Master of Science in Materials Engineering

About the Program

The Master of Science in Materials Engineering program offered by the College of Engineering at Cal Poly Pomona prepares students to move on to more advanced work in the materials science and engineering profession and/or contribute at higher levels in their current engineering positions. The program has a strong curriculum in materials engineering along with cutting-edge elective topics. One of the unique aspects of this program will be the strong emphasis on applied research.

A distinctive aspect of the program is that students will pursue the thesis option that requires a year or more of study in a specific topic decided in consultation with faculty and defended through a proposal review. Another distinctive feature of the program is its applied nature. This is reinforced by the full-time and part-time faculty who are carefully selected for their expertise in specific areas of study. This ensures that the teaching and curriculum are relevant to current industry practices and needs. This further prepares the students to immediately contribute to their employer’s technical and programmatic needs upon completion of their Master’s program.

For more information about the program, click here.

Units to Degree Completion

Students need to complete a minimum of 30 semester units for graduation.

Culminating Event/Activity

Each student should complete a Master’s Degree Thesis, and defend the thesis before a committee.

Career Opportunities

The program will provide students with the expertise required to work in a broad range of industries with the curriculum providing them the necessary skills in materials processing, engineering design with materials, failure analysis, and materials simulation. Some examples of career paths include aerospace, biomedical, composites, metals, and polymer companies. Overall, the program will provide an industry-ready, practical advantage to our graduates.

Program Admission Requirements

1. An applicant for admission to a graduate program must meet university criteria as specified in the Graduate Admissions section of this catalog as well as the criteria outlined below.

   Successful applicants will be admitted to the program either unconditionally or with conditions imposed on them. To receive unconditional admission, an applicant must satisfy these criteria:

   1. The applicant must hold a baccalaureate degree in an engineering discipline from a program that has been accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and for which the accreditation was in effect at the time of award of the degree. The degree must have been granted within five years prior to the proposed beginning of the graduate program. A baccalaureate degree in engineering technology does not satisfy this criterion.
   2. The applicant must have achieved a grade point average of at least 3.00 in all undergraduate upper division coursework in mathematics, science and engineering and, additionally, in all coursework attempted with graduate standing.
   3. A personal statement. A maximum of one page explaining why the applicant is interested in pursuing this degree.
   4. A recent resume or CV. A maximum of 2 pages. Courses and experience relevant to this degree program should be included.

   Additional requirements may be imposed by department.

   Conditional admission may be granted in cases in which the applicant’s academic preparation for graduate study is such that criteria 1.) and/or 2.) above are not satisfied. In such cases, the applicant may be required to submit recent test scores of the Graduate Record Examination, letters of recommendation, or other documents attesting to the applicant’s aptitude for graduate studies. Applicants who do not satisfy criterion 1.) may be required to take a limited number of preparatory courses with no degree credit. When an applicant is admitted conditionally, and if these conditions are not satisfied in the stipulated time period, the student may be dis-enrolled.

All applicants with a baccalaureate degree from outside of the U.S. (regardless of citizenship) must also provide proof of language proficiency:

TOEFL 80 minimum on internet-based exam
IELTS 6.5 minimum