Graduates of Materials Science and Engineering are employed, or proceed to graduate studies, in many fields such as energy, medicine, sustainability, electronics, communications, transportation, aerospace, defense, and infrastructure industries.

The mission of the department is to provide students with a well-rounded engineering education, with specific emphasis on materials science and engineering in order to meet the needs of industry, academia, and government; to conduct research at the frontiers of the field; and to provide an integrating and leadership role to the broad multidisciplinary materials community.

Materials are ubiquitous. Materials play a role in every industry and facet of life. Materials science and engineering is an interdisciplinary study of the properties of matter and the exploration for new and creative uses of ceramics, metals, polymers, and composites.