The accelerated undergraduate/graduate program in Materials Science and Engineering allows highly qualified UCF undergraduate majors in Mechanical Engineering to begin taking graduate-level courses that will count toward their master's degree while completing their baccalaureate degree program. Participation will enable completion of the Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degrees in five instead of six years for students enrolled in full-time course work.
The BSME is awarded after completing university requirements for the degree, including 128 total credit hours and completing of 71 credit hours of engineering courses. The MSMSE is awarded upon completion of the master's program. Courses designated in General Education Program and Common Program Prerequisites are usually completed in the first 60 hours (see engineering major requirements in the Undergraduate Catalog).
Total Credit Hours Required: 30 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
Track Prerequisites
A bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering from UCF.
Degree Requirements
Undergraduate Requirements
0 Total Credits
- Please see the current edition of the Undergraduate Catalog for additional information about engineering programs.
Required Courses
15 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- All students must take five required courses unless they hold a materials engineering undergraduate degree, in which case they may substitute an additional elective for EMA 5104.
- Complete the following:
- EMA5104 - Intermediate Structure and Properties of Materials (3)
- EMA5106 - Metallurgical Thermodynamics (3)
- EMA5317 - Materials Kinetics (3)
Choose 1 Group- Complete 1 of the following
- Complete the following:
- EMA6126 - Physical Metallurgy (3)
- EMA6626 - Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3)
- Complete the following:
- EMA5060 - Polymer Science and Engineering (3)
- EMA5060 - Polymer Science and Engineering (3)
Elective Courses
9 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- All students, both thesis and nonthesis, must take at least 9 credit hours of electives. Additional electives are listed below. Courses should be selected with faculty adviser approval. Elective course offering from outside EMA/EML are indicated by other course prefixes below:
- Earn at least 9 credits from the following:
- EMA5060 - Polymer Science and Engineering (3)
- EMA5108 - Surface Science (3)
- EMA5140 - Introduction to Ceramic Materials (3)
- EMA5326 - Corrosion Science and Engineering (3)
- EMA5415 - Electronic Principles of Materials Properties (3)
- EMA5504 - Modern Characterization of Materials (3)
- EMA5505 - Scanning Electron Microscopy (3)
- EMA5584 - Biomaterials (3)
- EMA5585 - Materials Science of Thin Films (3)
- EMA5586 - Photovoltaic Solar Energy Materials (3)
- EMA5610 - Laser Materials Processing (3)
- EMA5705 - High Temperature Materials (3)
- EMA6096 - Research Methods in Materials Science and Engineering (3)
- EMA6130 - Advanced Phase Transformations in Materials (3)
- EMA6136 - Diffusion in Solids (3)
- EMA6149 - Imperfections in Crystals (3)
- EMA6516 - X-ray Diffraction and Crystallography (3)
- EMA6518 - Transmission Electron Microscopy (3)
- EMA6611 - Optoelectronics Materials Processing (3)
- EMA6626 - Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3)
- CHM5450 - Polymer Chemistry (3)
- CHM6711 - Chemistry of Materials (3)
- EEE5332C - Thin Film Technology (3)
- EEE5352 - Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization (3)
- EML5290 - Introduction to MEMS and Micromachining (3)
- OSE5312 - Light Matter Interaction (3)
- PHZ5405 - Condensed Matter Physics (3)
Thesis/Nonthesis Option
6 Total Credits
- Complete 1 of the following
Thesis Option- Earn at least 6 credits from the following types of courses: EMA 6971 Thesis Thesis students must complete an independent research project, and write and successfully defend their thesis that describes the project. The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all thesis defense announcements be approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website and on the Events Calendar at the College of Graduate Studies website at least two weeks before the defense date.
Nonthesis Option- Complete all of the following
- Nonthesis students are required to demonstrate their ability to perform independently in research conditions by completing either EMA 6096 - Research Methods in Materials Science and Engineering or EMA 6918. In addition, they must take another elective beyond the 9 credit hours of electives described above.
- Earn at least 3 credits from the following:
- EMA6918 - Research (1 - 99)
- EMA6096 - Research Methods in Materials Science and Engineering (3)
- Earn at least 3 credits from the following types of courses: Additional Elective Course from list above.
Grand Total Credits: 30
Application Requirements
Financial Information
Graduate students may receive financial assistance through fellowships, assistantships, tuition support, or loans. For more information, see the College of Graduate Studies Funding website, which describes the types of financial assistance available at UCF and provides general guidance in planning your graduate finances. The Financial Information section of the Graduate Catalog is another key resource.
Fellowship Information
Fellowships are awarded based on academic merit to highly qualified students. They are paid to students through the Office of Student Financial Assistance, based on instructions provided by the College of Graduate Studies. Fellowships are given to support a student's graduate study and do not have a work obligation. For more information, see UCF Graduate Fellowships, which includes descriptions of university fellowships and what you should do to be considered for a fellowship.
The thesis option is primarily for those students who can devote a full-time effort to completing an independent research project that leads to a thesis. A student pursuing the thesis option may not register for thesis credit hours until an advisory committee has been appointed and the committee has reviewed the program of study and the proposed thesis topic.
The nonthesis option is primarily designed for part-time and online students and requires 30 credit hours of coursework. In addition, students pursuing the nonthesis option are required to take EMA 6096 - Research Methods in Materials Science and Engineering or EMA 6918 Directed Research as part of their 30-credit-hour course requirement to demonstrate their ability to perform independently in research conditions. See the MSE program director for specific details.
All students are expected to identify an adviser and file an official degree program of study prior to the completion of 9 credit hours of study. All programs of study must consist of at least 24 credit hours of required and elective courses, exclusive of thesis and research. At least half of the credit hours in a program of study must be at the 6000 level. The appropriate program of study form can be found at the program website listed above and students should consult with the MSE program director for assistance in filling out the program of study form and approval. Substitutions to the program of study must meet with the approval of the adviser and the MSE program director.
A student with an undergraduate degree outside of the materials science and engineering discipline is required to satisfy an articulation program and may have to take additional prerequisite courses.
Equipment FeeStudents in the Materials Science and Engineering MSMSE program pay $17 per semester for equipment each semester that they are enrolled. Part-time students pay $8.50 per semester.
Independent LearningThe Independent Learning Requirement is met by successful completion of a master's thesis or EMA 6096 - Research Methods in Materials Science and Engineering or EMA 6918 Directed Research for nonthesis students.
