The dynamic balance between the availability of materials and the requirements of technology for new materials has played a role throughout history. This continually changing balance is becoming increasingly more crucial with the acceleration of economic and technical growth. In the next century, industry will utilize materials presently unknown and will render practical recently created materials and improve versions of materials already in use. In addition to giving high performance, these materials must be efficient in terms of available raw resources, energy consumption and manufacturing.

In the past, new materials often came about by accidental discovery and were then perfected slowly, largely through trial and error. Today new materials are not simply discovered, they are often created - through application of broadly-based principles and through design by projection from properties of known materials. Such diverse areas as biomaterials, ceramics, microelectronics, metallurgy, photonics, and surface science all fall within the general field of Materials Science. There is a strong demand for materials scientists throughout technologically based industries.

The Materials Science track in Applied Sciences is based on a common foundation of chemistry, mathematics, and physics. Two courses, APPL 50 in the sophomore year and APPL 130 in the junior year, provide first introductions into behavior and uses of classes of solid materials. The foundation is followed by additional courses, some of which are common to the three emphases: Biomedical Materials, Electronic and Optical Materials and Polymer Science. Selection among optional courses mainly in the junior and senior years allows an emphasis on biomaterials and issues stemming from biocompatibility, electronic and optical materials and issues stemming from materials fabrication, or polymeric materials and issues stemming from synthesis.

Also see the Undergraduate Bulletin