Materials Science & Engineering

You could say that those who discovered bronze roughly 5,000 years ago were the first materials engineers. Function, environmental impact, feasibility and cost are all determined by the materials we use and how they’re made. Materials engineers combine scientific innovations with real-world applications to exploit the most desirable properties. In some cases, a new or improved engineered material can spark an entirely new industry or invention.

Every aspect of our modern technology requires the expertise of materials scientists and engineers.  From buildings to transportation to the electronic devices we use every day, from conventional and green energy to integrated circuits and biological applications — it all begins with materials design.

Why choose Berkeley?

U.S. News & World Report ranked Berkeley’s materials science and engineering undergraduate program as third in the country for 2017. In close collaboration with the materials genome project of the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, we are advancing a new conceptual approach to materials science — harnessing new technologies and integrating the principles of chemistry and physics to materials design. Our internationally renowned faculty focus their research on biomaterials; chemical and electrochemical materials; computational materials; electronic, magnetic and optical materials; and structural materials. And our materials science and engineering graduates enjoy some of the highest starting salaries of any undergraduate engineering program.

Sound interesting? Learn more about the Department of Materials Science & Engineering and its programs.