Materials Engineering BS + MS

Admissions Requirements
Graduate Standing Requirements
Program Requirements (141 units)
Advising Roadmap

The Materials Engineering Spartan Accelerated Graduate Education (SAGE) Scholars Program provides students the opportunity to earn their Materials Engineering, BS and Materials Engineering, MS degrees simultaneously, completing both degrees in five years, rather than the usual six years when completing them individually. The SAGE Scholars Program Coordinator works closely with the students to ensure a seamless transition from undergraduate to graduate status, without students having to file a formal application for admission to the graduate program. Students have the possibility to combine their senior project and MS project/thesis research requirements, enabling them to undertake more in-depth, publishable quality research which in turn better prepares them for PhD programs as well as professional careers. The Materials Engineering SAGE Scholars Program offers students intellectual stimulation and growth and the opportunity to strengthen their research competencies by working closely with their research mentors for a longer period of time.

Summary of Degree Units

Materials Engineering, BS	117
Materials Engineering, MS	24
Total	141

For more information, contact the SAGE Scholars Program Coordinator Ozgur Keles.

Admissions Requirements

All SJSU Materials Engineering, BS undergraduates are eligible to apply for, and be admitted to, the Materials Engineering SAGE Scholars program if they fulfill the following requirements:

Completed a minimum of 75 units towards the Materials Engineering BS degree;
Completed MATE 115 , MATE 141 , MATE 151 , and ENGR 100W with grades B or better;
Have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better, or GPA of 3.0 or better in the last 60 semester units;
Have completed all lower-division work (including lower- division general education courses and American Institutions courses); and,
Must not be declared in another major.

Students who have reached up to their first semester as classified seniors will remain eligible for entry into the SAGE program. Second semester, senior-level students enrolled in the term they expect to graduate from their baccalaureate degree are not eligible to enter into the SAGE program as these students will not gain the accelerated graduate-level benefit offered through the SAGE blended program option.

Graduate Standing Requirements

Requirements for program continuation and advancement to candidacy in the graduate program, include:

Meeting every semester with an academic advisor to plan and track coursework and graduate status. Once the BS degree is conferred, students meet every semester with their graduate advisor to plan a formal course of study;
Maintain GPA of 3.0 or higher with no individual grade below a C. Students not maintaining these standards will be placed on probation initially, followed by disqualification if the grades are not improved within two semesters; and,
The proposed graduate program must be approved by the graduate coordinator before the student may be considered a candidate for the MS degree.
Students are converted to graduate status when they have completed 120 SAGE program-applicable units. The following University Requirements are waived or satisfied with required courses in the major: GE Areas A3, B, C2, and E, SJSU Studies (R, S and V) and Physical Education. Alternate courses that may satisfy these requirements are not counted in the calculation of the 120 SAGE program-applicable units.

Program Requirements (141 units)

Materials Engineering, BS (117 units)

Students must satisfy all of the major and Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements , which includes unit, GPA, and residency requirements as well as the below identified General Education , American Institutions, Graduation Writing Assessment, and Physical Education requirements. Courses that meet Undergraduate University Graduation Requirements are noted with an area designation (see Course Abbreviations ).

Exceptions for University Graduation Requirements apply to this major.

University Requirements (21 units)

GE Areas A1, A2, C1, C1/C2, two Ds/American Institutions (US123) , and F 21 unit(s)

Major Preparation (34 units)

CHEM 1A - General Chemistry 5 unit(s) (B1+B3)
CHEM 1B - General Chemistry 5 unit(s) (B1+B3)
ENGL 1B - Argument and Analysis 3 unit(s) (C2) (or equivalent second semester composition course.)
MATH 30 - Calculus I 3 unit(s) (B4) (or MATH 30X )
MATH 31 - Calculus II 4 unit(s) (B4) (or MATH 31X )
MATH 32 - Calculus III 3 unit(s) (B4) (or MATH 32H or MATH 32X )
MATH 33A - Ordinary Differential Equations for SCI & ENGR 3 unit(s)
PHYS 50 - General Physics I: Mechanics 4 unit(s) (B1+B3)
PHYS 51 - General Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism 4 unit(s) (B1+B3)

Major Requirements (62 units)

Core Courses (11 units)

ENGR 10 - Introduction to Engineering 3 unit(s) (E)
ENGR 100W - Engineering Reports 3 unit(s) (WID+R)
MATE 25 - Introduction to Materials 3 unit(s)
CE 99 - Introductory Statics 2 unit(s) (CE 95 also accepted.)

Major Courses (45 units)

CHE 110B - Computational Methods in Chemical Engineering 2 unit(s)
CHE 161 - Process Safety and Engineering Ethics 1 unit(s)
CHE 162 - Engineering Statistics and Analysis 2 unit(s)
MATE 115 - Structure/Properties of Solids 3 unit(s)
MATE 141 - Structure and Analysis of Materials 3 unit(s)
MATE 143 - Principles of Scanning Electron Microscopy 1 unit(s)
MATE 144 - X-Ray Diffraction Lab 1 unit(s)
MATE 151 - Solid State Thermodynamics 3 unit(s)
MATE 152 - Solid State Kinetics 3 unit(s)
MATE 153 - Electronic, Optical, and Magnetic Properties of Materials 3 unit(s)
MATE 154 - Metals and Alloys 3 unit(s)
MATE 155 - Materials Selection and Process Design 3 unit(s)
MATE 185 - Ceramics 3 unit(s)
MATE 186 - Polymers 3 unit(s)
MATE 195 - Mechanical Behavior of Materials 3 unit(s)
MATE 198A - Senior Design Project 2 unit(s) (S)
MATE 198B - Senior Design Project 2 unit(s) (V)
ME 20 - Design and Graphics 2 unit(s)
ENGR 195A - Global and Social Issues in Engineering 1 unit(s) (S)
ENGR 195B - Global and Social Issues in Engineering 1 unit(s) (V)

Technical Electives (6 units)

Electives must be selected from the approved departmental list in consultation with the students’ advisor.

Materials Engineering, MS (24 units)

Core Courses (20 units)

CHE 200 - Research Methods 3 unit(s) (GWAR)
MATE 205 - Advanced Mechanical Behavior of Solids 3 unit(s)
MATE 215 - Solid State Materials Engineering 3 unit(s)
MATE 241 - Advanced Methods of Materials Characterization 3 unit(s)
MATE 251 - Advanced Solid State Thermodynamics 3 unit(s)
MATE 280I - Graduate Research Internship 1-2 unit(s) (4 units required)
MATE 281 - MS Thesis/Project Preparation Seminar 1 unit(s)

Approved Electives (3 units)

3 units of approved 200-level electives selected in consultation with a SAGE advisor.

Only students who are doing research on campus may be eligible for MATE 280 (3 units). MATE 280 may be taken 2 times for a maximum of 6 units of technical elective credit. Only one section of MATE 280 /MATE 280I may be taken per semester.

Culminating Experience (1 unit)

Complete one course below for one unit.

Thesis Requirements: Students opting to complete a master’s thesis are responsible for securing the commitment of a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member who agrees to serve as the thesis committee chair. The student must also secure the commitments of two additional committee members, one of whom must be a full or part-time SJSU faculty member, to serve as the student’s thesis committee. If the student is completing their thesis research off-site, then one person of their thesis committee must be at least a supervisor-level employee from that off-site facility. The student must write a thesis proposal and have it approved by the thesis committee in order to pass MATE 281 . MATE 299 is taken in the semester the student expects to complete their final oral and written defense which will serve as their culminating experience. The MS candidate must successfully pass an oral defense and complete an approved thesis report in order to receive credit for MATE 299 . Students must be enrolled in courses every semester with the exception of an approved leave of absence for one semester. Students who have finished all their 30 units with the exception of an RP grade in MATE 299 are eligible for enrollment in CHE 1290R for a reduced tuition fee. The thesis must meet university requirements as stipulated in this catalog and in the SJSU Master’s Thesis and Doctoral Dissertation Guidelines. It will be written under the guidance of the candidate’s thesis committee chair with the assistance of the thesis committee.
Project Requirements: Students opting to complete a graduate project are responsible for securing the commitment of a full-time tenured or tenure-track faculty member who agrees to serve as the project committee chair. The student must also secure the commitments of an additional committee member to serve as the student’s project committee. If the student is completing their thesis project research off-site, then one person of their project committee must be at least a supervisor-level employee from that off-site facility. The student must write a project proposal and have it approved by the project committee in order to pass MATE 281 . MATE 298 is taken in the semester the student expects to complete their final oral defense and written project report, which will serve as their culminating experience. The MS candidate must successfully pass an oral and defense and complete an approved written project report in order to receive credit for MATE 298 . Students must be enrolled in courses every semester with the exception of an approved leave of absence for one semester. Students who have finished all their 30 units with the exception of an RP grade in MATE 298 are eligible for enrollment in CHE 1290R for a reduced tuition fee.

MATE 298 - MS Research/Project 1-2 unit(s)
MATE 298I - Master’s Project Internship 1-2 unit(s)
MATE 299 - Master’s Thesis 1-3 unit(s)
MATE 299I - Master’s Thesis Internship 1-3 unit(s)

Total Units Required (141 units)

The standalone Materials Engineering, BS and Materials Engineering, MS programs require 9 units of Electives each. Students satisfy these requirements in this SAGE Scholars Program by completing 6 units of Technical Electives within the BS program and 3 units of Approved Electives within the MS program. These 9 units are considered to count toward both the graduate and undergraduate degrees, thus allowing SAGE students to meet the minimum unit requirements for both degrees.

A maximum of 10 units of MATE 280 /MATE 280I are allowed as part of the 24 units required for a MS Chemical Engineering degree.