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Department of Materials Science and Engineering
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Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Graduate Programs

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Pursuing next-generation technologies and robust solutions in areas such as energy, transportation, infrastructure, cyber-security, manufacturing, wearables, agriculture, nanomaterials, and medicine, graduate students work with with our interdisciplinary faculty to address some of the world’s most critical challenges and to explore exciting new opportunities for innovation.

  • MSE Graduate Students – Our students come from all over the world and from a wide variety of technical fields, including all engineering disciplines as well as physics, chemistry, biology, computer science, and mathematics. Their career paths are equally diverse, and many go on to become leaders and innovators in academics, research, industry, medicine, business, and public service.
  • MSE Advanced Degree Options – The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers three advanced degree options, including Ph.D, M.S. and M. Eng. degrees. We also offer two concurrent enrollment options (BS/MS and BS/MEng), where qualified students can begin to pursue an advanced degree while working on the final stages of the MSE undergraduate program.
  • MSE Research Assistantships – Nearly all of our graduate students enrolled in a thesis-based program (M.S. or Ph.D.) complete their graduate studies under some form of Research Assistantship, helping to offset all or part of their tuition and living expenses while pursuing an advanced degree.

Advanced Degree Offerings

Academic Requirements

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers advanced degree options for a broad range of career goals. These include thesis-based Ph.D. and Master of Science programs, as well as a non-thesis Master of Engineering option. The academic requirements and student learning goals for the different degree programs are summarized below.

Student Learning Goals

Students successfully completing the M.Eng. program in MSE will develop and demonstrate:

  • a sound understanding of fundamental concepts in Materials Science and Engineering and their broad application in science and technology;
  • an awareness of contemporary critical issues in Materials Science and Engineering; and
  • an ability to work effectively in their field of interest through sound application of fundamental concepts, scientific methods, and engineering practices.

Students successfully completing the M.S. program in MSE will develop and demonstrate:

  • a sound understanding of fundamental concepts in Materials Science and Engineering and their broad application in science and technology;
  • a functional awareness and understanding of scholarly literature relevant to the specific area(s) of study, including both contemporary and foundational work; and
  • an ability to work effectively in their field of interest through sound application of fundamental concepts, scientific methods, and engineering practices.

Students successfully completing the Ph.D. program in MSE will develop and demonstrate:

  • a sound understanding of fundamental concepts in Materials Science and Engineering and their broad application in science and technology;
  • comprehensive knowledge and deep understanding of scholarly literature relevant to the specific area(s) of study, including both contemporary and foundational work; and
  • an ability to contribute substantially to their field of study through original research and sound application of fundamental concepts, scientific methods, and engineering practices.

Additional Information About MSE Graduate Programs

Concurrent Degree Programs

Qualified juniors and seniors in Materials Engineering can apply for concurrent enrollment in the Graduate College to simultaneously pursue a M.S. or M.Eng. degree while completing their B.S. program. BS/MS students are eligible for Graduate assistantships, contingent upon major professor sponsorship. Learn more about concurrent enrollment.

Minor Programs in MSE

Graduate students in other departments who wish to declare a formal minor in materials science and engineering will have at least one MSE faculty member serving on their advisory committee. Learn more about minor programs in MSE.

Assistantships – Get Paid to Learn

Research assistantships and teaching assistantships are available to qualified students to help offset the cost of graduate education. In addition, there are graduate scholarships and fellowships available to highly qualified students.

Apply Now

The MSE Department at Iowa State University invites you to complete our online application form. Use the following link to create an account and complete the application: https://www.iastate.edu/admission-and-aid/apply.

Should you have any questions please don’t hesitate to contact us at gradmse@iastate.edu.

Admissions FAQs

A. Starting with Fall 2025 entry, Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores are required for admission into the M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs, with the following exceptions.

  • Applicant has completed a B.S. (or higher) degree from any ISU Engineering program or any ISU program in the physical, biological, or computational sciences.
  • Applicant has completed a B.S. degree from any degree program accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET.
  • Applicant has completed a B.S. degree in Engineering or any of the physical, biological, or computational sciences from any U.S. institution, with a GPA of 3.2.
  • Applicant has completed an M.S. (or higher) degree in Engineering or any of the physical, biological, or computational sciences from any U.S. institution.
  • Applicant has been granted a GRE waiver from the MSE Department at ISU. (Waivers request forms are to be submitted with the application as a supplemental document.) Waiver decisions will be based on various qualifications, including but not limited to:
    • Employment experience – e.g., 2+ years (full time) technical work experience
    • Research experience – e.g., 2+ years (full time) academic research with corresponding publication record)
    • Advanced degree in Engineering or Science from a non-U.S. institution
    • Academic record (e.g., 3+ GPA in math and science)

There is not a minimum required GRE score for the Fall 2025 cycle.

If you wish to request a waiver prior to submitting a graduate application, please email your CV or résumé (3-page max.) and unofficial academic transcripts to our GRE Waiver Request Dropbox. Please do not send any other materials than the CV an transcripts. Please use encrypted email to deliver to this email dropbox. If you are unable to deliver your documents in this way, you may instead send the materials by emailing in response to this email.

We will do our best to respond to you by email with a decision within 3 weeks. Please be planful in preparing your request well prior to the funding priority dates. We will accept both waiver requests and applications after the funding priority deadline.

There is not a minimum requirement for the GRE score.

Our admission requirements can be found here.

Most new graduate students are admitted in the Fall semester. To receive primary consideration for graduate assistantships and timely review of your application, applications for fall entry should be completed by January 31. Applications for Spring entry should be completed by September 1.

If you require a visa to study in the U.S., please do not initiate an application within 3 months of when classes begin; it is impractical to complete both the admission review process and the visa application process within such a short timeframe.

The application fee is required for all applications. Deferrals or waivers of the application fee for Fall 2025 and beyond are not available. Read more about the application processing fee.

U.S. military veterans will have their application fee deferred until they enroll. Otherwise, Materials Science & Engineering does not provide waivers or deferrals of the application fee.  Read more about the application processing fee.

While you are welcome to communicate directly with MSE faculty about your interest in their research, please understand that faculty have very full schedules and may not have time to respond to every prospective student.

You will receive an email from the department when your application has completed the review process. If you have not received the email, then your application is still under review. This process can take time. You can check the completion status of your application at the Admissions Application Portal.

Approximately 200 students apply to the MSE graduate program for Fall entry each year. The acceptance rate is 16%.

The statement of purpose needs to answer the following four questions (150 word limit on each question):
  • Why do you wish to pursue graduate studies in Materials Science and Engineering at ISU?
  • What are your career goals after completing your degree?
  • How have your background, education, and/or experiences prepared you for graduate study?
  • What are your research interests for a thesis or dissertation (for MS and PhD applicants only)?

Please read about financing graduate study on the Graduate College website.

Many of our offers of admission include a graduate assistantship position. Students with an RA position work 10-20 hours per week on a research project to earn a stipend, a reduced tuition rate, tuition and fee awards, and health insurance. Read more about graduate assistantship benefits.

All applications for graduate admission will receive consideration for funding opportunities. There is no separate application process for funding consideration. The department email announcing a student’s admission status will also include details about funding awards that may be available.

The Office of the Registrar provides the most current information on Tuition and Fee rates. Find more information on stipends and other financial information here.

This will depend on your major and courses you have taken. If you have an engineering degree, you will not need additional courses. Other degrees may require additional coursework.

The MSE Graduate Program Coordinator will email you with onboarding instructions, including course registration. Typically, we ask our first semester students to register for classes in the month prior to the start of the semester. Learn more about ISU’s academic calendar.

If you require a visa to study in the U.S., please do not register for courses until you arrive on campus.

The Office of Admissions will email the Form I-20 to you. This process could take 1-2 months and cannot be expedited. Please monitor the Admissions Application Portal for next steps or action items.

For on-campus housing, visit the Department of Residence. For off-campus housing, students commonly use websites such as Zillow or apartments.com. Rent Smart Ames is an informational resource for the renting process.

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Questions? We are here to help!

Want to learn more about graduate programs in our department? Just have a few questions you’d like to run by our professional staff?