The School of Materials Science and Engineering offers an undergraduate minor in Materials Science and Engineering for non-MSE majors. Materials are the enabling basis for almost all other engineering and scientific disciplines. The purpose of this minor is to broaden the materials background of non-materials students and to introduce them to a materials focused approach to problem solving that is different than that provided by their major. 

The requirement for earning a minor in Materials Science and Engineering is to complete 15 semester hours of MSE courses, 12 hours of which must be at the 3000 level or above and none of which may be lower than the 2000 level. Many students will be able to complete a considerable portion of this requirement by scheduling some of the required courses as the free electives required by their major.

Additional requirements include: 

  • To declare an MSE minor, fill out a minor declaration form (http://www.registrar.gatech.edu/students/formlanding/changeminor.php) and turn in to the Registrar.

  • Minor Program of Study – this form must be turned in to the Registrar's Office when you apply to graduate.

  • All courses counting toward the minor must be taken on a letter grade basis and must be completed with an overall grade point average of at least 2.0.

  • Courses required by name and number in a student's major degree program may not be used in satisfying the course requirements for a minor.

  • A maximum of 3 semester hours of Special Topics courses may be included in the MSE minor.

  • No Special Problems, Undergraduate Research or Internship coursework may be used towards the MSE minor.

  • A maximum of 3 semester hours of transfer credit may be used to satisfy the course requirements for a minor. This includes courses taken at another institution or credit earned through the AP or IB program, assuming the scores meet Georgia Tech minimum standards.

  • Non-MSE undergraduate majors are encouraged to participate in this program provided they have the appropriate prerequisites and approval of their major program academic advisor.

Listed below is a partial listing of MSE classes with their descriptions and an indication of what semester the class is normally offered in.  All listings are subject to change.  For additional listings, see the general catalog or the OSCAR.

Materials Classes of General Interest:

  • MSE 2001:  (3-0-3) Principles and Applications of Engineering Materials.  Prerequisites(s)  CHEM 1310 or CHEM 1211K[Note: MSE 2001 can only be counted as a course for the Minor if it is not required by number in the student’s major degree program]  Offered every semester, including summer

  • MSE 2021 (3-3-4) Materials Characterization, Prerequisite: MSE 2001.  The fundamentals of basic microstructural and compositional materials characterization techniques are presented with an emphasis on tools using electromagnetic radiation and electrons as stimuli.

  • MSE 4010 (3-0-3)  Environmental Degradation  Prerequisite(s): MSE 2001

  • Theory of environmental degradation of metals, ceramics, polymers and biomaterials.  Emphasis on the scientific principles of corrosion and physical degradation. (spring)  

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Fundamental Materials Science Classes
  • MSE 3001 (3-0-3) Chemical Thermodynamics of Materials (3-0-3).  Prerequisites: MSE 2001 and (MATH 2403 or MATH 2413 or MATH 24X3 or MATH 2602) and CHEM 3411. Principles that govern the important structural transformations that occur in engineering materials. (fall)  

  • MSE 3002 (3-0-3) Prerequisites: MSE 3001 and MSE 3210. Structural Transformations in Metallic, Ceramic, and Polymeric Systems,. Principles that govern the important structural transformations that occur in engineering materials. (spring)  

  • MSE 3005 (3-0-3) Mechanical Behavior of Materials Prerequisite(s) MSE 2001 and COE 3001. The correlation of mechanical properties with atomic bonding, microstructure, and micromechanics, for applications relevant to materials selection and design, mechanical forming, and failure of materials. (fall)

  • MSE 3021 (1-3-2) Materials Lab, Prerequisite(s) MSE 2001 Fundamental principles of materials demonstrated in hands-on and demonstration experiments.  Instruction on basic laboratory skills, safety, and proper technical report writing.  (spring)

  • MSE 4022 (1-3-2) Materials Lab, Prerequisite(s) MSE 2001 and MSE 3021. Processing, structure, properties relationships are explored through a series of hands-on experiments. Instruction on basic laboratory skills, safety, statistical analysis of data, use of laboratory notebooks and technical report writing. (spring)
Classes Focused on Electronic Materials, Properties and Applications:

  • MSE 3015 (3-0-3) Electrical, Optical and Magnetic Properties; Prerequisite: MSE 2001.  Band theory of solids, semiconductor physics, dielectric, optical and magnetic phenomena.  Superconductivity in various classes of materials. (fall)

  • MSE 4325 (3-0-3) Thin Film Materials Science: Prerequisite: MSE2001  Introduction to principal vapor deposition processes and vacuum technology.  The fundamentals of the formation, characterization, and properties of a variety of thin films. (fall)   

  • MSE 4004 (3-0-3)  Materials in Electronic Applications: Prerequisite:  MSE 3015.  Introduction to the fabrication requirements, property control, and structure-property-processing relationships in materials used in electronic, photonic, and magnetic applications.  (fall)   

  • MSE 4754 (1-6-3) Electronic Packaging Assembly, Reliability, Thermal Management, and Test.  Prerequisite: ECE 3040 or ECE 3710. The course provides hands-on instruction in electronics packaging, including assembly, reliability, thermal management, and test of next-generation microsystems. (spring)   
Classes Focused on Polymeric and Composite Materials

  • MSE 4775 (3-0-3) Polymer Science and Engineering I - Prerequisite(s) CHEM 2312 and CHEM 3411 or consent of instructor. An introduction to the chemistry, structure, and formation of polymers, physical states and transitions, physical and mechanical properties of polymer fluids and solids. (fall, spring)

  • MSE 4791 (3-0-3) Mechanical Behavior of Composites: Prerequisite(s): MSE 3005.  Introduction to properties and structures of common matrix and reinforcing materials, mechanics of fiber-reinforced composites, lamina and laminate analysis, and mechanical performance.  Crosslisted with AE, CEE, CHE, ME and PTFE 4793. (fall)

  • MSE 4793 (3-0-3)  Composite Materials and Processing: Prerequisite(s)  CHEM 1310 and PHYS 2212  Basic principles of selecting component materials and manufacturing composites are presented.  Polymeric, metallic, and ceramic systems are considered.  Crosslisted with AE, CEE, CHE, ME and PTFE 4793. (spring)