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Materials Engineering

Materials engineering is concerned with the production, properties, and utilization of metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, electronic, optical, nano- and bio-compatible materials. Materials engineers play a key role in our increasingly complex technological society by extending the limited supply of materials, improving existing materials, and developing new and superior materials and processes with an awareness of the cost, reliability, safety, and social/environmental implications.

Students majoring in materials engineering receive a thorough grounding in the basic sciences and engineering of all materials. All students are required to take course sequences that include materials processing, thermodynamics and kinetics of materials, and their physical and mechanical behavior, plus laboratories designed to familiarize them with the instruments and techniques used to characterize materials and evaluate their performance. In addition, several required senior courses emphasize the role of materials selection and specification in design.

A required senior design project, a wide variety of technical elective courses, and co-op experiences allow students in-depth exploration of selected areas. A minor in materials engineering is also available.

Mission Statement
The Department of Materials Science and Engineering program will provide our B.S., M.S. and Ph.D. graduates with the technical and theoretical knowledge, design capabilities, professionalism, and communications skills necessary for them to excel in leadership positions in academia, industry, and government at the national and international levels.

Vision
Materials science and engineering is a multi-disciplinary field that will remain at the forefront of all emerging technologies. Advances in the understanding of the process-structure-property-performance relationships of materials will be critical for future developments in energy storage and power generation, biomaterials and nanomaterials. The Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Drexel University will be recognized as a world leader in these areas, through its teaching and scholarly research.

Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)
The Educational Objectives of the Materials Engineering B. S. degree program are:

1. Materials Engineering program graduates will possess the core technical competencies in their field necessary to successfully interface with other engineering disciplines in the workplace.
2. At least 30% of Materials Engineering program graduates will progress towards graduate education.
3. Materials Engineering program graduates will become leaders in their chosen fields.
4. Materials Engineering program graduates will have the ability to engage in lifelong learning.
5. Materials Engineering program graduates will have written and verbal communication skills appropriate for professional materials engineers.

Program Outcomes
The department’s Program Outcomes reflect the skills and abilities which the curriculum is designed to provide to students by the time they graduate. These are:

a. An ability to apply a knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering.
b. An ability to design and conduct an experimental investigation, as well as analyze and interpret data using statistical, computational and mathematical methods.
c. An ability to design and/or select a material, system, component, or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints such as economic, environmental, social, political, ethical, health and safety, manufacturability, and sustainability.
d. Ability to function on multi-disciplinary teams.
e. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve materials engineering problems.
f. A knowledge and understanding of professional and ethical responsibility.
g.1 An ability to communicate effectively – Oral.
g.2 An ability to communicate effectively – Written.
h. The broad education necessary to understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.
i. A recognition of the need for, and an ability to engage in, lifelong learning.
j. A knowledge of contemporary issues
k. An ability to use the techniques, skills, and modern engineering tools necessary for materials engineering practice.

Senior Design Projects
Throughout the senior year, students majoring in materials engineering work on a capstone senior design project with guidance from a faculty advisor. Students, working individually or in small groups, synthesize information from their courses to arrive at solutions to real-world engineering problems.

Some recent senior design projects include:

1. Platinum Enhanced Polymer-Carbon Nanotube Nano-Hybrid Shish-Kebab Structures for Use as Fuel Cell Catalysts.
2. Injectable Polyurethanes Designed for Vertebroplasty.
3. Abnormal Grain Coarsening In Al-Fe Alloys.
4. The Impact of Roller Compaction Parameters on Ribbon Quality.
5. Mechanical Characterization of Nanocomposite Materials.