Information for New MSE Graduate Students
- Check out Graduate Student Handbook.
- Get a Desk: a student committee governs seating in the Graduate Student Bay. The Graduate Student Bay is located in rooms 330 and 450 HMMB. Once you have selected a graduate research supervisor, please see your group representative for available seating at the Student Bay.
- Get Building and Lab Access: Keys to all MSE laboratories in HMMB and the HMMB building require authorization by both the research supervisor, and the group safety committee representative. Card keys are built into the student photo ID cards. Metal keys require a deposit (cash only). Keys and card key permissions can be obtained from hmmb-facilities@berkeley.edu during office hours.
- Know where to Make Xerox copies: There is a copy machine located in the Department Office, 210E HMMB, that can be used for making copies in connection with the student’s research work. You must have the permission of your research supervisor to use their copier code to make copies.
- Know Where Your Mail Will be Delivered: All MSE graduate students have mailbox space in the Department Office, 210 HMMB, for graduate work related purposes. Be sure to stop by the office periodically, to check for mail. Please note that it is not possible to provide individual mailboxes for students, so mail for several students are in the same mailbox (alphabetically by first letter of last name). Please be advised that University regulations prohibit the use of the University’s address for personal mail. Any personal mail, including bank statements, drivers’ licenses, etc. sent to the university address will be returned to the sender.
- Keep the Graduate Advisor in the Main MSE Office informed: When you select your research supervisor, or have any changes to your address, phone or email, please be sure to let them know, so they can update the database.
Graduate Student Instructors/Readers
Interested candidates must complete the Online Application (CalNet ID required).
If you are currently appointed as a GSR, you must receive prior approval from your Faculty Research Advisor to apply for a GSI position.
General Information:
GSI appointments of at least 25% time include partial fee remissions. Appointments do not include offsets for any non-resident tuition. For more information see the Fee Remission Program Bulletin.
For general information on Berkeley campus GSI guidelines, resources, and support visit the Graduate Division’s GSI Teaching and Resource Center. You are responsible for following all requirements of the Graduate Division and Department relating to GSI appointments.
You are required to attend all lectures and lab/discussion sections for your assigned course, hold office hours as required and be present through the grading of final exams.
MSE Graduate Student Instructor (GSI) Policy:
The MSE Department plans ahead when scheduling classes and assigning GSIs to courses. By accepting a GSI position in the MSE Department, you make a good faith commitment to serve for the term for which you have accepted an appointment offer. It is department policy that MSE students notify the department of any plans to accept other means of financial support.
Requirements:
Applicants must meet all Graduate Division requirements for the GSI appointment including being a registered graduate student with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and no more than two incompletes. In addition:
- All GSIs teaching for the first time on the Berkeley campus must attend the First-Time Teaching & Resource Center Conference. This conference is held at the beginning of each semester.
- Every first-time GSI must successfully complete the online course Professional Standards and Ethics for GSIs before they interact with students (in person or online) in their role as an instructor. GSIs can enroll in the course by going to the GSI Teaching and Resource Centers website.
- Every first-time GSI must either have completed or be enrolled in a 300-level semester-long pedagogy seminar on teaching in the discipline offered by the GSI’s department. In Bioengineering, this course is Bioeng 301 and is offered in the Fall semester only. First-time GSIs who fail to pass the 300-level course must retake and pass the course before they are eligible to teach again.
- All first time GSIs must attend the New Academic Student Employee Orientation, which will include a 30-minute orientation by the university and a 30-minute presentation by UAW Local 2865. Go to HR Web for the dates, times and locations for the New ASE Orientations.
- Oral English Proficiency: Students who do not speak English as a native language and do not hold a Bachelor’s degree from an institution in the United States must demonstrate oral English proficiency to be appointed as a GSI, see https://gsi.berkeley.edu/lpp/index.html for more information.
For additional details on requirements see Appointments Handbook.
Teaching Resources:
GSI Teaching and Resource Center
External Funding Opportunities
We encourage applicants to apply for fellowships from sources other than UC Berkeley. U.S. citizens and permanent residents are particularly encouraged to apply for the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP) and the Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering (DOD NDSEG) fellowships. Information and forms can also be found at university career offices. In addition, some corporations award fellowships to their employees. Many governments also award fellowships for overseas study.
In addition, U.S. citizens are encouraged to apply for the many external fellowships for which they are eligible:
National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NSF GRFP)
Department of Defense National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowship (DOD NDSEG)
Department of Energy Computational Science Graduate Fellowships (DOE CSGF)
Department of Energy Nuclear Energy University Program (DOE NEUP)
U.S. Department of Homeland Security Graduate Fellowships
Fannie and John Hertz Foundation Fellowships
Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC) Graduate Fellowship Program
Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship
NASA Space Technology Graduate Research Opportunities (NSTGRO)
For Women and Minorities:
Graduate Fellowships for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics Diversity (GFSD)
For Women:
American Association of University Women (AAUW) Educational Foundation
For Minorities:
GEM Fellowship Program
Ford Predoctoral Fellowships for Minorities
Paul & Daisy Soros Fellowship for New Americans Fellowship
For Canadians:
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC)
Postgraduate Scholarships (PGS)
Outstanding international applicants will be considered for the prestigious Berkeley Fellowship and for International House Fellowships.
Job Listings
Contact Us
Department offices are located in 210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building, in the Northeast corner of campus.
Address:
| Department of Materials Science and Engineering | |
| 210 Hearst Memorial Mining Building University of California Berkeley, CA 94720-1760 |
Phone: (510) 642-3801 Fax: (510) 643-5792 |