DMSE

Materials Science and Engineering

Website Faculty

Course 3

The MIT Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE/Course 3) explores how the structure and properties of materials shape the world. Combining engineering, physics, and chemistry, students and researchers design materials that tackle real-world challenges in energy, health, computing, and more.

Technical Skills

  • Design and prototyping
  • Characterization
  • Computational materials science
  • Materials synthesis and processing
  • Electronic, optical, and magnetic measurements

Common Careers

  • Computational scientist
  • Materials engineer
  • Entrepreneur
  • Data scientist/analyst
  • Professor
Four people wearing safety goggles and gloves kneel on the floor in a workshop or lab, working together to mix or examine a pile of white powdery material. Equipment and shelves are visible in the background.
Four people in lab coats and safety glasses work together in a laboratory. One person uses a pipette at a biosafety cabinet, while others observe and take notes. A whiteboard and lab equipment are visible in the background.
A group of people observe a computer monitor displaying magnified images of geometric shapes, likely from a microscope, with technical data visible on the screen in a modern lab setting.
Molten metal glowing orange is being poured from a furnace into a mold in a dark workshop, with a gloved hand holding the pouring tool.
A close-up of a blacksmiths forge with glowing coals and blue and orange flames, while a blurred person in the background holds a hammer near an anvil.

About

DMSE brings together engineering, physics, and chemistry to understand and design materials that tackle real-world challenges in energy, health, computing, and more.

Why Choose DMSE?

Materials science explores what things are made of and why they behave the way they do. Materials engineering applies these scientific principles to create better materials and improve how they’re made. Together, materials science and engineering drives innovation across fields—from aerospace and computing to energy, medicine, transportation, food science, and beyond.

Research and education initiatives in the Department of Materials Science and Engineering (DMSE)

Faculty Spotlights

All DMSE Faculty
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Aristide Gumyusenge

Assistant Professor

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  • Chair

    Henry L. Doherty Career Development Professor

  • Department

    Materials Science and Engineering

  • Lab

    OMSE Lab

  • Research area

    Manufacturing; Computing and Data Science;
    Soft Matter; Device Fabrication; Synthesis and Processing; Semiconductors

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Rodrigo Freitas

MIT News
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Tania Lopez-Silva

Assistant Professor

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  • Department

    Materials Science and Engineering

  • Lab

    IMBM Lab

  • Research area

    Health and Medicine; Soft Matter; Computation and Design; Characterization; Synthesis and Processing

DMSE Stories

DMSE Degrees

Undergraduate
  • Course 3: Bachelor of Science in Materials Science and Engineering: Prepares students for careers in materials-related industries or for graduate study in the science and engineering of materials.
  • Course 3-A: Bachelor of Science in Engineering: A more flexible version of Course 3 with extra elective choices. Students can focus on areas like biology and chemistry for medical school or management for future MBA studies.
  • Course 3-C: Program in Archaeology and Materials: For students interested in archaeology and archaeological science. Provides broad exposure to the methods and theory behind the study of ancient and historical societies.
Graduate
  • Master of Science in Materials Science and Engineering (SM)
  • Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
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Three people work on glassblowing in a workshop, shaping molten glass on rods. One person observes while the other two actively handle the glass near an industrial furnace, surrounded by various tools and equipment.
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Ask a DMSE Engineer

Labs and Spaces

One of the world’s most renowned makers of hand-forged knives, Bob Kramer of Kramer Knives teaches a class at MIT on the art of bladesmithing at the Forge.

Class Highlights

  • 3.000 Coffee Matters: Using the Breakerspace to Make the Perfect Cup
  • 3.001 Science and Engineering of Materials
  • 3.008 Atoms to Devices: Sustainable Semiconductor Engineering
  • 3.042 Materials Project Laboratory
  • 3.091 Introduction to Solid-State Chemistry

Student Groups

Resources

Inventing Tomorrow’s Materials Today

A group of people wearing safety glasses and gloves work together in a workshop. One person is chiseling a cinder block inside a wooden frame, while others observe and handle tools. The workspace is filled with equipment and materials.