Skip to main content

Department Materials Science & Engineering

Two professors working in their lab

Imagine how awesome the future could be

Can’t live without your super-fast smartphone? You can thank (or blame) materials science for it. Appreciate your fuel-efficient car? Brought to you in part by new materials! At UW-Madison, we’re driven by the belief that scientists and engineers must collaborate to help solve our world’s increasingly complex problems. Materials science and engineering offers you the toolkit you’ll need to be a part of that collaboration.

At a glance

Materials science and engineering department

100
active patents
9
undergraduate ranking among public universities
7
graduate ranking among public universities

Materials science and engineering news

Materials advances underlie improvements in virtually every aspect of our lives. Our cutting-edge contributes to the understanding of everything from nanotechnology and sustainable energy production to space exploration and green construction.
Jeminmah Mawande
“During my cooperative education experience at Kimberly-Clark in Neenah, Wisconsin, I got to work with professionals in engineering, business, patent law, product development, etc., to make products used globally. The seven-month experience gave me a glimpse into the professional engineering world and inspired me to pursue work in product development after graduation.”
Jemimah Mawande
MS&E alumna
Izabela Szlufarska, MS&E Department Chair

Meet the faculty

We discover new materials and take existing ones to new heights. Our pioneering faculty members will help you understand the fundamental concepts in materials science and engineering so that you can develop the materials of our future.