MSE MAJOR
Interested in Materials Science?
Materials Scientists and Engineers are involved in every aspect of technology, ranging from the design of materials appropriate for use in integrated circuits and biological applications, through to those materials needed for energy generation (both conventional energy sources and green sources), and for building bridges, roads, and buildings.
Upon graduation, our students are prepared for a number of different careers paths. Many go on to graduate studies at prestigious universities. Others head directly into the workforce hired as engineers in Silicon Valley (e. g. Agilent and Applied Materials), engineers in the biotechnology sector (e.g. Genentech), and engineers in the Aerospace field (e.g. Boeing).
Materials Scientists and Engineers enjoy some of the highest starting salaries of any undergraduate engineering program. The Career Center has details on what past graduates have done with their MSE degrees.
The department currently has 132 students majoring in Materials Science and Engineering, 53 of which are joint majors with the BioE, EECS, ME, NE and ChemE departments.
1:4
Faculty to Student Ratio
MSE Major Curriculum
The following shows a year-by-year evolution of the major curriculum. For another visualization of the curriculum please see the Curriculum Map.
| Freshman Year | Fall (units) |
Spring (units) |
| Chemistry 1A &1AL or Chemistry 4A | 5 | |
| Chemistry 1B or Chemistry 4B | 4 | |
| Mathematics 1A – Calculus | 4 | |
| Mathematics 1B – Calculus | 4 | |
| MSE 45/L – Properties of Materials/Laboratory * | 3+1 | |
| Physics 7A – Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 | |
| Reading and Composition Course from List A | 4 | |
| Humanities/Social Science Course 1 * | 3-4 | |
| Freshman Seminar or E 92 (Optional) | 1 | 1 |
| Total | 16-18 | 15-17 |
* Students have the choice to take MSE 45/L in either the Fall or Spring semester of their first year. While core concepts are fully covered each semester, examples and contextualization in Fall editions focuses on metals, ceramics, and functional/electronic properties and in Spring editions on polymers and soft-materials.
| Sophomore Year | Fall (units) |
Spring (units) |
| E 7 Introduction to Computer Programming for Engineers | 4 | |
| Humanities / Social Sciences Course 2 | 3-4 | |
| MSE 151- Polymeric Materials | 3 | |
| Mathematics 53 – Multivariable Calculus | 4 | |
| Physics 7B- Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 | |
| Physics 7C – Physics for Scientists and Engineers | 4 | |
| Physics 98 – Introduction to Mathematical Physics | 4 | |
| Reading and Composition Course from List B | 4 | |
| Total | 16 | 14-15 |
| Junior Year | Fall (units) |
Spring (units) |
| E 40 – Engineering Thermodynamics | 4 | |
| Upper Division Math/Stats/Data Science Elective * | 3-4 | |
| ME C85 – Introduction to Solid Mechanics | 3 | |
| MSE 102 – Bonding, Crystallography and Crystal Defects | 3 | |
| MSE 103 – Phase Transformations and Kinetics | 3 | |
| MSE 104/L – Characterization of Materials/Laboratory | 3+1 | |
| MSE 111 – Properties of Electronic Materials | 4 | |
| MSE 112- Corrosion | 3 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Total | 16-17 | 14 |
* Students should select one of the following: E 117 or IEOR 172 or Data Science 100. Any upper division Mathematics course (excluding 151, 152, 153, 160, and anything 190 and higher) or any upper division Statistics course (excluding 157 or anything 190 and higher)
| Senior Year | Fall (units) |
Spring (units) |
| MSE 113 – Mechanical Behavior of Materials | 3 | |
| MSE 131 – Additive Manufacturing Processes and Systems for Advanced Materials | 3 | |
| MSE 120 Series 2 | 3 | |
| Humanities/ Social Science Course 3 | 3-4 | |
| Free Elective | 1 | |
| Upper Division Engineering Technical Electives 3 | 3-5 | |
| Humanities/Social Science Course 4 | 3-4 | |
| Free Elective | 3 | |
| Total | 15-16 | 15-17 |
1. The Humanities/Social Science (H/SS) requirement includes two approved reading and composition courses and four additional approved courses, with which a number of specific conditions must be satisfied. Reading and Composition “A” and “B” must be completed by no later than the end of the sophomore year. The remaining courses may be taken at any time during the program. See engineering.berkeley.edu/hss for complete details and a list of approved courses.
2. MSE 120 series course.
3. An upper division Engineering technical elective (course number greater than or equal to 100) is chosen in consultation with the student’s faculty adviser. Technical electives cannot include: any course taken on a P/NP basis; courses numbered 24, 39, 84; BioE 100; ChemE 185; CS C79, 195, H195; Des Inv 90, 190; Engin 125, 130, 157AC; IEOR 95, 172, 185, 186, 190 series, 191, 192, 195; ME 191AC, 190K, 191K. Students may receive up to three units of technical elective credit for work on a research project in MSE H194 (Honors Undergraduate Research). Other letter-graded research courses may be approved by petition.
* A minimum of 120 units is required for graduation.
**For the 2016-2017 academic year MSE undergraduate students can substitute E117 with an upper division math course, except for Math 151, 152. 153, 160 and 191 and above. The course cannot be used to fulfill any other major course requirement.
Data C100 will require all prerequisites to be completed prior to enrollment.
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720