Bachelor of Science in Materials Science & Engineering - Research Option

The materials science and engineering undergraduate program offers a Research Option that allows students to participate in undergraduate research in faculty laboratories. The words “Research Option” will appear on the transcript of each student completing the requirements to indicate that the student has had a substantial, in-depth, research experience.

The requirements for the “Research Option” in Materials Science and Engineering are:

  1. Selection of a faculty advisor and research topic in conjunction with the faculty advisor. The topic and expected scope of the project must be approved in advance by the MSE Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. A key criterion will be whether the research may lead to a publishable paper.
  2. Completion of nine units (see 3 below) of supervised research, over a period of at least two, but preferably three, terms. Research may be either for pay or credit. At least 6 credit hours must involve work on a single research project.
  3. Registration in 9 hours of undergraduate research courses MSE 2698 and 4698 (for pay), or MSE 2699 and 4699 (for credit). Up to 10 hours of MSE 2699 or 4699 can be used to satisfy the technical, MSE, and free elective requirements of the BS degree in MSE. Courses taken for credit must be passed with a grade of C or higher.
  4. Preparation of a research proposal under the supervision of the faculty advisor and its approval by the MSE Undergraduate Curriculum Committee.
  5. Completion of LCC 4700 “Writing an Undergraduate Thesis,” with a grade of C or higher. This two hour course may be used to partially satisfy the three hour free elective requirement of the BS MSE degree. Item (4) must be completed before registering for LCC 4700.
  6. Preparation of a research thesis, which may be in the form of a co-authored research paper or a substantial report, and approval by the faculty advisor and one other faculty member, appointed by the MSE Undergraduate Curriculum Committee. The thesis will be evaluated on the basis of publishability, originality, creativity, and clarity. The MSE Undergraduate Curriculum Committee must approve each “Research Option” awarded under the BS MSE program.