{"id":11,"date":"2023-08-31T17:09:41","date_gmt":"2023-08-31T17:09:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tickle1stg.wpenginepowered.com\/mse\/?page_id=11"},"modified":"2026-08-20T11:14:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-20T15:14:20","slug":"about","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mse\/about\/","title":{"rendered":"About"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Our students enjoy the benefits of an interdisciplinary education that includes design, mechanics, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and electronics. They receive hands-on experience by working on real-world experiments and participating in educationally relevant internships and co-ops. Our students are led by world-class leaders in materials research, many of whom are affiliated with Oak Ridge National Lab.<\/p>\n<p>The department has a large research program that receives nearly $8 million in research funding each year. This expansive research initiative provides opportunities for our students and faculty to work in areas of cutting-edge technology as we solve tomorrow&#8217;s challenges through interdisciplinary research.<\/p>\n<p><!-- Stats Grid --><\/p>\n<div class=\"grid\">\n<div class=\"intro\">\n<h3 class=\"quietHeading\">Check the Stats<\/h3>\n<p>Why choose our program? The stats speak for themselves.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-1\"><span class=\"stat\">4:1<\/span><span class=\"copy\">student to faculty ratio<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-2\"><span class=\"stat\">24<\/span><span class=\"copy\">world renowned faculty<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-3\"><span class=\"stat\">$9.5m<\/span><span class=\"copy\">in total research expenditures<\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-orange\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"grid-4\"><span class=\"stat\">$81,200<\/span><span class=\"copy\">starting salary for materials scientists<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- End Stats Grid --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Mission Statement --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"quietHeading\">Mission Statement<\/h2>\n<p class=\"p1\"><span class=\"s1\">The mission of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering is to discover and disseminate knowledge through teaching, research and service that relate to materials and their utilization in engineering practice. Specifically, our mission is:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol class=\"fancyNumbers\">\n<li>To provide high quality education (undergraduate through doctoral levels) in the fundamental and engineering sciences with special emphasis given to the synthesis, processing, structure, properties, and performance of materials and to an understanding of their applications.<\/li>\n<li>To provide high quality general education (undergraduate through doctoral levels) in crucial professional skills such as oral and written communication.<\/li>\n<li>To carry out fundamental and applied research in materials science and engineering and to provide graduate students with the ability to conduct research at the forefront of the discipline.<\/li>\n<li>To perform public service activities that require special expertise in materials science and engineering; to foster improved understanding of materials utilization and design through active participation in professional societies; and to encourage professionalism in our students.<\/li>\n<li>To foster and maintain mutually beneficial relationships with alumni, industry, local, state and federal governments, and the global community so as to enhance the above components of our mission.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><!-- End Mission Statement --><\/p>\n<p><!-- Vision Statement --><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"quietHeading\">Vision Statement<\/h2>\n<p>The MSE department strives to be an engaged, supportive, and diverse community of materials scientists and engineers who provide leadership through education, through research excellence, and through the creation of knowledge and technology that makes life and lives better.<\/p>\n<p><!-- End Vision Statement --><\/p>\n<div class=\"spacer\"><\/div>\n<p><!-- Cards Section --><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"card half clip-corner\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-1292 size-full\" src=\"\/mse\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2024\/05\/Gerd-Duscher-lab.jpg\" alt=\"Gerd Duscher teaching a student in his lab\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Research<\/h2>\n<p>Our department\u2019s research portfolio is supported through industry and multi-institutional partnerships, large multi-year grants, and several research centers, providing undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to work alongside world-class faculty to unlock the solutions of tomorrow\u2019s complex challenges.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline fancyButton\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/mse\/research\/\">Learn more about our research<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card half clip-corner\">\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-462 size-full\" src=\"\/mse\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Diffraction-Core.jpg\" alt=\"Michael Koehler works on a Empyrean XRD diffractometer with a graduate student in the Diffraction Core Facility\" width=\"800\" height=\"534\" srcset=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mse\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Diffraction-Core.jpg 800w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mse\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Diffraction-Core-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mse\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2023\/09\/Diffraction-Core-768x513.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 800px) 100vw, 800px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Degrees<\/h2>\n<p>We offer several degree programs designed to prepare students for their future in materials science, including BS, MS and PhD programs, as well as a five-year BS\/MS program for qualified students.<\/p>\n<div class=\"wp-block-button is-style-outline fancyButton\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"\/mse\/academics\/program\/\">Learn more about our degree programs<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- End Cards Section --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Our students enjoy the benefits of an interdisciplinary education that includes design, mechanics, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and electronics. They receive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-wide.php","meta":{"inline_featured_image":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-11","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>About - Materials Science and Engineering<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/tickle.utk.edu\/mse\/about\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"About - Materials Science and Engineering\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our students enjoy the benefits of an interdisciplinary education that includes design, mechanics, chemistry, physics, mathematics, and electronics. 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