Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) applies fundamental principles of physics and chemistry to designing materials with desired combinations of mechanical, optical, electrical, magnetic, electrochemical and other properties.
UC Merced students minoring in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) will be equipped for leadership in a field that dictates the pace of technological progress. Since the beginnings of civilization, technological progress has always relied on the materials people were able to acquire from nature, through trade or by innovation. Wood, stone, bronze, iron, steel, aluminum, cements, plastics, semiconductors, liquid crystals, nanomaterials and quantum dots all have unique properties that enable—but also limit—what humans can make and do. Nations continue to go to war over access to particular raw materials.
