Colorado School of Mines

In recognition of its students' diverse backgrounds and interests, the Colorado School of Mines (CSM) Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering offers two distinct, flexible degree programs: (1) materials science, and (2) metallurgical and materials engineering. CSM's unique metallurgy and materials curriculum integrates broadly based coursework emphasizing materials processing, characterization and properties, and prepares students to work in one of several research centers.

Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Degrees Offered:
– Master of Engineering (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering)
– Master of Science (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering
– Doctor of Philosophy (Metallurgical and Materials Engineering)

The program of study for the Master or Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering is selected by the student in consultation with her or his advisor, and with the approval of the Thesis Committee. The program can be tailored within the framework of the regulations of the Graduate School to match the student's interests while maintaining the main theme of materials engineering and processing. There are three areas of specialization within the department: Physical and Mechanical Metallurgy; Physiochemical Processing of Materials; and, ceramic Engineering.

The department is home to five research centers: the Advanced Coatings and Surface Engineering Laboratory, the Advanced Steel Processing and Products research Center; the Colorado Center for Advanced Ceramics; the Center for Welding and Joining Research; and, the Kroll Institute for Extractive Metallurgy. A Graduate Certificate is offered by each department center - the program requirements are: 1) Be admitted to MME Graduate Certificate Program upon the recommendation of the MME department. 2) A total of 12 hours of course credits of which only 3 credit hours can be at the 400 level. The specific courses to be taken are determined by the Graduate Advisor in the department Center selected by the candidate. A cumulative grade point average of B or better must be maintained while completing these requirements.

Degree Program Requirements
The program requirements for the three graduate degrees offered by the department are listed below:

Master of Engineering degree: Two tracks are available as follows:

I. Undergraduate/Graduate program: i) a minimum of 30 total semester hours of acceptable coursework; ii) case independent study coursework component cannot exceed 6 semester hours; and iii) submittal and presentation, and subsequent acceptance by the Graduate Advisor, of a report which presents the results of a case study or an engineering development.

II. Graduate Program: i) a minimum of 30 total semester hours of acceptable coursework; ii) case-/independant study course-work cannot exceed 6 semester hours; and iii) submittal and presentation, and subsequent acceptance by the Graduate Advisor, of a report which presents the results of a case study or an engineering development.

Doctor of Philosophy degree: i) a minimum of 42 semester hours of acceptable coursework, which may include course credits ( to be approved by the Thesis Committee) presented for the Master's degree, provided that the degree was in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering or a similar field. However, at least 21 hours of acceptable course work must be taken at the Colorado School of Mines; ii) 30 semester hours of research credit; iii) 9 - 12 hours of coursework to compliment the research program of the student as determined by the Advisor/Thesis-Committee; iv) presentation of a Proposal on their Thesis-Research Project to their Thesis Committee; v) a passing grade on written and oral Qualifying-Process (Q.P.) Examinations, for the purpose of determining that adequate preparation and the ability to conduct high-quality, independent research have been achieved; vi) presentation (usually 6 months after successfully completing their Q.P. Examinations) of a progress Report of their Research Project to their thesis committee; and, vii) submittal and successful defense of a thesis, which presents the results of original scientific research or development, before their Thesis Committee.

Notes: The examinations under v) are specific to the student's declared Area of Specialization (currently a total of three), and consist of a written and oral component. The written examinations consist of a general topics examination and an area-or-specialization examination. The oral examination consists of responses by the student to questions on fundamentals related to the student's proposed research. A Q.P. Oral-Examination Document consisting of: a) an Extended Abstract of the student's Thesis-Research Proposal, and b) associated Fundamental Topics on which the student expects to be examined, is presented to the Examining Committee (different from the Thesis Committee) prior to this event. The student delivers a ten-minute oral-presentation, reviewing the document at the start of the (oral) examination. There is a standing schedule to offer the examinations during the last four to five weeks of the spring and fall semesters. However, intent to take the examinations must be declared within the first month of the intended semester.

Although there is no formal seminar-course requirement, graduate students, both Master and Doctoral candidates, as a part of their professional development, are required to attend the Department seminars scheduled on Thursdays during the fall and spring semesters.

Prerequisites:

The entering graduate-student in the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering must have completed an undergraduate program equivalent to that required for the B.S. degree in: Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, Materials Science or a related field. This should have included a background in science fundamentals and engineering principles. A student, who possesses this background but has not yet taken specific undergraduate-courses in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering, will be allowed to rectify these course deficiencies at the beginning of their program of study

Fields of Research:

Synthesis, processing, and characterization of photovoltaic materials
Optical phenomena of interfaces and composites
High-Tc superconductors
Dielectrics and piezoelectrics
Glasses and crystallizable glasses for electronics
Ferroelectrics and ferroelectric thin films
Porous ceramics and ceramic fibers
Combustion synthesis of advanced materials
Nuclear energy
Welding and joining of metals and dissimilar materials including ceramics and composites
Laser Processing of Materials
Physical metallurgy
Mechanical metallurgy
Processing microstructure, and properties of advanced steels
Oxidation and corrosion of metals and ceramics
Interfacial phenomena
Surface characterization of materials
Biomaterials
Composite materials
Preparation of ceramic powders
Pyro-, hydro-, and electro-metallurgy
Processing of industrial wastes
Plasma synthesis and processing
Computer simulation techniques for design of new high performance materials
Thin filmcoating, processing, and characterization
Environmentally benign materials processes
Semiconductor materials
Powder metallurgy
Aerospace structural materials
Failure analysis and fracture mechanics of materials
Forming of metals and other materials
Fatigue of materials