For most purposes there is not much difference betweent the two programs.  Students are encouraged to apply to both.

The difference between the two titles are as follows:

Graduate Degree in Materials Science
A student in this program will study materials as an interdisciplinary subject at the intersection of chemistry, physics, biology, geology, and the engineering disciplines. He or she must satisfy a minimal set of required courses, then a course plan of advanced graduate level courses developed by the student and the advisor. Students interested in a career in basic research may find this path more appropriate.

Graduate Degree in Materials Engineering
A student in this program will study materials as a modern foundational engineering discipline, underlying design and performance throughout engineering, and informed by traditional engineering disciplines of metallurgy, ceramics, and polymers. Students must complete a program of specialized coursework developed by the student and the advisor, but there are no specific course requirements beyond an introductory seminar. Students interested in a career in industry may find this path more appropriate.

Both programs have the same faculty.

Yes, you must submit an application and two sets of transcripts to both the Materials Science Program and to the Materials Engineering Program. 

 

Please send your application and additional documents for the Materials Science Program to:

Materials Science Program

MSE Building

1509 University Ave

Madison Wi, 53706

 

 

Please send your application and additional documents for the Materials Engineering Program to:

Lynn Neis

Room 276MSE

1509 University Ave

Madison, WI 53706

 

For the online application please click here.

Our policy is to admit all students with financial aid in the form of research assistantships and fellowships. Some students are offered teaching assistantships.  We admit students on government fellowships provided that they meet our admission standards. In very rare instances we admit self-funded students, but this is discouraged. Please see our financial support page.

Approximatley 200 students apply to the Materials Engineering Program per year, 80% of these for Fall semster addmission. Each year we admit approximatley 5-10 students total.

For information on the number of students accepted into the Materials Science Program, please visit thier website. 

Yes, we look at all completed applications.

We choose students with excellent backgrounds in science or engineering. We do not favor any one particular metric, such as GRE score, but it is generally important that applicants have broad, rigorous science and math courses and done well in these courses.

We take into account different grade scales and grading practices at different universities and in different countries.

There is no minimun GRE score, we try and look at the student as a whole.  The scores of the students admitted recently ranged from 500-800 in verbal, 750-800 in Quantitative, and 600-800 in Analytical.

The GRE is not the only criterion for admission to the program.

Please send all of your test scores (GRE, TOEFL, &/or IELTS) to the University of Wisconsin-Madison Graduate school, using our institutional code: 1846.  The graduate school provides your scores to the departments you are applying to.  If you have further questions about the graduate school application project please visit thier website.

Yes, but grades are not the only criterion.

Yes, but it is not the only factor considered.

Undoubtedly more qualified applicants apply than we can accept (we estimate about 2-3 times as many), so please do not take a declination to reflect negatively on your future possibilities elsewhere.

This is unlikely unless you were placed on the waiting list the previous year.

Yes, however the a thesis for degree completion is required.