Materials Engineering

Chair: Kathy Lu, PhD
 
Degree Offered Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering
Accreditation The Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering degree program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the commission’s General Criteria and Program Criteria for Materials, Metallurgical, Ceramics and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.
Website https://www.uab.edu/engineering/mme/about/about-materials-engineering
Program Director Haibin Ning, PhD
Email ning@uab.edu
Phone (205) 996-7390

Materials engineering utilizes the interrelationships among structure, properties, and processing to achieve performance in the application of metals, ceramics, polymers, and composites to meet the needs of society. Students learn how to select the optimum material, design new materials and processes, and predict behavior under various environmental and service conditions. Materials Engineers are employed in every major industry, including aerospace, chemical, automotive, energy, defense, metals casting, biomedical, and microelectronics.  

In addition to Blazer Core, students take a core of fundamental engineering coursework and a sequence of materials engineering courses in addition to courses in mathematics, calculus-based physics, and chemistry. The required materials engineering courses address ceramics, polymers, composite materials, and metals. Materials engineering elective courses are also offered to introduce students to leading-edge materials engineering topics. Students can specialize in Biomaterials by proper selection of their electives (see Concentration in Biomaterials). The curriculum prepares graduates to enter industry, pursue graduate studies, or enter a professional school, such as medicine or dentistry. The department has active research programs in metal casting, biomaterials, ceramic materials, and composite materials. The department also offers courses of study leading to the Master of Science in Materials Engineering and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in both Materials Engineering and Materials Science. These programs are described in the UAB Graduate School Catalog.

Please refer to the School of Engineering overview for policies regarding admission; change of major; transfer credit; transient status; dual degree programs; reasonable progress; academic warning, probation, and suspension; reinstatement appeals; and graduation requirements.

Vision

To be a nationally and internationally recognized research-oriented program - a first choice for undergraduate and graduate education

Mission

To excel in research for the benefit of society while educating students at all levels to be immediately productive.

Program Educational Objectives

Our Materials Engineering undergraduate program will produce functioning professionals who:

  1. are able to solve a wide range of materials engineering-related problems at the regional, national, and international levels.

  2. advance and lead in materials engineering or related professional positions.

  3. continue to develop intellectually and professionally and serve the materials engineering professional community and beyond.

  4. apply sustainability principles to provide improved engineering solutions for society.

Student Outcomes

Upon completion of the BSMtE degree program, our graduates will have:

  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.
On This Page

Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering

RequirementsHours
Blazer Core Requirements43
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Recitation
and General Chemistry I Laboratory
English Composition I
English Composition II
Computer Aided Graphics and Design
Introduction to Engineering 1
Calculus I
and Calculus I Lab
General Physics I
and General Physics Laboratory I
and General Physics I Recitation
General Physics II
and General Physics Laboratory II
and General Physics II - Recitation
Academic Foundations: Reasoning
Thinking Broadly: History & Meaning
Thinking Broadly: Creative Arts
Thinking Broadly: Humans & Their Societies
City as a Classroom 2
Other Required Courses73
Statics
Mechanics of Solids
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Recitation
and General Chemistry II Laboratory
Electrical Systems
Computer Methods in Engineering
Math Tools for Engineering Problem Solving 3
Calculus II
Introduction to Thermal Sciences
Engineering Materials
Physical Materials I
and Physical Materials I Laboratory
Thermodynamics of Materials
Physical Materials II
Mechanical Behavior of Materials
Materials Processing
Composite Materials
Statistics and Quality
Polymeric Materials
and Polymeric Materials Laboratory
Metals and Alloys
and Metals and Alloys Laboratory
Characterization of Materials
and Characterization of Materials Laboratory
Ceramic Materials
and Ceramic Materials Laboratory
Capstone Design Project I
Capstone Design Project II
Materials Engineering Elective 43
Choose one from the following:
Frontiers of Automotive Materials
Nanobiomaterials
Principles of Metal Casting
and Principles of Metal Casting Laboratory
Nondestructive Evaluation of Materials
Composites Manufacturing
Metals and Alloys II
Mathematics/Science Elective 53
Engineering/Mathematics/Science Electives 4, 66
Total Hours128
1

EGR 200 preferred; other FYE courses accepted

2

CE 280 preferred; other CAC courses accepted

3

May substitute MA 227 and MA 252 for EGR 265 and one approved Math/Science elective

4

Completion of Departmental Honors Program satisfies three credits of either a Materials Engineering Elective or an Engineering/Mathematics/Science Elective.

5

Math/Science Elective Options:

  • Any Biology (BY) courses numbered BY 108 or above
  • Any Chemistry (CH) courses numbered CH 201 or above
  • MA 260 Introduction to Linear Algebra    
  • MA 360 Scientific Programming    
  • MA 361 Mathematical Modeling    
  • Any Mathematics (MA) courses numbered MA 434 or above
  • Any Physics (PH) courses numberedPH 223 or above
6

Engineering/Math/Science Elective Options:

  • CS 103 Introduction to Computer Science in Python    
  • CS 203 Object-Oriented Programming in Java    
  • Any course listed in the Mathematics/Science Electives section, footnote 5
  • Any engineering course not required in the major except CE 344, EE 300, EE 305, EE 314, EGR 301, ME 241, ME 302, MSE 350, or any capstone/senior project course, or any honors research hours from another program

Residency Requirement

In addition to UAB's residency requirement, to earn a Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering from UAB, the program requires that students complete the following courses at UAB:

RequirementsHours
Three courses from the following:9
Materials Processing
Composite Materials
Polymeric Materials
Metals and Alloys
Characterization of Materials
Ceramic Materials
MSE 498Capstone Design Project I3
MSE 499Capstone Design Project II3
Total Hours15

Concentration in Biomaterials

Students seeking the degree of BSMtE may add a concentration in Biomaterials by appropriate selection of their MSE Elective and Science/Mathematics/Engineering Electives (9 credit hours total).

RequirementsHours
BME 311Biomaterials for Non-Majors3
Elective Courses
Select two from the following:6
Implant-Tissue Interactions
Tissue Engineering
Nanobiomaterials
Total Hours9

Concentration in Metallurgy

Students seeking the degree of BSMtE may add a concentration in Metallurgy by appropriate selection of their MSE Elective and Science/Mathematics/Engineering Electives (9 credit hours total).

RequirementsHours
Elective Courses
Select three from the following:9
Frontiers of Automotive Materials
Principles of Metal Casting
Nondestructive Evaluation of Materials
Metals and Alloys II
Total Hours9

Concentration in Polymer Matrix Composites

Students seeking the degree of BSMtE may add a concentration of Polymer Matrix Composites by appropriate selection of their MSE Elective and Science/Mathematics/Engineering Electives (10 credit hours total). CH 235/CH 236 may be used as the Science/Mathematics Elective instead of one of the Science/Mathematics/Engineering Electives.

RequirementsHours
CH 235Organic Chemistry I3
CH 236Organic Chemistry I Laboratory1
Elective Courses
Select two from the following:6
Frontiers of Automotive Materials
Nanobiomaterials
Nondestructive Evaluation of Materials
Composites Manufacturing
Total Hours10

 Curriculum for the Bachelor of Science in Materials Engineering (BSMtE)

Freshman
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
CH 115
& 115R
& CH 116^		4CH 117
& 117R
& CH 118		4
EGR 20013EGR 103#3
EH 101%3EGR 1941
MA 125
& 125L*		4MA 1264
 PH 221
& 221L
& 221R^		4
 14 16
Sophomore
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
CE 2103CE 2203
EGR 26524EE 3123
EH 102%3EGR 1503
MSE 2803ME 2512
PH 222
& 222L
& 222R^		4MSE 281
& 281L		4
 Blazer Core: Reasoning33
 17 18
Junior
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
MSE 3803MSE 3823
MSE 3813MSE 464
& 464L		4
MSE 4013MSE 470
& 470L		4
MSE 4253Math/Science Elective2,43
MSE 465
& 465L		4Blazer Core: Creative Arts33
 16 17
Senior
First TermHoursSecond TermHours
MSE 4133MSE 430
& 430L		3
MSE 4983MSE 4993
Math/Science/Engineering Elective43Materials Engineering Elective 3
Blazer Core: City as a Classroom$3Math/Science/Engineering Elective43
Blazer Core: Humans & Their Societies33Blazer Core: History & Meaning33
 15 15
Total credit hours: 128
1

EGR 200 preferred; other FYE courses accepted

2

May substitute MA 227 and MA 252 for EGR 265 and one approved MA/SCI elective

3

Please refer to Blazer Core as specified for Engineering majors

4

Math/Science Elective Options, excluding courses already required for the degree or an approved course for any section of Blazer Core except those in Scientific Inquiry or Quantitative Literacy:

  • Any Biology (BY) courses numbered BY 108 or above
  • Any Chemistry (CH) courses numbered CH 201 or above
  • MA 260 Introduction to Linear Algebra    
  • MA 360 Scientific Programming    
  • MA 361 Mathematical Modeling    
  • Any Mathematics (MA) courses numbered MA 434 or above
  • Any Physics (PH) courses numbered PH 223 or above
5

Completion of Departmental Honors Program satisfies three credits of either a Materials Engineering Elective or an Mathematics/Science/Engineering Elective

^

Satisfies Blazer Core: Scientific Inquiry

%

Satisfies Blazer Core: Writing

#

Satisfies Blazer Core: Communicating in a Modern World

*

Satisfies Blazer Core: Quantitative Literacy

$

CE 280 preferred, other City as a Classroom courses accepted