The MS Materials Engineering program is offered by the Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering . The program provides advanced study of materials engineering topics with an emphasis on both the fundamental and applied aspects. A multidisciplinary approach to education is evident in the materials engineering program’s specialization areas of semiconductor processing, polymers, ceramics, structural materials, and biomaterials. Elective courses are also available in science, business, and other engineering fields. This broad-based, multi-disciplinary educational program has proven to be an important factor for a student’s future success including leading Silicon Valley companies and in Ph.D. programs. Class schedules are designed for the convenience of employed engineers who wish to pursue graduate work on a part-time basis.

Faculty are actively involved in research areas including electronic and magnetic materials, nanomaterials, energy materials, structural materials, computations, polymers, composites, and biomaterials. Research activity is sponsored by local industries as well as by government funding agencies.

The MS Materials Engineering program welcomes students with undergraduate degrees in Materials Engineering or related science (biology, chemistry, physics) or engineering (chemical, electrical, biomedical, mechanical) degrees.

Department Website: www.sjsu.edu/cme
Department Email: chemical-materials-engineering@sjsu.edu

University Admission Requirements

Applicants must submit a complete graduate application by applying through the CSU Cal State Apply system and meet all the university admission requirements . 
Students can be admitted to either classified or conditionally classified standing.

Admission to Graduate Standing - Conditionally Classified

Students can be admitted with conditionally classified standing if they have a MATE degree from a US accredited university in which they obtained a 2.7-2.99 GPA in the last 60 units; a MATE degree from a non-US institution; or if they have a BS degree in a related discipline, such as chemical engineering, chemistry, biology, or physics from an accredited institution. Students with conditionally classified standing will take a series of transition courses. Once these are completed satisfactorily, students can petition from classified standing. For more information on the transition courses, see the department website.

Advancement for Candidacy

The university requirements for advancement to candidacy  for the master’s degree are outlined in the Graduate Policies & Procedures  section. Students should seek advancement to candidacy as soon as possible for their given program and on the advice of their graduate program coordinator. Graduate students may submit a Petition for Advancement to Graduate Candidacy form to the Graduate Admissions & Program Evaluations (GAPE) office after satisfying the following: achieved classified status; completed a minimum of nine letter-graded units with all grades “C” or higher; fulfilled the Campus Graduate Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (CGGWAR) requirement; achieved a minimum cumulative and program 3.0 GPA, and, graduate within the seven-year time limit for degree completion. Graduate students must submit their petition no later than one semester prior to graduating. Courses that satisfy the CGGWAR are listed in the course requirements for the program.

Program of Study Requirements

Students must complete all residency, curriculum, unit, GPA, and culminating experience requirements as outlined in the Graduation Requirements  section of the Graduate Policies & Procedures . Students must comply with all other graduate requirements contained in this catalog.

To meet the requirements for the MS - Materials Engineering degree, a student must complete 30 units of approved courses. Students must achieve a minimum of a “C” in each course and a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or better. Students should select a Culminating Experience in consultation with their SJSU research advisor, and a written thesis or project report and an oral defense of their thesis or project must be completed. 

Culminating Experience (Plan A or Plan B)

Students in the MS, Chemical Engineering program will complete MATE 280 /MATE 280I  and MATE 281  and may complete 1-unit of MATE 298 /MATE 298I  or MATE 299 /MATE 299I  through their choice of a graduate project or master’s thesis, respectively.

Plan A: 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.

Plan B: 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.