The Materials Science and Engineering PhD program provides students with a fundamental and applied research-based education suitable for seeking employment in industry or academia.
The Materials Science and Engineering PhD program is designed for students with a master's degree in materials science and engineering or closely related disciplines. The program provides students with a fundamental and applied research-based education suitable for seeking employment in industry or academia.
The Materials Science and Engineering PhD program requires a minimum of 72 credit hours beyond the bachelor's degree. The program requires 27 hours of formal course work exclusive of independent study and a minimum of 15 hours of dissertation research (EMA 7980). A minimum of 12 credit hours of elective coursework is required to be taken at UCF. Details of program requirements are located in the Materials Science and Engineering PhD Handbook.
Total Credit Hours Required: 72 Credit Hours Minimum beyond the Bachelor's Degree
This program has potential ties to professional licensure or certification in the field. For more information on how this program may prepare you in that regard, please visit https://apq.ucf.edu/files/Licensure-Disclosure-CECS-Materials-Science-Engineering-PhD.pdf.
Program Prerequisites
Master's and/or bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering or a closely related discipline.
Degree Requirements
Elective Courses
57 Total Credits
- Complete all of the following
- The following core courses are used as the basis for the doctoral qualifying exam and are recommended, but not required: - EMA 5104 - Intermediate Structure and Properties of Materials 3 Credit Hours - EMA 5106 - Metallurgical Thermodynamics 3 Credit Hours - EMA 5317 - Materials Kinetics 3 Credit Hours - EMA 6126 - Physical Metallurgy 3 Credit Hours or EMA 6319 - Colloids and Interface Engineering 3 Credit Hours Elective courses that are commonly taught in Materials Science and Engineering being with the prefix EMA and EML. Other courses may be included in the elective hours with the approval of the student's faculty adviser and the Materials Science and Engineering graduate program director (indicated with another other prefix besides EMA/EML)
- Earn at least 57 credits from the following:
- EMA5104 - Intermediate Structure and Properties of Materials (3)
- EMA5106 - Metallurgical Thermodynamics (3)
- EMA5317 - Materials Kinetics (3)
- EMA6626 - Mechanical Behavior of Materials (3)
- EMA5108 - Surface Science (3)
- EMA5140 - Introduction to Ceramic Materials (3)
- EMA6130 - Advanced Phase Transformations in Materials (3)
- EMA6136 - Diffusion in Solids (3)
- EMA5585 - Materials Science of Thin Films (3)
- EMA6516 - X-ray Diffraction and Crystallography (3)
- EMA5584 - Biomaterials (3)
- EMA5060 - Polymer Science and Engineering (3)
- EMA6518 - Transmission Electron Microscopy (3)
- EMA5705 - High Temperature Materials (3)
- EMA5610 - Laser Materials Processing (3)
- EML6085 - Research Methods in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering (3 - 99)
- EMA6149 - Imperfections in Crystals (3)
- CHM5450 - Polymer Chemistry (3)
- CHM6711 - Chemistry of Materials (3)
- EEE5332C - Thin Film Technology (3)
- EEE5352 - Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization (3)
- EEE6326C - MEMS Fabrication Laboratory (3)
- EML5290 - Introduction to MEMS and Micromachining (3)
- EML5291 - MEMS Materials (3)
- OSE5312 - Light Matter Interaction (3)
- PHZ5405 - Condensed Matter Physics (3)
Dissertation
15 Total Credits
- Earn at least 15 credits from the following types of courses: EMA 7980 The College of Engineering and Computer Science requires that all dissertation defense announcements are approved by the student's adviser and posted on the college's website, www.cecs.ucf.edu/graddefense and on the Events Calendar of the College of Graduate Studies website at least two weeks before the defense date.
Examinations
0 Total Credits
- The doctoral qualifying exam is a multi-part exam. The initial written assessment will be conducted during the fall term. The following spring term a second written assessment as well as oral assessment will be conducted. Upon successful completion of the doctoral qualifying exam process, a student is qualified to continue studying in the PhD program. For more information about the qualifying exam please visit, http://mse.ucf.edu/graduate-program/. The candidacy exam should be taken in the academic semester the student completes 57 credit hours of required course work and is scheduled by mutual agreement of the student and his/her dissertation committee. The student must prepare a written description of their proposed dissertation research prior to the examination, and present that to their dissertation committee to review prior to the candidacy examination. Additionally, the student may be questioned orally during the exam by the dissertation committee on topics relevant to the proposed dissertation research.
Admission to Candidacy
0 Total Credits
- The following items are required to be admitted to candidacy and enroll in dissertation hours (enrollment in dissertation hours begins the semester following the completion of these requirements). Evidence of meeting these requirements must be received by the College of Graduate Studies by the day before the first day of classes for the semester in which a student wishes to enroll in dissertation hours. - Completion of 51 credit hours of course work, except for dissertation hours. - Successful completion of the qualifying examination. - Successful completion of the candidacy examination. - Successful defense of the written dissertation proposal. - The dissertation advisory committee is formed, consisting of approved Graduate Faculty and Graduate Faculty Scholars. - Submission of an approved program of study
Dissertation Defense
0 Total Credits
- All dissertations in Materials Science and Engineering must represent high-quality scientific work. Prior to scheduling the dissertation defense, the high quality of the research must be evidenced by: (1) two refereed journal publications with the doctoral candidate as first author that are in print, or formally accepted for publication, or (2) satisfaction of an alternative publication requirement as recommended by the Dissertation Advisory Committee and approved by a majority vote at a meeting of the program faculty (those having primary or secondary appointments in the MSE Department). The dissertation proposal must be successfully defended and accepted by the Dissertation Committee in a meeting convened for that purpose. The dissertation proposal must be a complete dissertation document provided to the committee at least two weeks prior to the date of defense. In addition, the high quality of the research must be evidenced by two refereed journal publications of the doctoral candidate as first author that are in print, or formally accepted for publication, prior to the dissertation defense. All members of the Dissertation Committee vote on acceptance or rejection of the dissertation proposal and the final dissertation. The dissertation proposal and final dissertation must be approved by a majority of the advisory committee.
Grand Total Credits: 72
Application Requirements
For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.
In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:
- One official transcript (in a sealed envelope) from each college/university attended.
- Official, competitive GRE score taken within the last five years.
- Master's and/or bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering or a closely related discipline.
- Résumé.
- Statement about educational, research and professional career objectives should include the student's intention for full or part-time study and their desire for an assistantship or fellowship.
- Three letters of recommendation.
Faculty members may choose to conduct face-to-face or telephone interviews before accepting an applicant into their research program.
Application Deadlines
| Materials Science and Engineering PhD | *Fall Priority | Fall | Spring | Summer |
| Domestic Applicants | Jan 15 | Jul 1 | Dec 1 | |
| International Applicants | Jan 15 | Jan 15 | Jul 1 | |
*Applicants who plan to enroll full time in a degree program and who wish to be considered for university fellowships or assistantships should apply by the Fall Priority date.
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.
