Materials Science & Engineering

Materials science and engineering is a broad field of study.  As the name implies, it encompasses foundational knowledge from the sciences (e.g. physics, chemistry, and biology) and it includes the engineering application of this knowledge to create new materials and to select, modify, and combine existing materials in novel and useful ways. Developments in materials science and engineering are critical to success in many areas of science and technology. The relationship between the structure, processing, and properties of materials is central to the discipline, and therefore the courses in this minor teach students about one or more of these areas. Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology offers a Minor in Materials Science and Engineering to recognize students who have gained experience in these areas while at Rose-Hulman. Students in any degree program are eligible for this minor, except students working toward the minor in Solid State Physics/Materials Science.

To earn the Minor in Materials Science and Engineering, a student must complete a minimum of 24 credit hours according to the guidelines below.  These guidelines are designed to be flexible in order to accommodate students from different majors across the Institute. Consequently, some courses are listed in multiple categories even though any given course may only be counted once toward the minor. In some cases, a prerequisite may be waived if the instructor determines that the student has sufficient background knowledge from previous coursework taken in other departments. Prerequisites are included for reference but are subject to change; the course catalog contains the official prerequisites. 

Some courses below have prerequisites. Review each course for prerequisite requirements.

  1. One of the following introductory courses (or course sequences):
    BE 233
    & BE 315    		Biomaterials
    and Biomedical Engineering Lab I    		5
    CHE 315Materials Science and Engineering4
    ME 328Materials Engineering4
  2. A total of 20 additional credit hours from one or both of the following categories. Any course required for a student’s major (excluding elective courses required for the major, and other exceptions as specified in the footnotes) does not count toward these 20 credit hours, nor does any course taken to satisfy requirement (1) above.
    Select a minimum of 12 credit hours of the following elective courses:12
    BE 233
    		Biomaterials
    BE 560
    		Tissue-Biomaterial Interactions 1
    BE 597
    		Selected Topics for Graduate Students (& Other BE) 1
    CE 320
    		Civil Engineering Materials 2
    CHE 315
    		Materials Science and Engineering 3
    CHE 441
    		Polymer Engineering
    CHE 515
    		Nanomaterials Science & Engineering
    CHEM 581
    		Polymer Chemistry 1
    CHEM 582
    		Physical Properties of Polymeric Materials 1
    CHEM 270
    & CHEM 470
    & CHEM 570
    		Special Topics in Chemistry
    and Special Topics in Chemistry
    and Special Topics in Chemistry 5
    ECE 416/CHE 405/NE 410/ME 416
    		Introduction to MEMS: Fabrication & Applications
    ECE 543
    		Electromagnetic Metamaterials
    NE 280
    		Introduction to Nanoengineering
    NE 330
    		Material Failure
    NE 380
    		Nanotechnology, Entrepreneurship & Ethics
    ME 328
    		Materials Engineering 3
    ME 423
    		Fatigue 1
    ME 424
    		Mechanics of Composites 1
    ME 517
    		Mechanics of Metal Forming 1
    ME 497
    		Special Topics in Mechanical Engineering (& Other ME) 1
    OE 360
    		Optical Materials
    PH 255
    		Foundations of Modern Physics
    PH 405
    		Semiconductor Materials & Applications
    PH 407
    		Solid State Physics
    PH 440
    		X-rays & Crystalline Materials
    With permission of a minor advisor, up to four credit hours of:
    PH 113
    		Physics III 4
    EM 204
    		Statics & Mechanics of Materials II 4
    BE 222
    		Mechanics of Materials 4
    With permission of a minor advisor, up to four credit hours of independent study and/or self-directed research
    Select a maximum of 8 credit hours of the following elective courses that focus on mechanics of materials: 8
    EM 505
    		Theory of Elasticity
    ME 422
    		Finite Elements for Engineering Applications
    ME 522
    		Advanced Finite Element Analysis
    CE 523
    		Advanced Solid Mechanics
1

Tentative plans for electives can be found on department-specific https://my.rose-hulman.edu pages.

2

CE majors may count CE 320 Civil Engineering Materials toward fulfillment of the minor even though it is in category (2)

3

CHE 315 Materials Science and Engineering and ME 328 Materials Engineering cannot both count toward fulfillment of the minor

4

PH 113 Physics III or EM 204 Statics & Mechanics of Materials II or BE 222 Mechanics of Materials cannot be taken as a terminal course. A materials elective that requires  PH 113 Physics III or EM 204 Statics & Mechanics of Materials II or BE 222 Mechanics of Materials as a prerequisite must also be taken in fulfillment of minor requirements.

5

May count more than one Chemistry Special Topics course toward minor.

The Departments of Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, and Biology and Biomedical Engineering each have their own Materials Science and Engineering minor advisor.