THE HENRY
SAMUELI SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING
GRADUATE STUDY
Student Affairs
Office
101 Engineering and Computing Trailer; (949) 824-3562
John LaRue, Associate
Dean
ADMISSIONS
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's Office of Graduate Studies section. 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.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT
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. Although not required, 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.
PART-TIME STUDY
Those students who are employed may pursue the M.S. degree on a part-time basis, carrying fewer units per quarter. Since University residency 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 a counselor in The Henry Samueli School of Engineering Graduate Student Affairs Office and the approval of the Graduate Advisor in their program. M.S. programs must be completed in four calendar years from the date of admission. Students taking courses in University Extension prior to enrollment in a graduate program should consult the following section on Transfer of Courses.
TRANSFER AND SUBSTITUTION OF COURSES
Upon petition, a limited number of upper-division undergraduate or 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. The applicability of transfer or substitution courses must be approved by the student's department and the Graduate Dean of the University, in accordance with Academic Senate regulations. Also in accordance with UC Academic Senate policy, transfer credit for the M.S. degree cannot be used to reduce the minimum requirement in strictly graduate (200 series) courses.
Graduate Programs
Specific information about program requirements can be found in the department sections.
Biomedical Engineering
Chemical and Biochemical Engineering
Civil Engineering
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Concentration in Computer Graphics and Visualization
Concentration in Computer Networks and Distributed Computing
Concentration in Computer Systems and Software
Concentration in Electrical Engineering
Materials Science and Engineering
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Information about the following programs can be found below.
Engineering
Concentration in Arts Computation Engineering
Concentration in Environmental Engineering
Concentration in Materials Science and Engineering
Concentration in Protein Engineering
The M.S. and Ph.D. degree program in Networked Systems is supervised by an interdepartmental faculty group. Information is available in the Interdisciplinary Studies section of the Catalogue.
Graduate Concentration in Arts Computation Engineering (ACE)
Arts Computation
Engineering (ACE) Building; (949) 824-2109
Simon Penny, Co-Director
Robert
Nideffer, Co-Director
Faculty
James E. Bobrow (Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering): Robotics, applied nonlinear control, optimization methods
Beatriz da Costa (Studio Art, Electrical Engineering and Computer Science): Robotic art, tactical gizmology, biotech initiatives, surveillance projects, collaborative practice, social change
John Crawford (Dance, Digital Arts Minor): Videodance, documentary, interactive performance, motion capture, digital arts
Christopher Dobrian (Music, Informatics): Electronic music, composition
J. Paul Dourish (Informatics): Human-computer interaction, computer-supported cooperative work
Falko Kuester (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Biomedical Engineering, and Computer Science): Virtual reality, computer graphics, large-scale data visualization and computer-aided geometric design
Antoinette LaFarge (Studio Art): Digital media
Cristina Videira Lopes (Informatics and Computer Science): Programming languages, acoustic communications, operating systems, software engineering
Gloria Mark (Informatics): Computer-supported cooperative work, human-computer interaction
Gopi Meenakshisundaram (Computer Science): Geometry and topology for computer graphics, image-based rendering, object representation, surface reconstruction, collision detection, virtual reality, telepresence
Joerg Meyer (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Biomedical Engineering): Computer graphics, scientific visualization, large-scale rendering, biomedical imaging, virtual reality
Bonnie Nardi (Informatics): Interactive and collaborative technology: human-computer interaction/computer-supported cooperative work, educational technology
Lisa Marie Naugle (Dance): Modern dance, choreography, dance and digital technology, improvisation, motion capture
Robert Nideffer (Studio Art, Informatics): Electronic intermedia, interface theory and design, technology and culture, contemporary social theory
Simon Penny (Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, Studio Art, Informatics): Electronic media art: practice, history and theory; technologies for embodied interaction; cultural applications of emerging technologies; multi-camera machine vision, immersive environments, robotics and motion control
Kavita Philip (Women's Studies): Science and technology studies, South Asian studies, political ecology, critical studies of race, gender, colonialism, new media, and globalization
Mark S. Poster (History, Film and Media Studies): Theory and history of the media, theory of technology and culture, and Internet studies
Bill Tomlinson (Informatics, Drama): Autonomous characters, computational social behavior, interactive media, real-time animation
As digital technologies infiltrate increasingly diverse aspects of cultural practice, and human culture at large is influenced by the presence of digital technologies, there is a profound need for a new type of professional in the entertainment industry, in education, and in the arts, who can help to construct, manage, and monitor these changes. Such a professional must be technically skilled, artistically skilled, and theoretically skilled, all at an equally high and rigorous level. The goal of the M.S. in Engineering with a concentration in Arts Computation Engineering is to provide students with a broad-based and interdisciplinary training at the intersection of digital technology and cultural and artistic practices. The ACE program is coordinated across the Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences, The Henry Samueli School of Engineering, and the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and places equal emphasis on technical, artistic, and critical proficiency. Strongly practical in composition, it provides students with the opportunity to explore in detail topics such as telematic performance, immersive and augmented environments, embodied interaction, and the cultural impact of new technologies.
Graduation is by publicly presented thesis project and written thesis, in addition to completion of course work.
The ACE concentrations in all three fields consist of a two-year curriculum. The following courses are required:
ACE Core: five ACE interdisciplinary theory seminars (Engineering 270), four ACE studio/labs (Engineering 271-277), two ACE project internships (Engineering 279), and one quarter of ACE thesis research (Engineering 279).
(NOTE: A total of 48 units of Core courses must be completed. Any of the ACE core category courses may be reduced by one and replaced with a different ACE core course or an elective, in consultation with the student's advisor.)
Electives: a minimum of four graduate electives in Engineering (12-16 units, depending on whether the courses carry credit of three or four units), which will support the student's area of specialization and must be approved by the student's Engineering faculty advisor.
Two additional breadth electives: that may be chosen by the student in consultation with an advisor, and/or may be assigned by the ACE program committee in consultation with the student. These courses will compensate for lacunae in the student's background and may include upper-division undergraduate courses when appropriate and approved in advance by the candidate's advisor.
A program faculty member from Engineering will advise on elective selection and may be on the thesis committee.
Graduate Courses in Arts Computation Engineering
ENGR270 Arts Computation Engineering Interdisciplinary Theory Seminar: Special Topics (4). Counterposes technological discourses with fine arts discourses and practices, with a focus on historical contextualization, utilizing critical theory and science and technology studies perspectives. Topics vary and are not repeated in any three-year period. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Same as Informatics 270 and Arts 270.
ENGR271 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Interactive Installation and Performance Design Workshop (4). Designing persuasive spatialized interactive experiences: spatially and temporally distributed narratives. User-system relationships. "Freedom" in interaction: authoriality and control. Audience and the spectator. Sensors, behavior logics, and multi-modal output. Machine learning and autopedagogic systems. Training in relevant technologies. May be taken twice for credit. Same as Informatics 271 and Arts 271.
ENGR272 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Games and Algorithmic Systems in Literature and the Arts (4). Explores the cultural tradition of the game and game play with particular reference to the automation of games in computational systems and the close relation between gaming, improvisation, hypertext, and interactive art. Game programming techniques and projects. May be taken twice for credit. Same as Informatics 272 and Arts 272.
ENGR273 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Spatial Interaction: Sensors and Input/Output (4). Designing and building sensor and effector systems for cultural applications. Sensors, sensor combinations, sensor data collection and interpretation, input/output techniques and devices. Same as Informatics 273 and Arts 273.
ENGR274 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Real Space Interaction (4). Designing and building machine artworks, motion control, mechatronic, animatronic, and mobile robotic projects. Mechanics, electromechanics, electronics, microcontrollers, motor control. Aesthetico-critical as well as technical aspects subject to assessment. Same as Informatics 274 and Arts 274.
ENGR275 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Cultural Practice in Immersive Media (4). Examines and moves beyond existing paradigms of virtuality. Sensor and input devices, their logics and limitations. Embodied and symbolic interaction. Panoramic and stereoscopic image technologies. Stereoscopic graphics and spatialized sound. Technical components and their integration. Collaborative projects. Same as Informatics 275 and Arts 275.
ENGR276 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Telematic Performance and Teleoperative Art (4). Art and performance projects utilizing real time and quasi-real time distance interaction. Synchronous performance and distributed choreography. Network technologies and protocols. Speed, bandwidth, latency. Web-based technologies. Video and sound. Teleoperation/remote machine control. Same as Dance 276, Informatics 276, and Arts 276.
ENGR277 Arts Computation Engineering Studio/Laboratory: Special Topics (4). Focuses on currently emerging technologies, techniques, and cultural and critical issues. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Same as Informatics 277 and Arts 277.
ENGR278 Arts Computation Engineering Thesis Research (4 to 12). Independent research for thesis and thesis project. May be taken for a total of 36 units. Same as Informatics 278 and Arts 278.
ENGR279 Special Topics in the Arts Computation Engineering (4). Prerequisites vary. May be repeated for credit as topics vary. Same as Informatics 279 and Arts 279.
Graduate Concentration in Environmental Engineering
101 Engineering
and Computing Trailer; (949) 824-3562
Brett F. Sanders, 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. Da Silva: 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: Marine and fresh 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
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.
Students may pursue either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Engineering.
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: CEE162 or Earth System Science 102.
Environmental Microbiology: CBEMS112 or CBEMS116/216.
Fluid Mechanics: CEE170, CBEMS120A, or MAE130A.
Reactor Theory and Design: CBEMS110.
Core Requirement
Students must complete an advanced mathematics course, either CBEMS230 (Applied Engineering Mathematics I), 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, Physical Sciences, and Medicine. Electives within each of the emphasis areas in Engineering are listed below.
Water Quality: 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: 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: 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).
MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE
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 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 prior 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 CBEMS230, MAE200B, or CEE283. Up to 12 units may be taken as upper-division undergraduate elective courses.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
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 in the third year (or second year for students who entered with a master's degree), 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. The normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years (four years for students who entered with a master's degree). The maximum time permitted is seven years.
M.S. and Ph.D. in Engineering with an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Materials Science and Engineering
101 Engineering and Computing
Trailer; (949) 824-3562
Chin C. Lee, Director
Faculty
Mark Bachman: Microfabrication technology, integrated microsystems, sensors, biomedical microdevices
Ozdal Boyraz: Silicon photonics, nonlinear optics in silicon, cascaded cavity silicon Raman lasers
Peter J. Burke: Quantum electronics, high-speed semiconductor technology
Zhongping Chen: Optical sensor and imaging, MEMS and biophotonic system, and biomedical devices
James C. Earthman: Fatigue behavior and cyclic damage, automated materials testing, high-temperature fracture, biomaterials, cellular networks
Franco De Flaviis: Microwave materials and devices, MEMS devices and fabrication processes
Noo Li Jeon: Biomaterials
Ghassan S. Kassab: Experimental and computational vascular engineering, coronary circulation in health and disease, vascular tissue remodeling, tissue engineering, simulation of complex biological systems
John C. LaRue: Fluid mechanics, micro-electrical-mechanical systems (MEMS), turbulence, heat transfer, instrumentation
Abraham Lee: Micro and nanofluidic chips, droplet-based reactors for bioassays and materials synthesis, cell and biomolecular based sensors, nanoparticles and vesicles for drug delivery and targeted therapeutics
Chin C. Lee: Electronic packaging, thermal management, semiconductor devices, and microwaves
Henry P. Lee: Optoelectronic materials, growth, and devices
Guann Pyng Li: Optoelectronic devices, integrated circuit fabrication and testing, high-speed semiconductor technology
Jia Grace Lu: Nanostructured materials, nanoscale electronics
Marc J. Madou: Fundamental aspects of micro/nano-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS/NEMS), biosensors, nanofluidics, biomimetics
Martha L. Mecartney: Electron microscopy, ceramics, interfacial engineering
Farghalli A. Mohamed: Mechanical properties, creep, superplasticity, correlations between property and microstructure
Daniel R. Mumm: Thermo-mechanical behavior of materials, interfaces and microstructure, materials for power and propulsion, cellular materials, morphing structures, micro/nano-mechanics
Richard Nelson: Applications: MEMS, nanosystems; materials: structural, mechanical, electrical, and optical properties of materials for the construction of new devices and integrated systems
Regina Ragan: Self-assembly, nanoelectronics, nanophotonics, chemical and biological sensors, organic/inorganic interfaces and nanofabrication
Andrew A. Shapiro (Adjunct): Electronic properties of materials; electronic packaging materials, processes, and characterization
Andrei M. Shkel: Design, advanced control, diagnostics, and fabrication of integrated microelectromechanical systems (MEMS), applications in inertial, optical, and biomedical systems
Frank G. Shi: Optoelectronics packaging, packaging materials, photonic glass and nanocomposites
Lizhi Sun: Micromechanics and nanomechanics, dislocation dynamics, composites and thin films, multiscale modeling, elastography
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, as well as the manufacturing technologies needed for production. 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 materials and manufacturing issues. 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 properties, thermodynamics, phase equilibria, heat transfer, diffusion, and the physics and chemistry of solids and chemical reactions.
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 materials, 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, fabrication of steels, and construction of highways and bridges.
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 materials engineering and manufacturing technology. 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.
Students may pursue either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree in Engineering with a concentration in MSE.
Recommended Background
Given the nature of Materials Science and Engineering as an inter-disciplinary program, students having a background and suitable training in either Materials, Engineering (Biomedical, Civil, Chemical, Electrical, and Mechanical), or the Physical Sciences (Physics, Chemistry, Geology) are encouraged to participate. Recommended background courses include an introduction to materials, thermodynamics, mechanical properties, and electrical/optical/magnetic properties. A student with an insufficient background may be required to take remedial undergraduate courses following matriculation as a graduate student.
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 (Atomic Structure and Properties of Materials).
Physical and Electrical Properties: MSE205 (Materials Physics).
Thermodynamics and Transport Phenomena: one course from MSE252 (Theory of Diffusion), MSE253 (Kinetic Phenomena in Materials), CBEMS240 (Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics), or Chemistry 230 (Classical Mechanics and Electromagnetic Theory).
Processing of Materials: one course from EECS176 (Fundamentals of Solid-State Electronics and Materials), MSE255A (Design with Ceramic Materials), or MSE270 (Materials Processing).
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 Phenomena), CBEMS230 (Applied Engineering Mathematics I), CBEMS240 (Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics), MSE210 (Materials Characterization Techniques and Analysis).
Electronic and Photonic Materials: EECS277A-B (Advanced Semiconductor Devices I, II), EECS285A (Optical Communications), EECS285B (Lasers and Photonics), EECS280A-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).
Optoelectronics Packaging: CEE281 (Finite Element Method in Continuum Mechanics), CBEMS280 (Optoelectronics Packaging), EECS188 (Optical Electronics), EECS279 (Micro Sensors and Actuators), EECS285A (Optical Communications), EECS285B (Lasers and Photonics), EECS285C (Integrated and Fiber Optics), MSE272 (Microelectronic and Photonic Materials and Technology).
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), MSE259 (Transmission of Electron Microscopy), MSE263 (Computer Techniques in Experimental Materials Research), MAE200B (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 (MSE256B).
MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE
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 CBEMS296, EECS296, or CEE296 and up to eight units of undergraduate elective courses taken as a graduate student at UCI 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 taken as a graduate student at UCI can be applied toward the 36-unit requirement. Part-time study for the M.S. degree is available and encouraged for engineers working in local industries.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE
The Ph.D. degree in Engineering with a 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 academic 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 Henry Samueli School of Engineering teaching requirements; the development of a research proposal; passing the qualifying examination which assesses the candidate's preparation and potential for research and evaluates the Ph.D. thesis research proposal; successful completion of the research; development and approval of the dissertation; and public presentation and defense of the dissertation. 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. Students must advance to candidacy in their third year (second year for those who entered with a master's degree). The degree is granted upon the recommendation of the doctoral committee and the Dean of Graduate Studies. The normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is five years (four years for students who entered with a master's degree). The maximum time permitted is seven years.
Graduate Concentration in Protein Engineering
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.
Graduate Courses in Engineering
ENGR250 Calit2 Seminar: Trends in Optical Communication (1 to 4). Addresses the current status and future trends of fiberoptic materials, components, systems, and manufacturing that are the foundation of the ongoing fiberoptic communication revolution, through weekly seminar presentations by leading experts from both industry and academia. Prerequisites: graduate standing and consent of instructor.
ENGR295 Special Topics in Engineering (1 to 4). Prerequisites vary. May be repeated for credit as topics vary.
ENGR296 Master of Science Thesis Research (4 to 12). 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.
ENGR297 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.
ENGR299 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.
