Materials Science Courses (MATS)

Minor Requirements

In order to gain a minor in materials science you must gain at least 6 points from Introduction to Materials Science and 5 points from either Experimental Materials Science, Computational Materials Science, or Theoretical Materials Science.

Major Requirements - Associate Degree

In order to gain a major in materials science you must complete the associate program core courses or you must already have an associate degree* (or higher) and complete at least 5 points from Introduction to Materials Science and 5 points from either Experimental Materials Science, Computational Materials Science, or Theoretical Materials Science, and another 10 points from other projects.

* — This assumes that the mathematical preparation from the school where you completed the associate degree program covers all of the topics from the MAST program. If it does not, then the necessary projects must be completed as part of your associate degree program.

MATS 100: Introduction to Materials Science (Pre: CORE 011)

The topic list for this project is: structure of materials, interactions of materials with radiation, mechanics of materials, electrons in materials, thermodynamics of materials, states of matter, and chemistry of materials.

MATS 101: Experimental Materials Science (Pre: MATS 100)

The topic list for this project is: setting up a materials lab, planning an experiment, constructing apparatus, experimental electronics, chemical processes, computer hardware, sensors, control, calibration, error analysis, conducting an experiment and collecting data, and data analysis.

MATS 102: Computational Materials Science (Pre: MATS 100)

The topic list for this project is: symbolic computation, numerical computation, visualization, data analysis, molecular dynamics, and dynamical system modeling.

MATS 103: Theoretical Materials Science (Pre: MATS 100)

The topic list for this project is: vector and tensor analysis, ordinary differential equations, matrix algebra, Fourier analysis, vector spaces, complex analysis, special functions, calculus of variations, the Laplace transform, partial differential equations, integral equations, group theory, discrete mathematics, and probability and statistics.

MATS 104: Structure of Materials (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: amorphous solids, crystalline solids, liquid crystals, defects, polymers, and x-ray diffraction.

MATS 105: Electrodynamics of Materials (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: conductors, dielectrics, steady currents, magnetic fields, ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, superconductivity, electromagnetic fields, magnetohydrodynamics, electromagnetic waves, anisotropic media, spatial dispersion, nonlinear optics, relativistic effects in matter, scattering, and x-ray diffraction.

MATS 106: Optical Properties of Materials (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: polarization, dipole radiation, photons, saturation, gain, laser amplifiers, Fabry-Perot cavity modes, ray tracing, gaussian beams, oscillation frequency, Q switching, mode locking, absorption and emission in a semiconductor, the heterojunction diode, semiconductor lasers, QW lasers, and coupled waves.

MATS 107: Electrons in Materials (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: atomic structure, kinetic theory, crystals, classical theory of electrical conduction, quantum theory of electrons, band theory, electrons in metal, electrons in a periodic structure, elecron and hole concentrations, and phonons.

MATS 108: Thermal Properties of Materials (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: thermal properties of gases, radiation, thermal properties of solids, thermal properties of liquids, thermal properties of other forms of matter.

MATS 109: States of Matter (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: atoms and molecules, intermolecular forces, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, perfect gases, degenerate perfect gases, Bose-Einstein condensation, imperfect gases, the solid state, elasticity, strength of solids, solid thermodynamics, electrical properties of solids, liquids, flow of liquids, the colloidal state, polymers, dielectric properties of matter, magnetic properties of matter, plasmas, superfluidity, superconductivity, and critical phenomena.

MATS 110: Mechanics of Materials (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: stress, strain, mechanical properties, axial load, torison, bending, transverse shear, combined loading, stress transformation, strain transformation, design of beams and shafts, deflection of beams and shafts, cloumn buckling, and energy methods.

Second Minor Requirements

In order to gain a second minor (or a minor following an Associate Degree) you must gain at least 6 points from a 200-level project and 5 from another project.

Major Requirements - Bachelor's Degree

In order to gain a major you must gain have complete the bachelor program requirements and complete at least 15 points from 200-level projects and 43 points from other projects.

MATS 200: The Materials Lab (Pre: MATS 101)

This project results in the development of a materials science lab. This laboratory must have a work area, a storage area, a library, safety measures, and a computer.

MATS 201: The Materials Experiment (Pre: MATS 101)

This project requires the student to perform two experiments and write up their results as research papers.

MATS 202: The Materials Apparatus and Sensors (Pre: MATS 101)

This project requires the student to construct and calibrate some apparatus to be used in their laboratory, and to write a report on its construction and calibration.

MATS 203: Experimental Electronics (Pre: MATS 101)

The topic list for this project is: circuit theory, passive electronic components, active components, electronic signals, sensors and instruments, instrumentation design, resistive sensors, temperature sensors, electrooptic sensors, magnetic sensors, sensor interfaces, amplifiers, inverting and noninverting amplifiers, differnetial and isolation amplifiers, power supplies, digital electronics, data acquisition, signal extraction, analog signal processing circuits, filters, grounding, microcontrollers, , sensor resolution improvement, DC power supplies, construction of hardware, and troubleshooting.

MATS 204: Chemistry in the Materials Lab (Pre: MATS 101)

The topic list for this project is: sample preparation, gravimetric analysis, titrimetric analysis, instrumental analysis, spectrochemical analysis, UV-Vis and IR spectrometry, atomic spectroscopy, separations, gas chromatography, HPLC, electroanalytical chemistry, physical testing, bioanalysis, general chemical synthesis, inorganic synthesis, and organic synthesis.

MATS 205: Computer Hardware (Pre: MATS 101 or 102)

The topic list for this project is: operating systems, the boot process, power supplies, floppy drives, hard drives, optimizing and protecting hard drives, I/O devices, multimedia devices and mass storage, modems, networking, printers, the motherboard, SCSI, building a PC, computer architecture, memory, number systems and codes, gates, TTL and CMOS circuits, boolean algebra and Karnaugh maps, arithmetic logic units, flip-flops, registers and counters, state machines, bus organization and memory, memory organization, caches and virtual memory, the simplest computer, instructions for the simplest computer, programming the simplest computer, microprocessors, assembly language, data transfer instructions, arithmetic and flags, logical instructions, shift and rotate instructions, addressing modes, branching and loops, subroutine and stack instructions, Intel architecture, other architectures, notebooks, tablets, PDAs, performance, and reconfigurable hardware.

MATS 206: Control Systems (Pre: MATS 101)

The topic list for this project is: modeling systems, difference equations, linear systems, Laplace transforms, Z transforms, state variable models, feedback control systems, root locus method, frequency response methods, stability in the frequency domain, design of feedback control systems, robust control systems, and digital control systems.

MATS 207: Materials Science Data Analysis (Pre: MATS 101, 102, or 103)

The topic list for this project is: uncertainties in measurements, probability distributions, error analysis, estimates of mean and errors, Monte Carlo techniques, least-squares fit to a straight line, least-squares fit to a polynomial, least-squares fit to some arbitrary function, fitting composite curves, the maximum-likelihood method, goodness of fit, factor analysis, multiple regression, multiple discriminant analysis, multivariate analysis of variance, conjoint analysis, correlation analysis, cluster analysis, and multidimensional scaling.

MATS 208: Symbolic Computational Materials Science (Pre: MATS 102)

The topic list for this project is: basic algebraic manipulations, simplification, expression expansion, sets of variables, predicates, extracting portions of expressions, trigonometric manipulations, Solve, DSolve, RSolve, other methods for solving equations, calculus, limits and series, integral transforms, polynomials, factoring, elementary functions, factorial-style functions, combinatorial functions, number theoretic functions, zeta functions, hypergeometric functions, orthogonal polynomials, elliptic integrals and elliptic functions, Mathieu functions, generalized functions, list operations, vectors, matrices, algebraic inequalities, variational methods, operators, and tensors.

MATS 209: Numerical Materials Science (Pre: MATS 102)

The topic list for this project is: approximation and roundoff error, truncation errors, Taylor series, bracketing methods, open methods, roots of polynomials, nonlinear equation solving, gaussian elmination, LU decomposition, matrix inversion, special matrices, Gauss-Seidel method, direct methods for linear systems, iterative methods for linear systems, nonlinear systems, chaotic systems, random processes, approximation theory, one-dimensional unconstrained optimization, mutlidimensional unconstrained optimization, constrained optimization, least squares regression, interpolation, splines, extrapolation, Fourier approximation, curve fitting, Newton-Cotes integration, integration of equations, numerical differentiation, numerical integration, Runge-Kutta methods, stiffness, multistep methods, boundary-value problems, eigenvalue problems, ordinary differential equations, finite difference methods for elliptic equations, parabolic equations, Ritz-Galerkin methods, finite element methods, simulation with particles, Monte Carlo methods, random walks, percolation, fractals, and complexity.

MATS 210: Materials Visualization (Pre: MATS 102)

The topic list for this project is: computer graphics, data analysis, scalar visualization, flow visualization, continuum volume display, animation, and behavior over time.

MATS 211: Molecular Dynamics Simulation (Pre: MATS 102)

The topic list for this project is: simulating simple systems, equilibrium in simple systems, dynamics in simple systems, alternative ensembles, nonequilibrium dynamics, rigid molecules, flexible molecules, geometrically constrained molecules, internal coordinates, interaction potentials, relative motion, collisional approach, partition functions, transition state theory, unimolecular reactions, classical dynamics, nonadiabatic transitions, surface kinetics, chemical reactions in solution, solvent effects, Kramer's theory, electron transfer reactions, many-body interactions, long-range interactions, step potentials, time-dependent phenomena, and granular dynamics

MATS 212: Dynamical Systems Modeling (Pre: MATS 102)

The topic list for this project is: stability of dynamical systems, bifurcation, numerical methods, nonlinear oscillations, attractors, autonomous oscillations, homoclinic trajectories, two-frequency oscillation breakdown, breakdown in higher frequency oscillations, synchronization of chaos, noise, and the reconstruction of dynamical systems from experimental data.

MATS 213: Advanced Theoretical Materials Science (Pre: MATS 103)

The topic list for this project is: field theory, field equations, variational principles for fields, analytic function theory, residue theory, asymptotic expansions and conformal mapping, ordinary differential equations, boundary-value problems, eigenfunction methods, theory of finite groups, topology, differential geometry, integral equations, Sturm-Liouville theory, Green's functions, perturbation methods, Laplace's equation, Poisson's equation, the wave equation, the diffusion equation, the Schrödinger equation, stochastic processes, stochastic differential equations, phase portraits, stability and bifurcation, nonlinear differential equations, nonlinear integral equations, exact solutions of nonlinear equations, symmetries of differential equations, normal modes in nonlinear dynamical systems, and vector fields.

MATS 214: Geometric Methods (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 215: Differential Equations (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 216: Linear Algebra (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 217: Integral Transform Methods (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 218: Complex Analysis (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 219: Special Functions (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 220: Calculus of Variations (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 221: Algebra (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 222: Discrete Mathematica (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 223: Probability and Statistics (Pre: MATS 103)

MATS 224: Amorphous Solids (Pre: MATS 104)

MATS 225: Crystalline Solids (Pre: MATS 104 or 107)

MATS 226: Liquid Crystals (Pre: MATS 104)

MATS 227: Defects (Pre: MATS 104)

MATS 228: X-Ray Diffraction (Pre: MATS 104)

MATS 229: Conductors (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 230: Dielectrics (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 231: Magnetism in Matter (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 232: Superconductivity (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 233: Magnetohydrodynamics (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 234: Electromagnetism in Anisotropic Media (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 235: Nonlinear Optics (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 236: Relativistic Effects in Matter (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 237: Electromagnetic Scattering (Pre: MATS 105)

MATS 238: Polarization (Pre: MATS 106)

MATS 239: Kinetic Theory (Pre: MATS 107)

MATS 240: Theory of Electrons (Pre: MATS 107)

MATS 241: Band Theory (Pre: MATS 107)

MATS 242: Electrons in Metals (Pre: MATS 107)

MATS 243: Electrons in a Periodic Structure (Pre: MATS 107)

MATS 244: Phonons (Pre: MATS 107)

MATS 245: Thermal Properties of Gases (Pre: MATS 108)

MATS 246: Thermal Properties of Solids (Pre: MATS 108)

MATS 247: Thermal Properties of Liquids (Pre: MATS 108)

MATS 248: Thermal Properties of Other Forms of Matter (Pre: MATS 108)

MATS 249: Gases (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 250: Bose-Einstein Condensates (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 251: Liquids (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 252: Colloids (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 253: Polymers (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 254: Plasmas (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 255: Critical Phenomena (Pre: MATS 109)

MATS 256: Independent Study

MATS 300: Research in Experimental Materials Science

MATS 301: Analytical Chemistry in the Materials Lab (Pre: MATS 204)

MATS 302: Synthetic Chemistry in the Materials Lab (Pre: MATS 204)

MATS 303: Research in Computational Materials Science

MATS 304: Research in Theoretical Materials Science

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