close up of equipment in materials lab

Whether you intend to pursue research or are seeking advancement, higher pay or job security, now is a good time to pursue a Master of Science degree in Engineering, with a concentration in Materials Engineering.

UWM, one of Wisconsin’s two R1 research universities, is located in one of the largest manufacturing centers in the nation, and graduates of this program are in high demand.

The flexible program welcomes those whose undergraduate degrees were in materials science & engineering and related disciplines such as chemistry, physics and other fields within engineering.

Qualified UWM undergraduate students can apply to begin this program during their senior year by participating in the integrated BS-MS Program.

Program Type

Master’s

Program Format

On Campus

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Boost Your Career Prospects

Overall employment of materials scientists is projected to grow 5 percent from 2019 to 2029. Those with advanced degrees are expected to have the best opportunities.*

*U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics

UWM students can get a career boost from hands-on, guided access to advanced instrumentation (in the Advanced Analysis Facility).

Students can also train in our small-scale foundry. We’re a world leader in foundry-produced advanced materials that have applications in transportation, energy conservation, water and biomedical industries.

Ben Church in materials lab
Hear Assistant Professor Ben Church talk about research for lithium-ion batteries.

What to Expect

This program provides a broad background in fundamental and emerging aspects of materials engineering. As you complete your studies, you will have the following options:

Thesis option; non-thesis option

The thesis option is designed for people planning to pursue research. Students complete an original thesis research project, supervised by a faculty advisor.

The non-thesis option is designed for working professionals. In lieu of a thesis, students take an additional seven hours of coursework.

Tailoring your coursework

Your coursework can be tailored to incorporate topics that directly relate to your interests and goals. Fundamentals within the materials engineering field (such as Thermodynamics of Materials or Advanced Mechanical Behavior) can be combined with courses such as Deformation Processing or Nanomaterials and Nanomanufacturing. Electives from other engineering and science areas can be incorporated to give additional flexibility to your program.

Research Assistantships / Teaching Assistantship

Most students choose to incorporate Teaching Assistantships (TAs) or Research Assistantships (RAs) during their graduate study which helps to fund their education while also building leadership skills. Assistantship decisions are made by the academic departments only after an applicant has been accepted into the program.

More Information

Contact the College of Engineering & Applied Science Graduate Programs Office.

You’ll have the opportunity work with faculty engaged in leading-edge research in areas such as:

  • Materials for energy storage
  • Polymer solar cells
  • Adsorbents and membranes to remove water contaminants
  • Membranes for energy-efficient chemical separations
  • Manufacturing processes
  • Structural analysis of aerospace materials
  • Application of nanomaterials in construction
  • Self-healing metals and advanced metal-matrix composites.
Advanced Analysis Facility

This facility houses and maintains research instrumentation, which provides full capability for materials and chemical analysis.

Foundry and Solidification Lab

This small-scale foundry provides students with hands-on training in cutting-edge foundry processing techniques and research.

UWM Center for Composite Materials

The center links the materials processing industry and UWM’s students and faculty in research efforts.

For a full list of our college’s research labs, centers and institutes, click here.

Faculty

Nidal Abu Zahra
  • Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering
  • Department Chair, Materials Science & Engineering
Ben Church
  • Associate Professor, Materials Science & Engineering Department
  • Director, Advanced Analysis Facility
Nikolai Kouklin
  • Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
faculty member xiaoli ma
  • Assistant Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
William Musinski
  • Assistant Professor, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science & Engineering
Junjie Niu
  • Richard and Joanne Grigg Professorship
  • Associate Professor, Materials Science and Engineering
Pradeep Rohatgi
  • Distinguished Professor, Materials Science and Engineering Department
  • Distinguished Professor, Biomedical Engineering
  • Distinguished Professor, Mechanical Engineering
  • Director, Center for Advanced Manufacture of Materials

Advising

Therese Crary
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Biomedical Health Informatics
Bob Packard
  • Advisor, Graduate Programs
  • Civil/Environmental Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Industrial/Manufacturing Engineering, Materials Science & Engineering
Contact
Materials Science & Engineering

Contact Info: ceas-materials@uwm.edu

Street Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
3200 North Cramer Street
Milwaukee, WI 53211

Mailing Address
College of Engineering & Applied Science
P.O. Box 784
Milwaukee, WI 53201-0784