Admissions

Admission Requirements

Undergraduate preparation for the materials M.S./Ph.D. includes a degree in engineering, physical sciences, or mathematics, with a minimum GPA of 3.2 and strong letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s potential for graduate education and research.

Upper-division courses in several of the following topics are expected:

  1. Mathematics - 24 units in advanced calculus, ordinary differential equations, special functions and complex variable theory,
  2. Engineering thermodynamics - 9 units,
  3. Solid state physics - 9 units,
  4. Physical chemistry - 12 units,
  5. Materials science - 12 units in mechanical properties, electronic properties, structure, processing,
  6. Electronics - 12 units,
  7. Mechanics - 9 units in advanced strength of materials, elasticity, and structures.

Incoming students are not expected to meet all upper-division requirements, but must satisfy the requirements in mathematics and at least two other areas representing about one full year of undergraduate study. The areas that should be covered will depend on the student's chosen graduate field of study within Materials. Some deficiencies can be satisfied during the first year of graduate study by taking upper-division undergraduate courses in the new area of specialization.

Students with a B.S. degree (having a 3.2 minimum grade-point average) are eligible to be admitted to M.S./Ph.D. status and those with an M.S. degree (having a 3.5 minimum grade-point average) are eligible to be admitted to Ph.D. status. The department gives priority for admission to students who are interested in academics and high quality research. Satisfactory performance in all sections of the Graduate Record Examination is required.

Applicants whose native language is not English must receive a score of at least 600 on the paper-based test or 100 on the Internet based test (IBT) on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) prior to admission to UCSB. Requests for exceptions to this requirement will be considered for those students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate education at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English.

Proof of financial support is required before the university can authorize issuance of the certificate of eligibility to receive a visa for international students. Refer to http://graddiv.ucsb.edu/admissions for further information.

In addition to departmental requirements, program applicants and candidates for graduate degrees must fulfill University requirements described in the section Graduate Education at UCSB.

Application Deadlines and Requirements

An electronic application for admission into the Materials graduate program is available at the UCSB Graduate Division website. Applications for the Fall quarter must be submitted by January 7, 2010. All applications received by the deadline will receive full consideration for admission and financial support for the Fall quarter. Applications received after this deadline may be considered for admission and departmental support but not for the centrally administered University fellowships. The deadline for Winter admission is November 1 and the deadline for Spring admission is January 1. Very few positions are typically available for Winter and Spring quarters.

The application must specify the quarter, year, and degree program (Ph.D., M.S., M.S./Ph.D.) for which you are applying. You must also specify the area of emphasis (electronic/photonic, inorganic, macromolecular/biomolecular, or structural) which you would like to pursue as your major. (You may also indicate a second option.) Students are generally admitted into specific areas based on the number of research openings available and the suitability of the student's background. Therefore, your input here is very important. The areas of emphasis are described in the Research section of this site and details of the academic programs are in the Graduate Program section. If you need further clarification, contact the Graduate Program Assistant (see below) or one of the faculty in your area of interest.

Applications must be accompanied by the following documents and fees:

  • Please Send to the Materials Department
    1. Two official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended
    2. Two copies of your Statement of Purpose, Personal Achievements/Contributions Statement, and Resume or Curriculum Vitae along with the required coversheet
    3. Three Letters of Recommendation with the required coversheets
    4. Other materials that may be required by the academic department, including a supplemental application, writing samples, or any additional materials

    All supplemental application materials above should be sent directly to the prospective materials department using the department specific mailing address and zip code + 4-digit mail code (93106-xxxx), and not to the Graduate Division, using the following format:

    Graduate Program Assistant
    Materials Department, College of Engineering
    University of California, Santa Barbara
    Santa Barbara, CA 93106-5050 USA
    Telephone: (805) 893-4601
    Fax: (805) 893-8486
    E-Mail: matrls-grad-advisor@engineering.ucsb.edu
    Web Address: www.materials.ucsb.edu

    • Please Send to the Graduate Division
    1. Application fee paid by check or money order along with the Check/Money Order Submission Form, if not already paid by credit card during application submission; or, Fee Waiver Request Form (if applicable)
    2. Official GRE, MAT, TOEFL, or IELTS scores (when applicable). UCSB's ETS institution code is 4835; no department code is necessary

    The Graduate Division's mailing address is:

    Graduate Division
    Attn: Graduate Admissions
    3117 Cheadle Hall
    University of California
    Santa Barbara, CA 93106-2070
    (USA)

    General Catalog

    Information on all UCSB courses, course descriptions, instructor designations, curricular and degree requirements, deadlines, and fees is provided in the UCSB General Catalog, available on the UCSB website. To obtain a hard copy of the catalog, contact the UCSB Bookstore, and make checks payable to:

    UCSB Bookstore
    P.O. Box 13400-University Center
    University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-6090

    Price on Campus: $6.46
    Domestic Mail: $9.81
    Airmail International: $15.00
    For more information, please call: (805) 893-2961