Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University

In 1999, a new undergraduate curriculum replaced the two previous curricula of ceramic engineering and metallurgical engineering. The new curriculum results in one degree–materials engineering–with specialization in two of the following areas:

• ceramics
• electronics
• metals
• polymers

Students are exposed to all four areas before selecting their specialization at the end of the sophomore year. One of the most unique features of the new curriculum is a vertically integrated design course sequence that provides hands-on experience early in the program.

Another attractive feature of the department is its small class sizes, which makes instruction more interactive. In addition, the curriculum includes a large number of laboratory courses that provide hands-on experiences for students.


Top-Notch Faculty
The faculty of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering are a diverse group of professional educators. They include award-winning teachers, textbook authors, leaders of professional societies, journal editors, and sought-after consultants. The faculty includes several prominent researchers and inventors whose work show potential to make major changes in materials processing and utilization worldwide. The department authors or co-authors most of the patents applied for by the college.


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World-Class Facilities
The materials engineering department offers the facilities and resources that let students concentrate on learning rather than having to search for materials and equipment. Its facilities include new labs for measuring and characterizing electronic materials and polymeric materials. Teaching lab equipment includes two scanning electron microscopes, an x-ray diffractometer, mechanical testing machines, and an Atomic Force Microscope.

The department maintains an excellent state-of-the-art computer and study facility for its students. The area is accessible 24 hours a day and includes

• Macintosh, IBM, and IBM-compatible computers networked to the departmental server and the Internet
• Vincent workstations
• software required for most homework and laboratory assignments (MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Kaleidagraph)
• laser printers
• scanners

In 2001, the department will move into Gary and Donna Hoover Hall, Phase II of the $63 million Engineering Teaching and Research Complex. This 15,000-square-foot expansion of the department’s current facility will include modern research laboratory space and teaching laboratories.


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Endless Opportunities
Today, engineering education is comprised of more than just the traditional classroom and laboratory experiences. Materials engineering students also make extracurricular activities part of their engineering education. They are active in a number of engineering professional and honor societies; they also participate in many of the more than 550 campus organizations open to all university students.

The College of Engineering also offers

• foreign study programs in the United Kingdom, Australia, Switzerland, and other countries, giving students an edge in today’s global markets
• internships and co-op programs that provide industry experience and give students a chance to earn money for college and living expenses; monthly salaries for materials science and engineering interns and co-op students range from $1,560 to $2,239*
• opportunities for hands-on, real-world experiences; more than 90 percent of materials engineering students have professional work experience before graduation

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Scholarships
The support of over 200 individuals and corporations maintains an engineering scholarship endowment of nearly $9 million. From these and other funds the college awards more than 900 scholarships totaling more than $1.3 million each year. In addition, engineering students compete well for scholarships available to all Iowa State students.


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Employment Outlook
Engineering is a career path that works! More than 3 million engineers work in the U.S. today making engineering the nation’s second-largest profession. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the job market is projected to remain strong into the millennium. The average starting salary for a materials engineering graduate is more than $45,000. Additionally, starting salaries are expected to increase about six percent a year.

Materials engineering graduates are in great demand. Nearly all students with engineering work-related experience have jobs by graduation. For example

• 95% of co-op students are placed by graduation
• 85% of interns are placed by graduation
• 79% of graduates with summer work experience are placed by graduation

Iowa State’s materials engineering graduates are nationally known. Our alumni have gone on to attain prominence not only as engineers but also as corporate leaders, professors, inventors, innovators, attorneys, and medical doctors. Our graduates are found at

• Motorola
• General Electric
• General Motors
• 3M
• and many more companies, both large and small, throughout the country and around the world.

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For more information on opportunities in Iowa State’s Department of Materials Science and Engineering, contact:

Department of Materials Science and Engineering
3053 Gilman Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011
(515) 294-1214
www.mse.iastate.edu


* All statistics are based on surveys conducted in spring 1999.

Go to Materials Science and Engineering web.

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