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DEGREE Materials Science and Engineering, BS

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Major in materials science & engineering

As a materials engineer, you’ll be on the cutting edge of innovations that make every other aspect of our lives possible. As a materials science and engineering major, you’ll learn how to process materials for manufactured products; develop and design nontraditional as well as traditional materials for an increasingly broad range of industries; and study and develop high-performance materials for use in the future.

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At a glance

Materials science and engineering department

100
active patents
9
undergraduate ranking among public universities
7
graduate ranking among public universities
Facts & stats

Program and degree information

View the Undergraduate Guide for information on requirements, four-year plans and more.

Determine what kind of student you will be and learn more about what information you need to apply.

Freshman A freshman includes anyone who is currently a student in high school or who has not taken college coursework since graduating from high school.
Transfer Student A transfer student is anyone who has attended another college or university after graduating from high school and wishes to enroll in an undergraduate degree program at UW–Madison.
Cross-campus Student Cross-campus transfer students are students who are currently enrolled in another school or college at UW-Madison who wish to transfer into the College of Engineering.
Reentry Student Students who previously attended the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an undergraduate and would like to complete their first undergraduate degree will need to apply for reentry admission. Reentry students are those who have not been enrolled in courses for a semester or more.

Tuition and segregated fee rates are always listed per semester (not for Fall and Spring combined).

 

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The College of Engineering is committed to recognizing the potential and accomplishments of incoming and enrolled students by supporting their education through a variety of scholarships at the college and departmental level.

 

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Educational Objectives

We recognize that our graduates will choose to use the knowledge and skills that they have acquired during their undergraduate years to pursue a wide variety of career and life goals, and we encourage this diversity of paths. Whatever path our graduates may choose, we expect them to be meeting the following objectives at least three to five years after graduation.

Objective 1: Skills and Tools. Graduates will be applying the tools and skills acquired during their undergraduate experience either in post-graduate educational programs or as employees in materials-related industries.

Objective 2: Early Career Growth. Graduates will have experienced professional growth in their chosen post-baccalaureate pursuits, for example, through acquisition of advanced degrees or advancement in employment rank.

Objective 3: Professional Citizenship. Graduates will have demonstrated awareness of contemporary issues in technology and society and ethical responsibility.

Objective 4: Life-Long Learning: Graduates will have demonstrated a continuing commitment to learning.

Learning Outcomes

  1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
  2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
  3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
  4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
  5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
  6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
  7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Degrees

Our Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET

View the UW-Madison Guide for information on all materials science and engineering courses.

 

View all MSE courses

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.
All department news
A student talks with a recruiter at the fall 2023 Engineering & STEM Career Fair.
September 15, 2023

Hungry for engineering talent, employers flock to UW-Madison

Patrick Sullivan (left) and Xiu Liang Lyu working on designing and synthesizing new organic molecules.
August 3, 2023

For the sustainable grid of the future, the right battery chemistry matters

Yuan Ping
July 13, 2023

Focus on new faculty: Yuan Ping creates powerful tools to study quantum materials

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