Ceramic Engineering MS

Find information about the Inamori School of Engineering here. 

Overview

Ceramic Engineering is concerned with developing and manufacturing ceramic products, materials, and processes. Often characterized as "high temperature chemistry," ceramic engineering relies heavily on chemistry and physics of the solid state to measure and control the composition, structure, properties and performance of oxide and non-oxide materials. Processing, beginning with mining and raw material preparation, and including forming, drying, sintering, and quality assurance, lies at the heart of ceramic materials development and manufacture.

Ceramic materials are used in a wide range of extreme environments where their unique chemical, thermal, optical, electrical, magnetic, and mechanical properties lead to superior performance where other materials cannot survive.

Refractory ceramics provide the thermal envelope for the manufacture of metals and glasses, while magnetic ceramics power dozens of motors in aircraft, automotive and electrical appliances. Arguably, the "computer revolution" depends on the electrical and, more recently, the optical properties of ceramic materials, including glasses.

Ceramic products range from familiar products that we all use every day to very advanced products used in transportation, medicine, national defense, communications, and computing. Advanced ceramic products include glass fibers and active optical devices for communication, body armor for military and police, prosthetic devices for body part replacement, high temperature materials for current and next-generation air and spacecraft and electrically and electrochemically active materials used in energy conversion and energy storage.

The M.S. Ceramic Engineering program at Alfred University seeks to provide students with practical, hands-on learning that is founded on the science of the solid state.

Students gain experience using state-of-the-art processing, characterization, and property measurement equipment and instrumentation as tools aimed at solving real- world ceramic materials problems, often with industrial partners and mentors.

While it is true that many of our M.S. Ceramic Engineering graduates go on to pursue Ph.D. and other advanced professional degrees, our program is primarily designed for the student who recognizes that study beyond an engineering B.S. degree will be of great benefit to employment and success in the ceramics industries.

Graduates of the M.S. Ceramic Engineering program are well prepared for careers in the full range of ceramics industries, but thesis research will have focused attention and provided depth in a subset of opportunities of special interest to the student.

Some graduates of the program continue their education by pursuing doctoral degrees in Ceramics and related technical fields, or in a broad range of professional degrees, including medicine, law, and business.

Prerequisites and Undergraduate Preparation

The program is open to qualified students holding Bachelor of Science degrees in an ABET accredited engineering program. Acceptance into the program is based on the applicant’s prior academic record, work experience, potential for growth, and the availability of space in the program. Ideally, applicants should present evidence of undergraduate-level competence in the following subject areas: 1) glass science, 2) ceramic processing, 3) thermal and mechanical properties of materials, and 4) electrical and optical properties of materials. Applicants without the required background will also be considered for admission, but may have to take pre-requisite courses before enrolling specific graduate classes.

Curriculum

The Master of Science in Ceramic Engineering requires a minimum of thirty semester- hours of graduate credit of which at least fifteen must be in advanced coursework.

The degree also requires a minimum of fourteen hours of thesis credit and a one-credit research seminar, which is taken during the first semester of graduate enrollment.

Candidates for the degree are required (1) to present and defend a written thesis of their research and (2) to submit a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. The curriculum is designed to be completed in two years of full-time study.