Experimental Mechanics and Materials Option

The experimental mechanics and materials option explores science and engineering aspects of diverse classes of engineering including polymers, metals, ceramics, and composites with a focus on experimental mechanics and materials behavior. Graduates understand fundamental deformation mechanisms and their interactions with microstructural length scales for developing fabrication-structure-property relationships and tuning performance and multifunctionality.  Required and suggested courses for this option encompass fundamental materials characterization; multi-scale experimental mechanics for characterizing mechanical behavior and properties, structure-property relationships and constitutive modeling. Graduates are prepared for careers in a broad range of industries including energy and the environment, resilient and sustainable infrastructure, commercial and government materials evaluation and testing laboratories, emerging materials development for ongoing revolutions in healthcare and technology sectors, automotive, aerospace. They have the research and academic acumen to excel in cutting-edge graduate studies in diverse materials science, mechanics, and engineering disciplines.  

Some courses on these lists are suitable as technical electives (TE) or foundational electives (FE), but each course can only be used to fulfill one degree requirement, either a FE or TE.

Foundational Electives

Choose one course from each of the four subject areas: materials science foundations, structural mechanics, experimental methods & materials measurements, and advanced material systems. Each category has a suggested course, and each has a list of alternatives. Each course name is followed by its prerequisites and the semester it is usually offered, if available. All engineering science students are to take one design elective, which is one of the five foundational electives required of all students.

Materials Science Foundations

• CHEM 112 — Chemical Principles II

Alternatives

• MATSE 201 — Foundations of Materials
  • Prerequisite: CHEM 112
  • Semester offered: fall
• MATSE 202 — Introduction to Polymer Materials
  • Prerequisite: CHEM 210
  • Semester offered: spring
• CHEM 210 — Organic Chemistry
  • Prerequisite: CHEM 112

Structural Mechanics

• EMCH 315 and EMCH 316 – Mechanical Response + Experimental Methods

Alternatives

• EMCH 403 — Strength Design in Materials and Structures
  • Semester offered: spring
• EMCH 471 — Engineering Composite Materials
  • Semester offered: fall only

Experimental Methods & Materials Measurements

• EMCH 402 — Applied and Experimental Stress Analysis
  • Semester offered: spring

Alternatives

• ENGR 320 — Materials Properties Measurement I 
  • Not on historical course offerings
  • Concurrent: EMCH 407 or EMCH 461 or ENGR 350
• ESC 419 — Electronic Properties and Applications of Materials
  • Semester offered: spring

Advanced Material Systems

EMCH 471 — Engineering Composite Materials

Semester offered: fall

Alternatives

• MATSE 403 — Biomedical Materials
  • Prerequisite: MATSE 201 or CHEM 112
  • Semester offered: fall
• MATSE 259 — Properties and Processing of Engineering Materials

Design Electives 

• ESC 460M: Multidisciplinary Design Project
• EMCH 400: Advanced Strength of Materials and Design
• EMCH 461: Finite Elements in Engineering 
• EDSGN 452/453: Projects in Humanitarian Engineering 
• ENVE 430: Sustainable Engineering 
• ME 360: Mechanical Design
• ME 431: Internal Combustion Engines

Technical Electives

Choose four courses.

Materials Science Foundations

• MATSE 436 — Mechanical Properties of Materials
  • Prerequisite: MATSE 201 and MATSE 202
  • Semester offered: fall only
• MATSE 445 — Thermodynamics, Microstructure, and Characterization of Polymers
  • Prerequisite: MATSE 202
  • Semester offered: fall
• MATSE 446 — Mechanical and Electrical Properties of Polymers and Composites
  • Prerequisite: MATSE 202 or MATSE 443
  • Semester offered: fall
• MATSE 455 — Properties and Characterization of Electronic and Photonic Materials
  • Prerequisite: MATSE 201 or ESC 414M
  • Semester offered: spring
• ESC 484 — Biologically Inspired Nanomaterials
  • Semester offered: arbitrary, typically every other year

Structural Mechanics

• EMCH 461 / ME 461 — Finite Element in Engineering
  • Semester offered: spring
• EMCH 400 — Advanced Strength of Materials and Design
  • Semester offered: fall
• EMCH 416 — Failure and Failure Analysis of Solids
  • Semester offered: spring

Experimental Methods & Materials Measurements

• MATSE 430 — Materials Characterization
  • Prerequisite: MATSE 201 and MATSE 202
  • Semester offered: fall
• ENGR 320 — Materials Properties Measurement I
  • Not on historical course offerings
  • Concurrent: ENGR 350, EMCH 407, or EMCH 461
• ESC 419 — Electronic Properties and Applications of Materials
  • Semester offered: spring only
• EMCH 440 / MATSE 440 — Nondestructive Evaluation of Flaws
  • Semester offered: arbitrary, typically offered every other year

Advanced Material Systems

• ESC 475 / MATSE 475 — Particulate Materials Processing
  • Prerequisite: EMCH 315, ESC 414M, or MATSE 259
  • Semester offered: spring, odd years
• EMCH 473 / AERSP 473 — Composites Processing
  • Prerequisite: EMCH 471
  • Semester offered: spring
• IE 428 — Metal Casting
  • Prerequisite: IE 305, Concurrent: MATSE 259
  • Semester offered: fall
• EMCH 471 — Engineering Composite Materials
  • Semester offered: fall
• MATSE 403 — Biomedical Materials
  • Semester offered: fall