爱荷华州立大学

The Materials Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET. Materials engineering is a broadly-based discipline relating the composition, structure, and processing of materials to their properties, uses and performance. Materials engineering includes a variety of traditional and modern technologies involving metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, and electronic materials.

Because of its interdisciplinary nature, career opportunities for materials engineers bridge all industrial and government sectors including: materials based technologies (materials production), communication/information technologies (semiconducting materials, fiber optics), medical/environmental technologies (biomedical, energy production, waste containment), nanotechnologies, consumer products (building and construction, durable goods), and transportation industries (automotive, aerospace).

The objectives of the materials engineering program are to produce graduates who:

• practice materials engineering in a broad range of industries including materials production, semiconductors, medical/environmental, consumer products, and transportation products
• engage in advanced study in materials and related or complementary fields

Graduates in materials engineering are able to apply scientific and engineering principles to select or design the best materials to solve engineering problems. They are also able to control the microstructure of materials through processing to optimize properties and performance. They are skilled in creative, independent problem solving under time and resource constraints. Graduates will have gained experience in materials engineering practice through cooperative work experience or internships in industry, national laboratories, or other funded research work. They will have hands-on skills with a broad range of modern materials processing and characterization equipment and methods.

A degree in materials engineering relies on a strong foundation of math, chemistry and physics. The core materials courses include fundamentals of materials, kinetics and thermodynamics, mechanical properties, computational methods, design, and professional practice experience. Students tailor their programs to their goals and interests through the selection of a specialization from the three available: ceramic materials, metallic materials and polymeric materials. Additional technical electives can be taken in other areas of interest. The breadth and depth of the program provide excellent preparation for both immediate entry into industry or further study in graduate school.