal requirement of the Department, namely ten
course units of graduate level work. It is possible that the
thesis or the research report could also meet the requirement
for a project report imposed by the other program. The student's
advisor in Materials Science determines the acceptability
of the thesis or report topic.
Of the non-999 courses, at least six must be MSE courses
at the 500 level or higher. The remaining courses must have
substantial scientific, mathematical, or engineering content.
Graduate courses in science, engineering, or mathematics will
normally qualify; certain Wharton courses will also qualify.
These include courses in Marketing, Economics, and all graduate
courses in Statistics, Operations Research, and Decision Sciences.
However these must be approved, in advance, by the student's
advisor in Materials Science and by the Graduate Group Chair.
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7. Ph.D. Degree
(a) The Ph.D. degree is awarded by the University rather
than by the School of Engineering and Applied Science; as
a result, there are certain differences in the specifications
for written dissertation and certain formal requirements to
be met. Information on these is available from the Office
of the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research of
the School of Engineering and Applied Science. All inquiries
and applications should be made through this office, not through
the Office of the School of Arts and Sciences.
(b) A minimum requirement for the Ph.D. is the successful
completion of twenty course units of graduate-level work.
Course units taken for the MSE degree may be included in the
twenty course units. The seven courses during the first two
semesters should be selected following the procedure specified
in section (d) below. During the rest of the graduate study,
students are required to take for credit at least three additional
graduate courses, either in Materials Science or other SEAS
or Physical Science departments. Deviations from this procedure
require written approval by the advisor and the Graduate Chair.
The record of courses taken and grades received by each student
will be reviewed by the Graduate Group each year. A graduate
student is expected to maintain an average grade of B or better
and may be required to withdraw if this condition is not met.
This requirement is enforced by the Associate Dean for Graduate
Studies and Research. Each course unit of MSE 999, Dissertation
Research, is graded "S" or "U" (Satisfactory
or Unsatisfactory).
(c) Each student in the Ph.D. program will be associated
with a dissertation committee of at least four members, including
the advisor. Students should meet with their advisor, prior
to the fifth semester after matriculation, to select candidate
members of the student's Ph.D. Dissertation Committee. During
the fifth semester after each student's matriculation at Penn,
the Graduate Group will approve the membership of each dissertation
committee. One member of the committee must be from outside
the Department or outside the University. The functions of
the dissertation committee are to provide the student and
the advisor with additional sources of information, guidance,
and criticism of the research project, and (normally) to serve
as members of the examining committee for the preliminary
oral examination and dissertation defense. The entire MSE
Graduate Group must approve any changes in the dissertation
committee.
It is clearly in the interest of the student to report on
their progress in research to the members of the dissertation
committee at appropriate intervals. However, the advisor is
at all times principally responsible for the progress of the
student.
(d) To qualify formally for the Ph.D. program, all students
must complete seven approved courses. Typically, four of these
will be taken in the first semester and three in the second.
Three core courses are required including MSE 520 “Structure
of Materials”, MSE 530 “Thermodynamics”,
and MSE 545 “Phase Transformations”. Students
may only place out of a core course if they demonstrate equivalent
knowledge as determined by the course instructor and Graduate
Group Chair. Each student must maintain a GPA > 3.0 each
semester and > 3.25 overall for the seven approved courses
(see below) to satisfy the Ph.D. academic requirement. Course
selection will depend on previous experience and area of interest.
Courses can be selected from offerings within the MSE department
and other departments in SEAS as well as the Physical and
Biological Sciences. The course sequence will be determined
and approved by the MSE Graduate Advising committee members
during orientation (typically the day before classes begin
in the Fall). It is possible that an entering student may
already be equipped with knowledge of materials science to
an advanced level and may petition to pursue an educational
program excluding certain courses. In such a case, the graduate
group committee will organize a special examination that will
provide an opportunity for the student to demonstrate his/her
mastery over the knowledge claimed. A student transferring
from other graduate programs can only include transferred
courses in the seven courses with the approval of the MSE
Graduate Group. The Graduate Group Chair must approve any
changes in the first year course selection. Students should
register for one research credit in their second semester
reflecting the expectation that they participate in research.
Students are required to take a total of 10 graduate level
courses (5XX or greater). In addition to the seven approved
courses, three other courses are required. Within the ten
courses, students are expected to include courses outside
of their research area to gain a broader understanding of
materials science.
(e) Entrance to the Ph.D. program will be subject to the
following academic requirement:
A student must meet the academic requirement for the Ph.D.
degree after 2 semesters by having a GPA > 3.25 in their
7 approved courses. For example, this is equivalent to 2 A’s
and 5 B's. Any student with a GPA < 3.25 after 7 approved
courses must automatically enter the Master's program.
(f) To qualify formally for the Ph.D. program, students
satisfying the Ph.D. academic requirement must also pass the
Oral Qualifying examination. This examination is held at the
end of May after the second semester, and will test their
potential in identifying and investigating significant research
questions and the depth of their understanding and intellectual
integration of the materials covered in the seven approved
courses.
As part of this examination the student will write and defend
a paper based upon their chosen area of focus in materials
research. This paper must incorporate a thorough analysis
of two or more important and significant research papers in
the published scientific literature and include a proposed
research plan. The student should be able to debate the fundamental
background, significance and results of the research paper(s)
and the research plan, illustrate its importance in Materials
Research, and demonstrate that they are able to integrate
the knowledge gained in their coursework. Normally the student's
written paper will be approximately 20 pages (including figures)
and their oral presentation to the examining committee will
be no longer than 30 minutes. The committee will consist of
three faculty; the student’s advisor will not be present.
All students must submit for an abstract of their written
paper along with copies of the selected research papers four
weeks before the examination. After approval of the abstract
by the Graduate Group Chair, the final written paper should
be completed and submitted to the Graduate Group Chair one
week before the examination.
Any student who fails the oral qualifier has the option of
retaking the examination within 6 weeks after their first
attempt. Students failing the retake will automatically enter
the terminal Master's program.
(g) All students qualifying for the Ph.D. program will write
and submit an updated research proposal to the Graduate Chairman
and his/her dissertation committee during their fifth semester.
The proposal describes the problem in the student's thesis
project, points out its technological and scientific importance,
outlines the theoretical or experimental approach to be followed,
and includes any results that have been obtained. The advisor
must approve the proposal. An oral examination will be held
two weeks after the submission of the proposal to the dissertation
committee. The purpose of this examination is to judge the
research capability of the student, based upon the demonstration
of the depth of understanding of the subject of research,
independence of thought and progress made thus far. The student
will be expected to make a short presentation of the research
topic, and the committee will ask questions based upon the
proposal and presentation. If the committee decides that the
student is seriously deficient in research capability, it
can recommend a second oral examination to be taken no later
than 3 months after the first attempt.
(h) Should a student require an extension of any Ph.D. qualification
deadline, approval must be received from the entire MSE Graduate
Group.
(i) When the dissertation work is completed to the satisfaction
of the advisor, the student prepares a written dissertation
according to the specifications available in the departmental
office or Office of the Associate Dean. Copies of the dissertation
must be submitted to the members of the examining committee
ten days before their defense, after which the student will
defend the dissertation in an oral examination before the
committee. The examining committee is appointed by the Graduate
Program Chairman and normally consists of the advisor, the
dissertation committee, and at least one additional examiner.
One member of the examining committee will normally be from
outside the department or the University. The time and place
of the examination are announced in advance, and the opening
part of the examination is open to the public. At the discretion
of the advisor, the final part of the examination may be public
or may be restricted to the candidate and the examining committee.
If the dissertation and the defense are accepted, the advisor
and the Graduate Group Chairman will sign the Ph.D. Degree
Certification form, which is then submitted to the Associate
Dean for further action. The committee may require changes
in the dissertation, and, in exceptional cases a second dissertation
defense.
(j) The minimum time required for the Ph.D. degree for a
student entering with an MSE or equivalent degree is two calendar
years. The average time for a combined MSE/Ph.D. program is
four and a half to five years. It is considered unusual for
a Ph.D. program to extend more than five years, and financial
support will not be continued beyond five years without careful
consideration and formal action by the Graduate Group Committee
based on the availability of funding.
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8. Modifications and Exceptions
Requests for exceptions to or modifications of these requirements
must be made in the form of petitions to the Graduate Group
Committee. Such requests should be discussed in advance with
the advisor, and should include the reasons for seeking the
change. Petitions to modify requirements of the University
or of the School must be further approved by the Graduate
Affairs Committee of the School.
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Revised August 2004
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