Overview
Pittsburgh Offers Carnegie Mellon Students Excitement and Adventure to Balance a Scholar's Life
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania is a city steeped in early American history, but also positioned at the leading edge of progress in education, technology, and research. The city is a veritable gallery of American architectural history, and Frank Lloyd Wright's trailblazing designs bejewel the area along with the churches, skyscrapers, and other landmark buildings that showcase the brilliance of architects from both yesterday and today. The Cathedral of Learning and the Carnegie Museum of Natural History are just two of the numerous world-class museums, art galleries, and historic sites that offer a view into the past, present, and future of this storied region.
Students at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) will find it easy to answer the "call of the wild" and enjoy the great outdoors in and around Pittsburgh. The three rivers in the city offer views of the area not possible from a car, which is one more reason why kayaking and cycling along the riverside bike trails are popular outdoor activities. You can hike, bike, row, paddle, ski, climb, and explore within a short distance of the city center, which is why National Geographic magazine named Pittsburgh one of America's top destinations for outdoor adventure.
Pittsburgh is also home to the six-time world champion NFL Steelers, and offers top attractions in baseball, basketball, and hockey as well. The Pittsburgh Pirates play world-class baseball in one of the nation's newest and best ballparks, PNC Park, which offers a gorgeous riverside view of downtown. With sports, arts, museums, and backwoods trails, Pittsburgh offers scholastic, artistic, and cultural excitement and adventure.
Leading-Edge Research and State-of-the-Art Facilities Keep Carnegie Mellon's Materials Science Ahead of the Curve
The materials science and engineering (MSE) faculty are committed to an instructional philosophy that balances traditional class and lecture time with a growing range of experimental and theoretical research projects. The four primary areas of concentration are electronic materials, magnetic materials, microstructural science, and iron and steelmaking.
Electronic materials research covers a wide spectrum of leading-edge activities, including pure electronics and photonics to the development of opto-electronic and electrochemical devices. Faculty focused on magnetic materials expose students to research that is closely affiliated with the Data Storage Systems Center (DSSC), a consortium of CMU and corporate partners. Microstructural science research seeks to understand the origins and characteristics of polycrystals with a focus on developing the means of predictably influencing those characteristics. All of the research efforts in these areas are aided by the Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC), an interdisciplinary research and educational entity that brings together researchers with diverse backgrounds, knowledge, and skills.
Research in the fourth area, iron and steelmaking, is conducted in large part at CMU's Center for Iron and Steelmaking Research (CISR). Established in 1985 with a National Science Foundation grant, the center's research facilities operate with the assistance of 20 industrial members and form the largest, most prestigious steelmaking research center in America.
The MSE program is among the very best in the world, with first-rate faculty and research facilities, and offers students the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking research with the best minds in academia and industry.
Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy Degrees Are the Ultimate Reward for Materials Science and Engineering Students
A Master of Science (MS) degree in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) can be earned in two ways. In the course option track, a student must earn a specific number of units in graduate courses, and in the MSE department itself. All full-time students must participate in the graduate seminar course for each semester that they are registered and have a certain number of units in "departmental core courses." Finally, completion of every semester of study is a formal degree requirement for every full-time student.
In addition to earning a Master of Science degree in Materials Science and Engineering through coursework, a student can choose the research option that offers a mix of courses and research work. For programs and careers with an interdisciplinary focus, the latter is an excellent option. Its flexibility allows for individually designed coursework and other activities that will provide a solid base for subsequent doctoral study. Students may pursue the research option in any of the established interdisciplinary programs, or the MSE department.
The Doctor of Philosophy degree program combines independent research and the development of predictive principles, all in the quest for new knowledge. Doctoral research can be undertaken in a wide range of subject areas, from biomaterials and nano-materials to ceramics, metals, and magnetic materials. Every doctoral student will perform original research with the help and guidance of a faculty adviser. The Doctor of Philosophy degree from Carnegie Mellon's MSE department will prepare new, capable, forward-thinking scientists for both academic and corporate careers, and do so while maintaining the highest possible standards of scholarship and research.
