Degree Requirements

Requirements for Degree

All students who enter the program are required to take a common core:

• Advanced Concepts in Materials Sciences and Engineering
• Materials Applications and Engineering
• Microchemical and Microstructural Characterization of Materials
• Instrumentation and Modeling Short Courses
• Doctoral Research Symposium I & II

and three hours of research symposia for a total of 17 credit hours. Students who enter with an M.S. degree may receive credit for up to 30 credit hours. The core and elective courses (discussed below) are traditional lecture or seminar courses. The student will take a minimum of 6 credit hours of Doctoral Dissertation, and additional credit hours of Advanced Study, Graduate Research, Independent Study, or Dissertation. A minimum of seventy-four (74) credit hours are required.

An acceptable dissertation must include a technical paper submitted to a referred journal by the student as the senior author.

The number and subject area of elective courses in advanced topics are determined by the student and his/her research advisor in consultation with the student's Dissertation Committee; although generally 12 hours of advanced topics (beyond the core) will be required. Depending on the background and preparation of the student, and/or the nature of the student's research, the student's mentor and/or the Dissertation Committee, acting together with the student, may suggest additional courses not chosen from the list of electives.

The UTEP MASE program currently does not offer a terminal Masters degree. However, MASE Ph.D. students may choose to complete a Masters degree in an appropriate science or engineering department, or in MSIS, Masters Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Students are required to pass an oral Qualifying Examination administered by their Research Committee. This examination consists of defending a written Dissertation Proposal and answering questions of either a broad or specific nature in relationship to preparation to conduct dissertation research. This examination is usually administered after a minimum of 2 semesters of work. Students may not register for dissertation credits until after the Qualifier Examination has been passed. Research undertaken prior to passing the examination can use appropriate graduate research projects or independent study courses.

At the conclusion of the research program, the student will make a public presentation of the dissertation. This will also constitute a Final Oral Examination or Dissertation Defense with questions from both the Research (Dissertation) Committee and the general public. For information regarding dissertation submission please visit the graduate school Thesis & Dissertation Information

The field of materials science and engineering is central to the technological, industrial, and economical development of Texas, the United States, Mexico, and other industrialized countries. The UTEP Ph.D. program in materials science and engineering is a multi-disciplinary program to prepare scientists and engineers to contribute to this vital field, with a specialized area using one or more of these skills to study some class or classes of materials, polymers, ceramics, semiconductors, superconductors, composites, and other materials systems.

You may also visit the Graduate School Office Website, or e-mail them at: gradschool@utep.edu