Specific Materials Science and Engineering Education
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Specific Materials Science and Engineering Education D.W. Readey Introduction Forty years ago there were essentially no a c a d e m i c d e p a r t m e n t s w i t h titles of "Materials Science" or "Materials Engineering." There were, of course, many materials d e p a r t m e n t s . They w e r e called "Metallurgy," "Metallurgical Engineering, ""Mining and Metallurgy," and other permutations a n d combinations. There were also a small number of "Ceramic" or "Ceramic Engineering" departments. Essentially none included "polymers." 1 Over the years titles have evolved via a route that frequently followed " M i n i n g a n d Metallurgy," to "Metallurgical Engineering," to "Materials Science and Metallurgical Engineering," and finally to "Materials Science and Engineering." The evolution was driven by recognition of the commonality of material structure-property correlations and the concomitant broadening of faculty interests to include other materials. However, the issue is not department titles but whether a single degree option in materials science and engineering best serves the needs of students.
Markets for BS Degrees The markets for BS graduates in materials science and engineering are industry and graduate school. The educational requirements for graduate school are easy to satisfy. Simply expose the student to as much basic science related to materials as possible. Given the severe time constraints of a four-year undergraduate curriculum, a student can more easily specialize in graduate school. For universities w h o s e BS graduates primarily enter graduate school, a common degree in materials science and engineering is not only feasible but probably desirable.
Undergraduate Materials Education Few proponents of materials science and engineering dispute the necessity for understanding the relationships between processing (including synthesis), structure, and properties (including performance) of materials. However, can a single BS degree in m a t e r i a l s science a n d e n g i n e e r i n g provide the background in these relationships for all materials and satisfy the entire market now served by several different materials degrees? The issue is not whether "Materials Science and Engineering" d e p a r t m e n t s or some other academic grouping of individuals w i t h c o m m o n i n t e r e s t s s h o u l d or should not exist. The concern is the degree options offered. Should the single BS materials degree be "Materials Science and Engineering" or should it be an option among several which could include "Metallurgical Engineering,""Ceramic Engineering," "Electronic Materials," "Polymers," etc.? Graduate education is mainly preparation for a research career. As a result, the historical separation by materials categories blurs and other subgroupings are perhaps more logical.2 While the graduate degree is research oriented, the BS degree is not. It is industry oriented. For most graduates in materials science and engineering, the BS is the terminal degree and provides the credentials for a job in indust
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