Student Affairs Office
101 Engineering and Computing Trailer; (949) 824-6475
John LaRue, Associate Dean
For information on requirements for admission to graduate study at UCI, contact the appropriate Engineering department or the Student Affairs Office in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering. Additional information is available in the Catalogue section entitled Research and Graduate Studies. Admission to graduate standing in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering is generally accorded those possessing a B.S. degree in engineering or an allied field obtained with an acceptable level of scholarship from an institution of recognized standing. Those seeking admission without the prerequisite scholarship record may, in some rare cases, undertake remedial work; if completed at the stipulated academic level, they will be admitted to full graduate standing. Those admitted from an allied field may be required to take supplementary upper-division courses in basic engineering subjects. The Graduate Record Examination General Test is required of all applicants.
Teaching assistantships and fellowships are available to qualified applicants (who should contact the Department to which they are applying for information). Research assistantships are available through individual faculty members. It is beneficial for applicants to contact the faculty member directly to establish the potential for research support. Early applications have a superior chance for financial support.
Those students who are employed may pursue the M.S. degree on a part-time basis, carrying fewer units per quarter. Since University residence requirements necessitate the successful completion of a minimum number of units in graduate or upper-division work in each of at least three regular University quarters, part-time students should seek the advice of the graduate counselor in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the approval of the chair of their program. M.S. programs must be completed in four calendar years from the date of admission. Students taking courses in University Extension should consult the following section on Transfer of Courses.
Upon petition, a limited number of graduate-level courses taken through University Extension, on another campus of the University, or in another accredited university may be credited toward the M.S. degree after admission. With the exception of work undertaken in another graduate division of the University of California, transfer credit will not be applied to the minimum required units in 200-series courses.
Graduate Programs
Specific information about program requirements can be found in the Departmental sections.
| Chemical and Biochemical Engineering | |
| Civil Engineering | |
| Electrical and Computer Engineering | |
| Concentration in Computer Networks and Distributed Computing | |
| Concentration in Computer Systems and Software | |
| Concentration in Electrical Engineering | |
| Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering | |
| Engineering (see below) | |
| Concentration in Biomedical Engineering | |
| Concentration in Environmental Engineering | |
| Concentration in Materials Science and Engineering | |
| Concentration in Protein Engineering | |
204 Rockwell Engineering Center; (949) 824-2471
James P. Brody, Graduate Advisor
Faculty
Nancy Allbritton: Intracellular signaling and biophysical optics
Pierre Baldi: Bioinformatics/computational biology and probabilistic modeling/machine learning
Michael Berns: Photomedicine; laser microscopy; biomedical devices
Lubomir Bic: Distributed computing, parallel processing in biological systems
Bruce Blumberg: Biorobotics, functional genomics
James P. Brody: Bioinformatics, micro-nanoscale systems
Ying-Chih Chang: Molecular engineering, polymer chemistry, biomaterials, interfacial phenomena
Zhongping Chen: Microfabrication and fiber-optic-based biomedical imaging systems
Carl Cotman: Computational methods in brain aging, Alzheimer's disease
Rui J. P. de Figueiredo: Biomedical signal and image processing and analysis
James Earthman: Biomaterials, dental and orthopaedic implants
Ron Frostig: Optical methods for brain imaging, functional organization of the cortex
Steven C. George: Physiological modeling, gas exchange, computational methods, tissue engineering
Steven Gross: In-vivo function of molecular motors, and optical tweezers
Ranjan Gupta: In-vivo models for chronic nerve injury
Noo Li Jeon: Soft lithography in fabricating devices
Joyce Keyak: Bone mechanics, finite element modeling, computed tomography
Richard Lathrop: Computational methods in protein engineering
Enrique Lavernia: Kinetic processes in materials, dermatology applications, mechanical analysis of cartilage
Thay Lee: Orthopaedic biomechanics
Guann Pyng Li: Microelectromechanical systems for biomedical applications
Shin Lin: The combined use of biochemistry, cell biology, molecular biology, and molecular biophysics to study the structure and function of proteins involved in cytoskeletal/contractile functions and signal transduction in muscle and nonmuscle cells
Sabee Molloi: Digital radiography, application of digital subtraction angiography to cardiac imaging, coronary artery flow measurement, digital image processing
J. Stuart Nelson: Phototherapy, dermatology, cell biology, biomedical device development
David Reinkensmeyer: Skeletal muscle control, biorobotics, rehabilitation
Suzanne Sandmeyer: Recombinant DNA technology; DNA chip design
Phillip C.-Y. Sheu: Biomedical database management, Intranet/Internet technologies
Harry Skinner: Orthopaedic implant devices, minimally invasive surgical systems
Bruce Tromberg: Photon migration, biophysics, optical microscopy, fiber-optic sensors
Vasan Venugopalan: Application of laser radiation for medical diagnostics, therapeutics, and biotechnology; laser-induced thermal, mechanical, and radiative transport processes
Brian Wong: Biomedical optics, tissue engineering, and development of surgical instrumentation
Fan-Gang Zeng: Cochlear implants and auditory neuroscience
Participating faculty are from the Schools of Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the College of Medicine, and the Department of Information and Computer Science.
Biomedical engineering combines engineering expertise with medical needs for the enhancement of health care. It is a branch of engineering in which knowledge and skills are developed and applied to define and solve problems in biology and medicine. Students choose the biomedical engineering field to be of service to people, for the excitement of working with living systems, and to apply advanced technology to the complex problems of medical care. Biomedical engineers may be called upon to design instruments and devices, to bring together knowledge from many sources to develop new procedures, or to carry out research to acquire knowledge needed to solve new problems.
During the last 20 years, we have witnessed unprecedented advances in engineering, medical care, and the life sciences. The combination of exploding knowledge and technology in biology, medicine, the physical sciences, and engineering, coupled with the changes in the way health care will be delivered in the next century, provide a fertile ground for biomedical engineering. Biomedical engineering, at the confluence of these fields, has played a vital role in this progress. Traditionally, engineers have been concerned with inanimate materials, devices, and systems, while life scientists have investigated biological structure and function. Biomedical engineers integrate these disciplines in a unique way, combining the methodologies of the physical sciences and engineering with the study of biological and medical problems. The collaboration between engineers, physicians, biologists, and physical scientists is an integral part of this endeavor and has produced many important discoveries in the areas of artificial organs, artificial implants, and diagnostic equipment.
Programs of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering with a concentration in Biomedical Engineering are offered.
Required Background
Because of its interdisciplinary nature, biomedical engineering attracts students with a variety of backgrounds. Thus, the requirements for admission are tailored to students who have a bachelor's degree in an engineering, physical science, or biological science discipline, with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher in their upper-division course work. The minimum course work requirements for admission are six quarters of calculus through linear algebra and ordinary differential equations, three quarters of calculus-based physics, three quarters of chemistry, and two quarters of biology. Students without an engineering undergraduate degree may be required to take additional relevant undergraduate engineering courses during their first year in the program; any such requirements will be specifically determined by the BME Graduate Committee on a case-by-case basis and will be make known to the applicant at the time of acceptance to the program.
The recommended minimum combined verbal and quantitative portion of the GRE is 1200, or a minimum combined MCAT scores in Physics, Quantitative Methods, and Science problems of 30. A minimum score of 600 on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is recommended of all foreign students whose native language is not English. In addition, all applicants must submit three letters of recommendation.
Exceptionally promising UCI undergraduates may apply for admission through The Henry Samueli School of Engineering's accelerated M.S. and M.S./Ph.D. program, however, these students must satisfy the course work and letters of recommendation requirements described above.
Core Requirement
All students are required to take a set of core courses which total 15-16 units: Developmental and Cell Biology 231B, Engineering E210A, B, and one of the following: Engineering CBEMS230, CEE283, ECE235, ECE240A, MAE200A, or MAE200B.
Elective Requirement
The remaining 20-21 units required to fulfill the course requirements for the M.S. and Ph.D. degree are comprised of elective courses offered within The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, the Schools of Biological Sciences and Physical Sciences, and the College of Medicine. A minimum of 12 of the elective units must be taken from The Henry Samueli School of Engineering. The group of elective courses must be approved by the BME Graduate Committee, for M.S. students, or, for Ph.D. students, the student's graduate advisory committee, and are chosen to meet the specific needs of each student. The electives must provide breadth in biomedical engineering, but also provide specific skills necessary to the specific research the student may undertake as part of the degree requirements.
Areas of Emphasis
Although a student is not required to formally choose a specific research focus area, three research thrust areas have been identified for the program: biophotonics, biomedical nanoscale systems, and biomedical computational technologies. The three areas capitalize on existing strengths within The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and UCI as a whole, interact in a synergistic fashion, and will train biomedical engineers who are in demand in both private industry and academia.
Biophotonics. This research area includes the use of light to probe individual cells and tissues and whole organs for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. The research areas include both fundamental investigation on the basic mechanisms of light interaction with biological systems and the clinical application of light to treat and diagnose disease. Current and future foci of the faculty are: (1) microscope-based optical techniques to manipulate and study cells and organelles; (2) development of optically based technologies for the non-invasive diagnosis of cells and tissues using techniques that include fiber-optic-based sensors, delivery systems, and imaging systems; and (3) development of optically based devices for minimally invasive surgery.
Nanoscale Systems. This class of research areas encompasses the understanding, use, or design of systems that are at the micron or submicron level. Current strengths within The Henry Samueli School of Engineering and the UCI faculty as a whole include biomaterials, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS), and the design of new biomedical molecules. The focus of biomedical engineering research in this area is the integration of nanoscale systems with the needs of clinical medicine. Projected areas of growth include: (1) micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) for biomedical devices and biofluid assay; (2) programmable DNA/molecular microchip for sequencing and diagnostics; and (3) biomaterials and self-assembled nanostructures for biosensors and drug delivery.
Biomedical Computational Technologies. Biomedical computational technologies include both advanced computational techniques, as well as advanced biomedical database systems and knowledge-base systems. Computational technologies that will be developed in this research area include: (1) methods for biomedical analysis and diagnosis such as physical modeling of light-tissue interactions, atomic-level interactions, image processing, pattern recognition, and machine-learning algorithms; (2) language instruction and platform standardization; and (3) machine-patient interfaces. Areas of research related to biomedical database systems include the development of new technologies which can capture the rich semantics of biomedical information for intelligent reasoning.
Two options are available for the M.S. degree: a thesis option and a comprehensive examination option. Both options require the student to specify an area of specialty, and to complete a minimum of 36 units, 24 of which must be at the 200 level including the 15-16 units that comprise the core courses as described above. The degree will be granted upon the recommendation of the Director and The Henry Samueli School of Engineering Associate Dean of Graduate Studies.
Plan I: Thesis Option
A thesis option is available to students who prefer to conduct a focused research project. Students selecting this option must select a thesis advisor and complete an original research investigation including a written thesis, and obtain approval of the thesis by a thesis committee. A maximum of eight M.S. research units (i.e., ECE296) may be applied toward the 36-unit requirement.
Plan II: Comprehensive Examination Option
Alternatively, students may select a comprehensive examination option in which they must successfully complete 36 units of study and pass a comprehensive examination.
The Ph.D. degree requires the achievement of an original and significant body of research that advances the discipline. A student with a B.S. degree may enter the Ph.D. program directly, provided they meet the background requirements described above.
Each student is matched with a faculty advisor, and an individual program of study is designed by the student and a faculty advisory committee. There are no additional course requirements beyond that of the M.S. degree. Three milestones are required: (1) successful completion of a preliminary examination; (2) formal advancement to candidacy by successfully passing a qualifying examination; and (3) the submission of an acceptable written dissertation and its successful oral defense.
The preliminary examination is a written examination prepared by the Graduate Committee and taken by students at the end of their first year. Students who fail the examination may retake it once within six months of the initial attempt. Students who fail the second attempt are not allowed to continue in the program. After passing the preliminary examination, students are matched with a BME faculty advisor, and an individual program of study is designed by the student and advisor.
Advancement to candidacy must be completed between the ninth and twelfth quarters of enrollment, usually during a student's third year. (Special exceptions can be made, but a formal request with justification must be supplied in writing to the Director.) The qualifying examination follows campus and The Henry Samueli School of Engineering guidelines and consists of an oral and written presentation of original work completed thus far, and a coherent plan for completing a body of original research. The qualifying examination is presented to the student's graduate advisory committee, which is selected by the student and faculty advisor and must have a minimum of five faculty (including the faculty advisor). Of these five faculty, a minimum of three must be BME faculty. In addition, a minimum of two faculty must have part of their primary appointment in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering.
The Ph.D. is awarded upon submission of an acceptable written dissertation and its successful oral defense. The degree is granted upon the recommendation of the graduate advisory committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Completion of the Ph.D is expected in the fifth year although a maximum of seven years (28 academic quarters) is allowed.
Engineering 210A Systems Anatomy and Physiology I (4) W. A quantitative and systems approach to understanding physiological systems. Systems covered include the cardiopulmonary, circulatory, and renal systems. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Engineering 210B Systems Anatomy and Physiology II (4) S. A quantitative and systems approach to understanding physiological systems. Systems covered include the nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Engineering 240 Introduction to Clinical Medicine for Biomedical Engineering (2) S. An introduction to clinical medicine for graduate students in biomedical engineering. Divided between lectures focused on applications of advanced technology to clinical problems and a series of four rotations through the operating room, ICU, interventional radiology/imaging, and endoscopy.
Engineering 261A Biomedical Microdevices I (3) S. In-depth review of microfabricated devices designed for biological and medical applications. Studies of the design, implementation, manufacturing, and marketing of commercial and research bio-MEMS devices. Prerequisite: Engineering ECE217 or consent of instructor.
Engineering 296 Master of Science Thesis Research (4 to 12) W. Individual research or investigation conducted in the pursuit of preparing and completing the thesis required for the M.S. in Engineering. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
Engineering 297 Doctor of Philosophy Dissertation Research (4 to 12). Individual research or investigation conducted in the pursuit of preparing and completing the dissertation required for the Ph.D. in Engineering. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
Engineering 298 Seminars in Biomedical Engineering (1) F, W, S. Presentation of advanced topics and reports of current research efforts in biomedical engineering. Designed for graduate students in the Biomedical Engineering program. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only. May be repeated for credit.
Engineering 299 Individual Research (1 to 12). Individual research or investigation under the direction of an individual faculty member. Prerequisite: consent of instructor. May be repeated for credit.
101 Engineering and Computing Trailer; (949) 824-7188
Stanley B. Grant, Director
Faculty
Constantinos V. Chrysikopoulos: Subsurface solute transport, nonaqueous phase liquid dissolution in porous media, mathematical modeling
Donald Dabdub: Mathematical modeling of air pollution dynamics, parallel computing applied to environmental problems
Nancy A. DaSilva: Bioremediation, genetic engineering
Derek Dunn-Rankin: Combustion pollutants, incineration, aerosol inhalation and deposition
Carl A. Friehe: Boundary-layer meteorology, atmospheric turbulence, air-sea energy exchange
Stanley B. Grant: Environmental microbiology, water quality, biocolloid stability and transport, molecular biotechnology
Juan Hong: Separation processes, bioremediation, bioreactor analysis
Henry C. Lim: Bioreactor control optimization, genetic engineering, bioremediation
Scott Samuelsen: Combustion, pollutant formation, energy efficiency and utilization, air quality, environmental ethics
Brett F. Sanders: Environmental and computational fluid dynamics, water resources engineering
Jan Scherfig: Biological treatment, water reclamation and reuse, waste treatment
Julie M. Schoenung: Pollution prevention, economic analysis, membrane technology, advanced materials
Roland Schinzinger: Electric energy systems
William A. Sirignano: Combustion, pollutant formation, fire spread, noise suppression
Environmental Engineering addresses the development of strategies to control anthropogenic emissions of pollutants to the atmosphere, waterways, and terrestrial environment; the remediation of polluted natural systems; the design of technologies to treat waste; fire safety; noise suppression; energy efficiency; and the evaluation of contaminant fate in urban environments. Environmental engineering issues are now an important component in the development of many engineering technologies and consequently are an important aspect of an engineering education. The discipline itself is interdisciplinary and requires a curriculum that provides students with an understanding of fundamentals in air- and water-quality sciences, contaminant fate and transport, and design concepts for pollutant emission control and treatment. To avoid the development of environmental engineering solutions which only transform one form of pollution to another, modern engineering education programs must require exposure and familiarity with a greater number of subjects than ever before.
Environmental engineers with an interdisciplinary background are particularly sought to address the complex infrastructure needs of today's society, where they must be able to communicate with teams of scientists and engineers from different disciplines. Environmental engineering graduates who meet this description can expect to remain in strong demand in the private and public employment sectors, and their range of career opportunities is highly diverse. Examples of career fields and activities include the development of new technologies to genetically engineer microorganisms for waste treatment, design of combustion and control processes that minimize pollutant emissions and maximize energy efficiency, resolution of complex pollutant transport processes in naturally heterogeneous systems, development of new physical-chemical treatment approaches, and characterization of pollutant transformation mechanisms in natural systems.
Curricular and research subjects of interest in Environmental Engineering include environmental air and water chemistry, environmental microbiology, combustion technologies, aerosol science, transport phenomena, reactor theory, unit operations and systems design, mathematical modeling, energy systems, soil physics, fluid mechanics, hydrology, and meteorology. Interdisciplinary research endeavors commonly bridge many of these different subjects and a current focus is maintained on new and emerging technologies. Curriculum objectives have also been set to maintain a balance between the depth and breadth of program scope for each student.
Programs of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering are offered.
Required Background
The interdisciplinary nature of the program allows students with a variety of backgrounds to undertake studies in this field. Students with a background in engineering--particularly chemical, civil, environmental, and mechanical engineering--as well as scientists from biology, chemistry, environmental science, and physics, are encouraged to participate.
Students admitted to the program are expected to have had rigorous undergraduate exposure to a number of relevant subject areas including air quality, environmental chemistry, fluid mechanics, microbial processes, and reactor theory and design. The degree to which each student meets the program's background requirement is determined by participating faculty at the time of admission. Students with an insufficient background who are offered admission will be required to take a set of appropriate prerequisite courses. Prerequisite work typically involves at least two and frequently as many as five or six upper-division, undergraduate courses each of which must be completed with a final grade of B or better. Occasionally, lower-division work in chemistry, mathematics, or physics is required. The student's specific prerequisite course work requirement, if any, is stated the letter of admission.
The background requirement establishes a common foundation for graduate study in the program. Not all students are required to take prerequisite course work; those who are may do so following matriculation in the graduate program. In addition, M.S. students may use a limited amount of upper-division course work taken to meet the background requirement in partial fulfillment of graduate degree requirements.
Although this list is not exhaustive, commonly required prerequisite courses within each of the required background areas are as follows:
Air Quality: Engineering MAE110, MAE162, or MAE164.
Environmental Chemistry: Engineering CEE162 or Earth System Science 102.
Environmental Microbiology: Engineering CBEMS112 or CBEMS116/216.
Fluid Mechanics: Engineering CEE170, CBEMS120A, or MAE130A.
Reactor Theory and Design: Engineering CBEMS110.
Core Requirement
Students must complete an advanced mathematics course, either Engineering CBEMS230 (Applied Chemical Engineering Mathematics), CEE283 (Mathematical Methods in Engineering Analysis), or MAE200B (Engineering Analysis II).
Areas of Emphasis
Each student selects a primary area of emphasis within Environmental Engineering: Water Quality, Water Resources, or Air Quality and Combustion. To achieve the interdisciplinary objectives of the program, students are required to take at least two electives outside their primary area, one each in two different areas. These outside electives may also be taken from approved courses in other academic units, including the Schools of Social Ecology and Physical Science, and the College of Medicine. Electives within each of the emphasis areas in Engineering are listed below.
Water Quality: Engineering CBEMS210 (Reaction Engineering), CBEMS214 (Bioremediation), CBEMS216 (Field Practicum), CBEMS218 (Bioengineering with Recombinant Organisms), CBEMS220 (Transport Phenomena), CBEMS234 (Bioreactor Engineering), CEE263 (Advanced Biological Treatment Processes), CEE265 (Advanced Physical-Chemical Treatment Processes), CEE266 (Aqueous Geochemistry), CEE267 (Advanced Treatment Models), CEE269 (Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal); Earth System Science 201B (Global Biogeochemistry).
Water Resources: Engineering CEE271 (Flow in Unsaturated Media), CEE272 (Stochastic Geohydrology), CEE274A (Transport Phenomena in Saturated Porous Media), CEE274B (Transport Phenomena in Unsaturated Porous Media and Fractures), CEE275 (Coastal Engineering), CEE276 (Surface Water Hydrology), CEE277 (Transport in Rivers and Estuaries), CEE278 (Flow in Rivers and Estuaries), CEE279A (Computations in Environmental Hydrologies), CEE279B (Computation in Subsurface Hydrology); Earth System Science 201C (Earth System Change).
Air Quality and Combustion: Engineering MAE210 (Advanced Fundamentals of Combustion), MAE215 (Advanced Combustion Technology), MAE230A (Advanced Incompressible Fluid Dynamics I), MAE231 (Fundamentals of Turbulence), MAE232 (Atmospheric Turbulence), MAE233 (Turbulent Free Shear Flows), MAE260 (Issues Related to Atmospheric Processes), MAE261 (Air Pollution Modeling), MAE264 (Combustion Particulates and Aerosols), MAE280 (Digital Data Acquisition and Analysis); Earth System Science 201A (Physical Climate).
Two options are available for M.S. degree students: a thesis option and a comprehensive examination option. Both options require the completion of 36 units of study. Study plans for both options must also include two graduate courses from outside the student's primary area of emphasis.
Plan I. Thesis Option
A thesis option is available to students who prefer to conduct a focused research project. Students selecting this option must complete an original research investigation and a thesis, and obtain approval of the thesis by a thesis committee. Of the 36 required units, at least 20 must be graduate courses (numbered 200-289), including either Engineering CBEMS230, MAE200B, or CEE283. A maximum of eight M.S. research units and up to eight units of upper-division undergraduate elective courses may be applied to the degree with the approval of a faculty advisor.
Plan II. Comprehensive Examination Option
Alternatively, students may select a comprehensive examination option in which they must successfully complete 36 units of study and pass a comprehensive examination. At least 24 units must be graduate courses (numbered 200-289), including either Engineering CBEMS230, MAE200B, or CEE283. Up to 12 units may be taken as upper-division undergraduate elective courses.
The Ph.D. concentration in Environmental Engineering requires the achievement of original and significant research that advances the discipline. Doctoral students are selected on the basis of an outstanding record of scholarship and potential for research excellence.
The doctoral study program is tailored to the individual student in consultation with a faculty advisory committee. There are no specific course requirements, however, additional mathematics courses beyond those required for a M.S. degree are generally required, reflecting the student's specific research interests. Within this flexible framework, the School maintains specific guidelines that outline the milestones of a typical doctoral program. All doctoral students should consult the Environmental Engineering program guidelines for details, but there are several milestones to be passed: admission to the Ph.D. program by the faculty, passage within the first year of a preliminary examination or similar assessment of the student's background and potential for success, research preparation, formal advancement to candidacy by passing a qualifying examination, completion of a significant research investigation, and the submission and oral defense of an acceptable dissertation.
Committees for preliminary and Ph.D. qualifying examinations and the doctoral committee must have at least one Environmental Engineering faculty member from outside the student's area of emphasis. The student's dissertation topic must be approved by the student's doctoral committee. The degree is granted upon the recommendation of the doctoral committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Doctoral programs must be completed within seven calendar years of the date of admission.
101 Engineering and Computing Trailer; (949) 824-5807
Farghalli A. Mohamed, Director
Faculty
Peggy Arps (Adjunct): Environmental molecular microbiology and biotechnology, biocorrosion of materials, genetic engineering of bacteria for industrial systems
Ying-Chih Chang: Biomolecular engineering, organic thin-film fabrication
James C. Earthman: Fatigue behavior and cyclic damage, automated materials testing, high-temperature fracture, biomaterials, cellular networks
Hideya Gamo: Quantum electronics, electromagnetics
Enrique J. Lavernia: Processing structural materials and composites; manufacturing nanostructural materials; thermal spraying; modeling and simulation
Chin C. Lee: Electronic packaging, thermal management, integrated optics
Henry P. Lee: Optoelectronic materials, growth, and devices
Guann Pyng Li: Optoelectronic devices, integrated circuit fabrication and testing, high-speed semiconductor technology
Martha L. Mecartney: Electron microscopy, ceramics, interfacial engineering
Farghalli A. Mohamed: Mechanical properties, creep, superplasticity, correlations between property and microstructure
Andrew A. Shapiro (Adjunct): Electronic properties of materials; electronic packaging materials, processes, and characterization
Frank G. Shi: Semiconductor processing and dielectric; metal and polymer thin film materials; amorphous materials; nanoparticles and aerosols; theory and modeling
Chen S. Tsai: Integrated optic devices, circuits, materials; acoustic microscopy with applications to materials, device characterization
Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is concerned with the generation and application of knowledge relating the composition, structure, and processing of materials to their properties and applications. During the past two decades, MSE has become an important component of modern engineering education, partly because of the increased level of sophistication required of engineering materials in a rapidly changing technological society, and partly because the selection of materials has increasingly become an integral part of almost every modern engineering design. In fact, further improvements in design are now viewed more and more as primarily a materials issue. Both the development of new materials and the understanding of present-day materials demand a thorough knowledge of basic engineering and scientific principles including, for example, crystal structure, mechanics, mechanical behavior, electronic, optical and magnetic behavior, thermodynamics, phase equilibria, heat transfer, diffusion, and the physics and chemistry of solids.
The field of MSE ranks high on the list of top careers for scientists and engineers. The services of these engineers and scientists are required in a variety of engineering operations dealing, for example, with design of semiconductors and optoelectronic devices, development of new technologies based on composites and high-temperature superconductivity, biomedical products, performance (quality, reliability, safety, energy efficiency) in automobile and aircraft components, improvement in nondestructive testing techniques, corrosion behavior in refineries, radiation damage in nuclear power plants, and fabrication of steels.
Subjects of interest in Materials Science and Engineering cover a wide spectrum, ranging from metals, optical and electronic materials to superconductive materials, ceramics, advanced composites, and biomaterials. In addition, the emerging new research and technological areas in materials are in many cases interdisciplinary. Accordingly, the principal objective of the graduate curriculum is to integrate a student's area of emphasis--whether it be structural materials, chemical processing, mechanics of solids, or electronic devices--into the whole of material science and engineering. Such integration will breed familiarity with other disciplines and provide students with the breadth they need to face the challenges of current and future technology.
Programs of study leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Engineering are offered.
Recommended Background
Given the nature of Materials Science and Engineering as a cross-disciplinary program, students having a background and suitable training in either Materials, Engineering (Mechanical, Electrical, Civil, Chemical), or the Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Geology) are encouraged to participate. Recommended background courses include an introduction to materials, thermodynamics, mechanical behavior, and electrical/optical/magnetic behavior. A student with an insufficient background may be required to take remedial undergraduate courses.
Core Requirement
Because of the interdepartmental nature of the concentration, it is important to establish a common foundation in Materials Science and Engineering for students from various backgrounds. This foundation is sufficiently covered in MSE courses that are listed below and that deal with the following topics:
Crystal Structure and Crystal Defects: MSE200 (Advanced Concepts in Materials).
Physical and Electrical Properties: MSE205 (Physical and Electric Properties of Engineering Materials).
Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena: one course from MSE252A (Theory of Diffusion), MSE253 (Kinetic Phenomena in Materials), CBEMS280 (Fundamentals of Phase Transformation), or Chemistry 230 (Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetic Theory).
Processing of Materials: one course from ECE116 (Wafer Fabrication Processes), MSE255A (Design with Ceramic Materials), or MSE257B (Solidification Processes).
Electives
These electives represent courses in areas of emphasis. Typical examples for elective courses in various areas of emphasis are listed below.
Chemical Processing: CBEMS210 (Reaction Engineering), CBEMS220 (Transport), CBEMS230 (Applied Chemical Engineering Mathematics), CBEMS240 (Thermodynamics).
Electronic and Photonic Materials: ECE217A-B (Advanced Semiconductor Devices), ECE275A (Electro-optical Devices), ECE275B (Acoustic-Optics Devices), ECE279A, B (Advanced Engineering Electromagnetics I, II).
Mechanics of Solids: CEE242 (Advanced Strength of Materials), CEE243 (Mechanics of Composite Materials), CEE246 (Structural Performance and Failure), CEE281 (Finite Element Method in Continuum Mechanics).
Physics and Chemistry of Materials: Chemistry 213 (Chemical Kinetics), Chemistry 225 (Polymer Chemistry), Chemistry 230 (Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetic Theory), Chemistry 252 (Special Topics in Physical Chemistry), Physics 221 (Elasticity), Physics 239A (Plasma Physics), Mathematics 292A (Applied Mathematics).
Structural Materials: MSE210 (Materials Characterization Techniques and Analysis), MSE251 (Dislocation Theory), MSE255A (Design with Ceramic Materials), MSE255B (Science of Composite Materials), MSE256A (Fracture of Engineering Materials), MSE258 (Computer Techniques in Experimental Materials Research), MSE259A (Theory of Electron Microscopy), ME200B (Engineering Analysis).
It should be noted that specific course requirements within the areas of emphasis are decided based on consultation with the Director of the MSE concentration and the faculty advisor; that in selecting electives, students are encouraged to take courses which are not in their area of emphasis; and that MSE courses which are not selected to satisfy the core requirement can also serve as electives under the Structural Materials emphasis. Furthermore, students in the MSE concentration who are interested in an area of emphasis other than Structural Materials are urged to take one course which covers aspects related to mechanical behavior such as Dislocation Theory (MSE251) and Fracture of Engineering Materials (MSE256A).
A minimum of 36 units is required for the M.S. degree. Two options are available, a thesis option and a comprehensive examination option. For the thesis option, students are required to complete a research study of great depth and originality and obtain approval for a complete program of study. A committee of three full-time faculty members is appointed to guide development of the thesis. At least 21 units must be taken from courses numbered 200-289, among which 12 units are from MSE core courses and nine units are in the area of emphasis approved by the faculty advisor and the graduate advisor. Up to eight units of MSE296, ECE296, CBEMS296, or CEE296 and up to eight units of undergraduate elective courses can be applied toward the 36-unit requirement. For the comprehensive examination option, students are required to complete 36 units of study. At least 24 units must be taken from courses numbered 200-289, among which 12 units are from MSE core courses and 12 units are in the area of emphasis approved by the faculty advisor and the graduate advisor. Up to eight units of undergraduate elective courses can be applied toward the 36-unit requirement.
The Ph.D. concentration in Materials Science and Engineering requires a commitment on the part of the student to dedicated study and collaboration with the faculty. Ph.D. students are selected on the basis of outstanding demonstrated potential and scholarship. Applicants must hold the appropriate prerequisite degrees from recognized institutions of high standing. After substantial preparation, Ph.D. candidates work under the supervision of faculty advisors. The process involves extended immersion in a research atmosphere and culminates in the production of original research results presented in a dissertation.
Milestones to be passed in the Ph.D. program include the following: acceptance into a research group by the faculty advisor during the student's first year of study; successful completion of the Ph.D. preliminary examination; preparation for doing research, completion of the School of Engineering teaching requirements, and the development of a research proposal; passing the qualifying examination which assesses the candidate's preparation for research and evaluates the proposed research; successful completion of the research; development and approval of the dissertation; presentation of the dissertation and a final examination on its contents. There is no foreign language requirement.
The preliminary examination, to be taken during the second year of the Ph.D. program, is based on the core courses in MSE and courses taken in the area of emphasis. The examination committee is appointed by the MSE Director with subsequent approval by the School's Associate Dean of Graduate Studies. The degree is granted upon the recommendation of the doctoral committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies. Doctoral programs must be completed within seven calendar years of the date of admission.
145 Biological Sciences Administration; (949) 824-6686
The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, in conjunction with the School of Biological Sciences and the Department of Chemistry in the School of Physical Sciences, participates in the joint graduate program in Protein Engineering. This interdisciplinary graduate program offers students the opportunity to work with the approximately 20 faculty in any of the participating academic units; take course work in the areas of protein structure, function, and molecular biology; and earn the Ph.D. in Engineering, Biological Sciences, or Chemistry with a concentration in Protein Engineering Science. Additional information is available in the School of Biological Sciences section of the Catalogue and through the Graduate Program in Protein Engineering office in the Biological Sciences Administration Building.
