Materials Science & Engineering, M.Sc.

Final revisions to the master’s program proposal must be submitted no later than one academic quarter prior to the quarter of expected degree conferral. Stanford Materials Science undergraduates who are pursuing or who plan to pursue a coterminal MS degree may have more flexibility in their programs and should consult with their academic advisers regarding appropriate core course and elective choices. The master's program provides training in solid-state fundamentals and materials engineering at a more advanced level than the undergraduate program. To receive the master's degree, a student must take 45 units of courses (approximately 15 quarter-long classes). The list of classes that are required is given in the Materials Science and Engineering section of the Stanford Bulletin. Some students take five classes per quarter and graduate in one year, but most take between four and five quarters to graduate. Many master's students chose to earn 6 to 9 units of credit by doing research with a professor in the lab and writing a master's report. Students who do exceptionally well in the master's program and decide that they would like to stay at Stanford to earn a PhD degree may petition into the PhD program.