About this major
Materials Engineering focuses on the development, processing, and testing of materials to create new products and enhance existing ones. Students learn about the properties of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites to innovate solutions that meet technological and environmental challenges.
Student Experience
Academic Balance
The MSE program at WSU is actually surprisingly fulfilling and well-structured. I think they really care about the foundation of courses and the size of each step you take. So basically, when you take courses in the lower division, they offer courses like linear algebra, calculus, differential equations and statistics which are super helpful later. And I really like differential equations and statistics as the professor give examples related to engineering problems. In the upper division, thermodynamics and kinetics sit in the core of MSE program. One thing I really love about their course design is that whenever there is a hard course, they design a lab to cope with it. Getting dizzy about the concepts in lecture? Not a problem, you will see a much practical explanation from a lab-guy side. And I love the materials characterization course where you got hands-on experience on SEM, TEM, XRD and other stuff. And this hands-on experience is kind of rare at least among my peers
Pretty heavy on the science side compared to most other engineering majors. Small cohort, which makes it easier to form connections peers and professors. MRS@UCLA is a great resource for social bonding + learning about professional experiences!
It's a good mix of all the engineering disciplines. There' are lot of job prospects across many fields.
It was a lot of fun. Got to learn a lot about materials