The non-thesis Master of Science degree has been designed for engineers or scientists who are working in industry. The thesis requirement is replaced with the requirement to complete a Case Study. The industrial student, who most likely has technical laboratory or manufacturers experience, may find this program more suited to their employment responsibilities.

The non-thesis Master of Science degree requires a minimum of 30 total semester hours of acceptable coursework and case study credit including:

• 24 hours of courses (minimum)
• 6 hours of case study credits. (Sign up for MLGN 599, Case Study Materials Science, using a paper form at the Registrar’s Office).

Non-thesis students are strongly encouraged to gain industrial or laboratory experience during the course of their studies through co-ops or other arrangements. Students must indicate their intent to pursue a non-thesis Master of Science at their initial enrollment in the Materials Science program. Permission to change tracks from thesis to non-thesis, or vice-versa, will be granted only under certain circumstances. It must be approved by your advisor and submitted for approval by the Graduate Affairs Committee.

The dual degree program offered through the Materials Science Program provides non-thesis students the opportunity to earn two master’s degrees over two years of study. After completing the program, students will have earned a Master of Science in Materials Science from Mines and a Masters of Science in Physical Chemistry & Chemical Physics (PCCP) from the University of Bordeaux (UBx).

PROGRAM PLAN

1^st year of the program – held at CSM (mobility period for the UBx students)

• MLGN 591 – Materials Thermodynamics
• MLGN 592 – Advanced Materials Kinetics and Transport
• MLGN 593 – Bonding, Structure, and Crystallography
• MLGN 502 – Solid State Physics
• Two SYGN electives
• Two elective courses proposed by the student and approved by the academic advisor.

2^nd year of the program – held at UBx (mobility period for the CSM students)

• Photonics, Lasers and Imaging (CSM Equivalency: MLGN 501)
• Dielectric and Magnetic properties (CSM Equivalency: MLGN 515)
• Two elective courses among four proposed:
  • Large scale facilities
  • Self-assembly of polymers and surfactants
  • Energy, information and communication
  • Computational chemistry
• Foreign Languages (French or English)
• Management and Entrepreneurship
• Professional Project
• Internship and Case Study (MLGN 597)

Additional information: Program Details, University of Bordeaux

1. The Doctor of Philosophy degree requires a minimum of 72 hours of course and research credit including; the fulfillment of the three Materials Science core courses (9 credits hours), plus 5 more courses within the Materials Science program or a participating department, totaling 24 course credits hours. In order to achieve the required 72 credit hours, credits are acquired through a mix of courses and research credit hours, again tailored to the individual student needs. The 48 remaining credits will primarily be research credits.
2. Successful completion of the written qualifying examination in the specialty area
3. Successful completion of the thesis proposal
4. Prepare and submit a written thesis and pass a Defense of Thesis examination before the Thesis Committee.

DEGREE PROCESS

The following constitutes the qualifying processes by which doctoral students are admitted to candidacy in the Materials Science program.

• CORE CURRICULUM – The three required core classes must be completed within the first Fall and Spring semesters for all doctoral candidates. Students must obtain a grade of B- or better in each class to be eligible to take the qualifying examination at the end of the succeeding spring semester. If a student receives a grade of less than B- in a class, the student may request an additional final examination be given during the mid-term break of the following spring semester. If the result of this examination is a B- or better, the student will be allowed to take the qualifying examination. The grade originally obtained in the course will not be changed as a result. If not allowed to complete the qualifying examination at the end of the spring semester, students will be discouraged from the PhD program and encouraged, rather, to finish with a Masters degree.
• QUALIFYING EXAMINATION – A qualifying examination is given annually at the end of the spring semester under the direction of the Materials Science Graduate Affairs Committee. All first-year Materials Science students are expected to successfully complete the qualifying examination within three semesters to remain in good standing in the program. The examination covers material from the core curriculum plus a standard introductory text on Materials Science, such as “Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction”, by William Callister.
• THESIS PROPOSAL –  A student’s PhD thesis committee administers a PhD Thesis Proposal defense. The PhD proposal defense should occur no later than the student’s fourth semester. While the proposal itself should focus on the central topic of a student’s research efforts, during the proposal defense, candidates may expect to receive a wide range of questions from the Committee. This would include all manner of questions directly related to the proposal. Candidates, however, should also expect questions related to the major concept areas of Materials Science within the context of a candidate’s research focus. The Committee formally reports results of the PhD proposal defense to the Materials Science Program Director using the Committee Reporting form developed by the Office of Graduate Studies.
• Upon completion of these steps and upon completion of all required coursework, candidates are admitted to candidacy.
• THESIS DEFENSE – Following successful completion of coursework and the qualifying process, doctoral students must submit a thesis and successfully defend it in an oral presentation to the Thesis Committee in a public meeting. The thesis must present the results of original scientific research or development. For more detailed instructions on the thesis defense process, please see the Office of Graduate Studies website.

The Master of Engineering program is intended for students who would like to obtain a graduate degree without the thesis requirement.  It is typically a 1 year program that is focused on coursework. The Master of Engineering (ME) Degree requires a total of 30.0 credit hours. There are two options, however the second option requires approval from your advisor as a research topic needs to be determined.

Option 1) take 30 course credits*, including 3 hours of a “design” course, or Option 2) take 25 hours of course credits* and have 5 hours devoted to a project; in that case, you have to defend an engineering report to a 3-person committee.

*A minimum total of 30.0 credit hours consisting of:

1. 18 of the 26 approved coursework credit hours must be taken from the Metallurgy or Materials Science courses. All other courses credits can be taken in any department. While looking at potential courses, please be advised that the catalog lists ALL of our courses, not necessarily which ones are currently being offered. Please consult with the Graduate Program Manager to learn which courses are being offered for the next calendar year.
2. Students are expected to enroll in seminar every semester, but a maximum of 1 credit hour may apply toward the degree.
3. 3.0 -5.0 hours of graduate research-credits listed under MTGN700, a three credit hour research based Independent Study (MTGN599) or a designated design course (minimum of 3 credit hours)
4. The designated design courses include the following courses: MTGN414, MTGN445, MTGN450, MTGN461, MTGN464, MTGN466, MTGN475/477, MTGN549, MTGN564, MTGN560. Alternative courses can be substituted with approval from the advisor and department head.

Restrictions:

1. Only three (3) credit hours of independent course work, e.g. MTGN599, may be applied toward the degree.
2. A maximum of nine (9) credit hours of approved 400-level course work may be applied toward the degree.
3. Courses taken to remove deficiencies may not be applied toward the degree.

This degree can also be obtained as part of the combined undergraduate/graduate degree program which allows for the double counting of up to 6 credits. See here for more information: https://www.mines.edu/graduate-admissions/combined-program/

Requirements: A minimum total of 30.0 credit hours, consisting of:

1. A minimum of 18.0 credit hours of approved course work . 12 credit hours must be taken from Metallurgy or Materials Science courses. All other course credits can be taken in any department. While looking at potential courses, please be advised that the catalog lists ALL of our courses, not necessarily which ones are currently being offered. Please consult with the Graduate Program Manager to learn which courses are being offered for the next calendar year.
2. Students are expected to enroll in this seminar every semester, but a maximum of 1 credit hour may apply toward the degree.
3. 6.0 to 11.0 hours of graduate research-credits listed under MTGN707.

Restrictions:

1. Only three (3) credit hours of independent course work, e.g. MTGN599, may be applied toward the degree.
2. A maximum of nine (9) credit hours of approved 400-level course work may be applied toward the degree.
3. Courses taken to remove deficiencies may not be applied toward the degree.

Additional Degree Requirements:

1. Approval of all courses by the Thesis Committee and the Department Head. (Thesis Committee: consisting of 3 or more members, including the advisor and at least 1 additional member from the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department.)
2. Submittal and successful oral defense of a thesis before a Thesis Committee. The thesis must present the results of original scientific research or development.

This degree can also be obtained as part of the combined undergraduate/graduate degree program which allows for the double counting of up to 6 credits. See here for more information: https://www.mines.edu/graduate-admissions/combined-program/

Requirements: A minimum total of 72.0 credit hours consisting of:

1. A minimum of 36.0 credit hours of approved course work and a minimum of 24.0 hours of research-credits (MTGN707). Credit hours previously earned for a Master’s degree may be applied, subject to approval, toward the Doctoral degree provided that the Master’s degree was in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering or a similar field. At least 21.0 credit hours of approved course work must be taken at the Colorado School of Mines. While looking at potential courses, please be advised that the catalog lists ALL of our courses, not necessarily which ones are currently being offered. Please consult with the Graduate Program Manager to learn which courses are being offered for the next calendar year.
2. All courses and any applicable Master’s degree credit-hours must be approved by the Thesis Committee and the Department Head (Thesis Committee consisting of: 4 or more members, including the advisor, at least 2 additional members from the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department, and at least 1 member from outside the Department.)
3. Students are expected to enroll in seminar every semester, but a maximum of 1 credit hour may apply toward the degree

Additional Degree Requirements

1. Presentation of a Proposal on the Thesis-Research Project to the Thesis Committee.
2. Passing grade on the written and oral Qualifying-Process (Q.P.) Examinations.
3. Presentation of a Progress Report on their Research Project to the Thesis Committee; this presentation is usually 6 months after successfully completing the Q.P. Examinations and no fewer than 6 weeks before the Defense of Thesis.
4. Submittal and successful oral-defense of a thesis before the Thesis Committee. The thesis must present the results of original scientific research or development.

Restrictions:

1. Only six (6) credit hours of independent course work, e.g. MTGN599, may be applied toward the degree.
2. A maximum of nine (9) credit hours of approved 400-level course work may be applied toward the degree.
3. Courses taken to remove deficiencies may not be applied toward the degree.

This degree can also be obtained as part of the combined undergraduate/graduate degree program which allows for the double counting of up to 6 credits. See here for more information: https://www.mines.edu/graduate-admissions/combined-program/

No, but you may reach out to faculty here who have research areas that align with your own.

Decisions are made from mid-January into the summer. We do our best to provide updates come late March/early April.

No

They are made at the same time which is the reason for most delays because faculty are waiting on funding.