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Masters Degree Program

Prerequisites for the M.S. Degree Requirements for the M.S. Degree M.S. Thesis Proposed Program of Study Credit for Courses Taken as an Undergraduate Transfer Credit Petition for Degree Time-Table of Action for M.S. Students

The School of Materials Science and Engineering offers M.S. degrees in MSE. An undesignated M.S. degree is also available for students with special interests. The degree requirements vary somewhat with the option being pursued.

Recommended Materials Prerequisites for Graduate Study

• Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
• Physical Materials
• Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria
• X-Ray Diffraction
• Mechanical Behavior of Materials

Requirements for the M.S. Degree

Course	Hours	Description
MSE 8803D (Fall)	3-0-3	Thermodynamics
MSE 8803E (Fall)	3-0-3	Crystallography, Structure and Defects
MSE 8803G (Spring)	3-0-3	Kinetics of Diffusional and Non-Diffusional Phase Transformations
*Course of Choice	3-0-3	Characterization
**Course of Choice	3-0-3	Computations

*Courses in Characterization (could include not limited to):

1. MSE 6105 Diffraction Studies
2. MSE 6110 Transmission Electron Microscopy
3. MSE 6120 Quantitative Characterization of Microstructures
4. MSE 6130 Surface Characterization
5. MSE 8803 Scattering Theory
6. CHEM 6172 Physical Methods in Inorganic Chemistry
7. CHEM 6181 Chemical Crystallography
8. CHEM 6283 Electroanalytical Chemistry
9. CHEM 6572 Macromolecular Structure
10. CHEM 6752 Polymer Characterization

**Courses in Computations (could include not limited to):

1. MSE 6795 Mathematical, Statistical, and Computational Techniques in Materials Science
2. CHEM 6382  Computational Methods in Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry
3. ISyE 6739  Basic Statistical Methods
4. ME 6104  Computer-aided Design
5. ME 6124  Finite-Element Method: Theory & Practice
6. MATH 4255  Monte Carlo Methods
7. MATH 4247  Partial Differential Equations I
8. MATH 4348 Partial Differential Equations II

M.S. with thesis

• 12 course hours in major
• 12 course hours at 6000 or higher
• 18 total course hours required and
• A thesis approved by a committee of the graduate faculty

M.S. without thesis

• 18 course hours in the major
• 21 course hours at 6000 or higher and
• 30 course hours required

Additional M.S. requirements include

• 3.0 GPA at completion
• At least three of the five core courses must be taken
• MSE 8001, Seminar (1-0-1), is required for all graduate students
  For the thesis option: the seminar is in addition to the eighteen hours of courses listed above
  For the non-thesis option: it can be included in the thirty required hours

Students must submit a Program of Study to the MSE Academic Office for approval no later than the end of the second month of study.

Undesignated M.S. Degree: Students with special interests not covered in the designated degrees may develop an individual program that more closely suits their individual needs, while at the same time satisfying the requirements for the M.S. degree set forth in the General Catalog. Such a program must be approved, in advance, by the student's Academic Advisor and the Director of Graduate Studies. A minimum GPA of 3.0 in all courses (excluding grades in Special Problems) is required for graduation.

Our faculty are heavily engaged in research topics and techniques that require a longer term commitment from their students. Therefore, our recruitment emphasis has been on recruiting students who will be staying for doctoral studies rather than for Masters only.

M.S. Thesis

The purpose of the Master's thesis is to further educational development by requiring the student to plan, conduct, and report an organized and systematic study of importance. The thesis student is guided in this work by his/her M.S. Thesis Advisory Committee, which consists of at least three faculty members, including the thesis advisor who serves as Chair of the Committee. At least two committee members must be MSE faculty members.

Students are encouraged to select a thesis topic, in consultation with their thesis advisor, as soon as possible upon embarking on the degree program. Once a thesis topic is chosen and a thesis committee selected, a "Request for Approval of Thesis Topic,” signed by the Thesis Advisor and other committee members, is submitted by the student to the MSE Academic Office. If a proposed committee member is not a Georgia Tech faculty member, a biosketch of the proposed member must also accompany the request. The Thesis Topic Request form should be submitted as early as possible but at least one semester prior to the petition for a degree.

Each student must present a treatise, directed by the Thesis Advisor, setting forth in good literary form the results of his/her investigation. A draft of the thesis, approved by the Thesis Advisor, will be presented to the School Director and Graduate Coordinator. The draft must be complete in all aspects and must be accompanied by a memo from the Thesis Advisor stating that he/she has reviewed the thesis and is of the opinion that, after incorporation of corrections suggested by the Thesis Committee, it can be submitted as the official thesis.

The thesis draft will be reviewed for completeness by the School Director and Graduate Coordinator. They will then distribute copies prepared by the student to the Thesis Committee and authorize the student to schedule the presentation of the thesis no sooner than the third week following the week in which the thesis was submitted for approval.

The thesis presentation will be open to faculty, graduate students and other interested parties from both inside and outside Georgia Tech. After the oral presentation, the candidate will be expected to answer questions from the Committee and the general audience. After a suitable question and answer period, the general audience will be excused and the Committee, at its option, may further question the candidate. At the end of the question period, the committee will decide whether the candidate has passed the oral presentation. Marked copies of the thesis draft will be returned to the candidate, who is expected to incorporate the suggested corrections into the final draft and return a copy of the final draft to the Committee members for their approval and signature.

It is the responsibility of the student to have the thesis typed in final form. In no instances will the thesis be typed by the secretaries of the School of Materials Science and Engineering during normal working hours. Private arrangements must be made to compensate typists.

After satisfactory completion of the M.S. thesis, the student may petition to be admitted into the Ph.D. program. The M.S. thesis document, oral presentation, and GPA will be used by the Materials Science and Engineering faculty as bases for determining whether or not the student should be accepted as a candidate for the Ph.D. degree.

The form of the thesis is described in the "Graduate Thesis Manual.” The student must submit a final electronic version online, along with a signed "Certificate of Thesis Approval" form, to the Graduate Office for approval by the appropriate deadline. It is customary for the student to provide the Thesis Advisor with a complimentary bound copy of the thesis.

Proposed Program of Study

With the aid of his/her advisor, each student should outline a proposed program of study.  A formal program, prepared on the appropriate form (Program of Study) must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator for approval no later than the end of the second month of study. The proposed program must consider the course requirements for the degree. Only courses for which degree credit is sought should be listed.  M.S. students who anticipate continuing their study toward the Ph.D. degree should not list courses they may want to use to satisfy the course requirements for Ph.D. candidacy. Any subsequent changes in the proposed program must be reviewed by the Thesis Advisor and approved by the Graduate Coordinator.

Credit for Courses Taken as an Undergraduate

Credit towards the M.S. degree in Materials Science and Engineering for work done at the undergraduate level will be allowed only under the following conditions:

• The student must have been in residence at the Georgia Institute of Technology for at least two semesters before taking the course for which graduate credit is requested.
• Credit for the course must not have been applied toward an undergraduate degree.
• The student must declare his or her intention to receive graduate credit for such courses with the petition for the undergraduate degree.
• A maximum of three (3) credit hours towards the M.S. degree will be allowed for graduate courses taken as an undergraduate.
• Course cannot be a required undergraduate course.

Transfer of Credit

See regulations in the General Catalog.

Petition for Degree

The Office of the Registrar requires two documents to complete its records for each M.S. student – a "Petition for Degree" and an "Approved Program of Study." The degree petition must be submitted to the registrar's office prior to the end of the semester preceding the student's final semester. The student must complete the form, obtain his or her advisor's signature, take the form to the cashier's office, pay the required fee, and return the petition to the MSE Academic office (for the Graduate Coordinator’s signature) by the deadline listed in the OSCAR and on the Graduate Studies website.

Time Table of Action for M.S. Students

FORM or ACTION	DEADLINE (to School office unless noted)
Request for Assignment of Advisor	No later than the end of the first semester after entering the program. Students are encouraged to determine advisor within one-month of residence.
Proposed M.S. Program of Study	No later than the end of the second semester after entering the program.
Request for Approval of Thesis Topic	As early as possible, but no later than the semester preceding the petition for degree. A recommendation for the composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee should accompany this request.
Approved Program of Study for the Master’s Degree	Must be submitted in the semester preceding graduation.
Petition for Degree	Submit with Approved Program of Study form.
Request for Oral Thesis Presentation	Three weeks prior to presentation. A copy of the completed draft of the thesis approved by the advisor must accompany the request.
Certificate of Thesis Approval	See Graduate Thesis Manual.  Dates are posted each semester on the bulletin board.
Thesis Original and Required Copies	See Graduate Thesis Manual.  Dates are posted each semester on the bulletin board.

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