UNIVERSITY FACULTY SENATE FORMS

Revised 3-15-10

Academic Program Approval

 

This form is a routing document for the approval of new and revised academic programs.  Proposing department should complete this form.  For more information, call the Faculty Senate Office at 831-2921.

 

 

Submitted by: ___Robert L. Opila______________________phone number__302-831-3128__

                               

Department:  ____Materials Science and Engineering_______email address__opila@udel.edu_

                                                                                                                                                                                                            

Date:   _________14 January 2010___________________________________

 

Action:  revise graduate program _____________________________________________________________________________________________

(Example:  add major/minor/concentration, delete major/minor/concentration,  revise major/minor/concentration,  academic unit name change, request for permanent status, policy change, etc.)

 

Effective term____________10F___________________________________________________________________________

                                                (use format 04F, 05W)

 

Current degree________PhD________________________________________________________

                                    (Example:  BA, BACH, BACJ, HBA, EDD, MA, MBA, etc.)

 

Proposed change leads to the degree of: ________PhD________________________________

                                                                                             (Example:  BA, BACH, BACJ, HBA, EDD, MA, MBA, etc.)

 

 

Proposed name:_______________________________________________________________

                                            Proposed new name for revised or new major / minor / concentration / academic unit

                                                                                (if applicable)

 

Revising or Deleting: 

 

Undergraduate major / Concentration:______________________________________

                                                                                    (Example:  Applied Music – Instrumental  degree BMAS)

 

Undergraduate minor:____________________________________________________

                                   (Example:  African Studies,  Business Administration,  English, Leadership, etc.)            

 

Graduate Program Policy statement change:_________________________________

                                                                  (Must attach  your Graduate Program Policy Statement)

 

            Graduate Program of Study:______________________________________________

                                 (Example:  Animal Science: MS  Animal Science:  PHD  Economics: MA Economics: PHD)

 

 

                Graduate minor / concentration:____Soft Materials, Hard Materials, Composites____

 

 

Note: all graduate studies proposals must include an electronic copy of the Graduate Program Policy Document, highlighting the changes made to the original policy document.

 

 

List new courses required for the new or revised curriculum. How do they support the overall program objectives of the major/minor/concentrations)?

 (Be aware that approval of the curriculum is dependent upon these courses successfully passing through the Course Challenge list. If there are no new courses enter “None”)

 

1.                  The following courses, totaling 14 credits, are required of all students. Equivalent courses may be substituted as approved by the faculty advisor and Chairperson:

 

            MSEG 608      Structure and Properties of Materials I (4 credits) NEW

            MSEG 609      Structure and Properties of Materials II (4 credits) NEW

            MSEG 803      Equilibria in Materials Systems (3 credits)

            MSEG 804      Kinetics in Materials Systems (3 credits)

                                   

2.                  Students must select a concentration and complete the required courses for that concentration

 

Soft Materials Concentration

MSEG 832      Principles of Polymer Synthesis (3 credits) RENUMBERED

MSEG 833      Polymer Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory (3 cr.) RNUM

MSEG 835      Polymer Physics (3 credits) RENUMBERED

 

Hard Materials Concentration

MSEG 640      Applied Quantum Mechanics I (3 credits) NEW

MSEG 841      Solid State Materials I (3 credits) NEW

MSEG 842      Solid State Materials II (3 credits) NEW

 

Composite Materials Concentration

MSEG 832      Principles of Polymer Synthesis (3 credits) RENUMBERED

MSEG 817      Composite Materials (3 credits)

 

 

 

Explain, when appropriate, how this new/revised curriculum supports the 10 goals of undergraduate education: http://www.ugs.udel.edu/gened/

 

 

 

Identify other units affected by the proposed changes:

(Attach permission from the affected units.  If no other unit is affected, enter “None”)

 

 

 

Describe the rationale for the proposed program change(s):

(Explain your reasons for creating, revising, or deleting the curriculum or program.)

 

This revision of the required curriculum for Ph.D. students in the UD Materials Science and Engineering Department is intended to address two key problems with our current curriculum requirements. First, the present curriculum requires all students to take advanced courses in both solid state materials and polymers. Students who will pursue research in one of these areas generally have a better foundation in that subject than students who will pursue research in other areas. Consequently, instructors find it difficult to provide the graduate education appropriate for students who will pursue research in that field without overwhelming and losing students with different backgrounds who will work in other fields. Second, the existing curriculum was designed so that required courses are offered in alternating years. This was necessary given the small size of the department, but precluded the establishment of formal prerequisites for advanced graduate classes, which has made it necessary to spend significant class time on background material more effectively taught in a prerequisite class.

The growing size of the department now makes it possible to establish a sequence of courses that build upon one another. Discussions among the faculty have also led to the conclusion that it is not necessary for students in one area of research to have a particularly deep understanding of the fundamentals underlying other research areas. Instead, it is most important that all materials science graduate students have a familiarity with all key aspects of materials science and a common vocabulary to use. This revision of the curriculum is intended to address both of these issues by establishing a core group of classes taken by all students followed by track-specific requirements appropriate to a student’s field of research. The core classes will teach concepts essential to all materials research, introduce the essential elements of various subfields, and build a common vocabulary. The track-specific courses will be taught at the appropriate level to provide a foundation for students pursuing research in those fields.

 

University of Delaware graduate programs must require at least 10 courses. The proposed curriculum for the UD Materials Science and Engineering department will contain four core courses that all students are required to take: Structure and Properties of Materials I, Structure and Properties of Materials II, Equilibria in Materials Systems, and Kinetics in Materials Systems. In addition there will be 2-3 track-specific required courses as described below. The tracks are: soft materials, hard materials, and composites. Students can then choose 3-4 elective courses to reach the required 10 courses. Any course not required for a student’s track would count as an elective (i.e. a hard materials student could take polymer synthesis as an elective). Attendance at the MSEG seminar series will also be strongly encouraged.

 

 

 

Program Requirements: 

(Show the new or revised curriculum as it should appear in the Course Catalog.  If this is a revision, be sure to indicate the changes being made to the current curriculum and include a side-by-side comparison of the credit distribution before and after the proposed change.)

 

NEW:

 

1.                  The following courses, totaling 14 credits, are required of all students. Equivalent courses may be substituted as approved by the faculty advisor and Chairperson:

 

            MSEG 608      Structure and Properties of Materials I (4 credits) NEW

            MSEG 609      Structure and Properties of Materials II (4 credits) NEW

            MSEG 803      Equilibria in Materials Systems (3 credits)

            MSEG 804      Kinetics in Materials Systems (3 credits)

                                   

2.                  Students must select a concentration and complete the required courses for that concentration

 

Soft Materials Concentration

MSEG 832      Principles of Polymer Synthesis (3 credits) RENUMBERED

MSEG 833      Polymer Synthesis and Characterization Laboratory (3 cr.) RNUM

MSEG 835      Polymer Physics (3 credits) RENUMBERED

 

Hard Materials Concentration

MSEG 640      Applied Quantum Mechanics I (3 credits) NEW

MSEG 841      Solid State Materials I (3 credits) NEW

MSEG 842      Solid State Materials II (3 credits) NEW

 

Composite Materials Concentration

MSEG 832      Principles of Polymer Synthesis (3 credits) RENUMBERED

MSEG 817      Composite Materials (3 credits)

 

3.                  The remaining 7-10 credits of elective courses will be chosen after discussion with the student’s advisor, and will usually be related to the student’s area of research. Courses required for a different specialization can count as elective courses.

 

 

OLD:

 

1.                  The following 3 credit courses totaling 15 credits, or their equivalent as approved by the faculty advisor and Chairperson, are required:

 

MSEG 803      Equilibria in Materials Systems

MSEG 804      Kinetics in Materials Systems

MSEG 602      Structure of Materials

MSEG 607      Physical Properties of Materials I

MSEG 630      Introduction to the Science & Engineering of Polymer

                        Systems

 

2.                  The remaining 21 credits of elective courses will be chosen after discussion with the advisor, and will usually be related to the student’s area of research interest.  Up to a maximum of 6 credits (out of 21) of research (MSEG 868) may be taken prior to the admission to Candidacy. 

 

 

 

 

 

 ROUTING AND AUTHORIZATION:        (Please do not remove supporting documentation.)

 

Department Chairperson                                                                                                        Date                                       

 

Dean of College                                                                                                                       Date                                       

 

Chairperson, College Curriculum Committee___________________________________Date_____________________

 

Chairperson, Senate Com. on UG or GR Studies                                                                   Date                                       

 

Chairperson, Senate Coordinating Com.                                                                 Date                                       

 

Secretary, Faculty Senate                                                                                                       Date                                       

 

Date of Senate Resolution                                                                                                      Date to be Effective               

 

Registrar                                                                  Program Code                                         Date                                       

 

Vice Provost for Academic Affairs & International Programs                                               Date                                       

 

Provost                                                                                                                                   Date                                       

 

Board of Trustee Notification                                                                                                                Date                                       

 

Revised 02/09/2009   /khs