Chemical Engineering vs Materials Science & Engineering

[rudesorry]

<p>I'm trying to figure out my major, and have narrowed it down to these two. What are their differences in terms of undergraduate curriculum, job opportunities, and research areas? I'm also curious to know how much they overlap. Many thanks in advance</p>

[RacinReaver]

<p>I’ll say that half of my friends in MSE went to college thinking they were going to do ChemE, but then realized it wasn’t what they wanted to do after taking the intro class and switched into MSE.</p>

<p>Materials Science is really more about understanding the fundamentals of materials themselves and how/why they perform the way they do. You’ll take classes on crystalline materials (what most things are made of), defects in those crystals (how they happen, what they are, and why they’re important), thermodynamics, phase diagrams, transport theory (heat and mass, though not as intense as in ChemE), mechanics of materials, and can take classes on ceramics, polymers, semiconductors, quantum mechanics, corrosion/batteries, and a ton of other things.</p>

<p>Materials Science, to me, has been more about understanding materials themselves more than ChemE, which seems to be more about understanding the processes involved in making materials (though if you want to do that stuff, you can get plenty of it in MSE).</p>

<p>If possible I’d recommend taking the intro course for each one and deciding from there which seems more interesting.</p>

<p>[Amazon.com:</a> Materials Science and Engineering: An Introduction (9780470419977): William D. Callister: Books](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/Materials-Science-Engineering-William-Callister/dp/0470419970/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1258404324&sr=8-2-spell]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/Materials-Science-Engineering-William-Callister/dp/0470419970/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1258404324&sr=8-2-spell) This is a fantastic book for MSE, and used by many intro to materials classes. Use Amazon’s “Look Inside This Book” feature and read some of the chapter titles. During my undergrad career I had a bunch of classes classes each based off of single chapters in that book.</p>

[vincent_vega]

<p>What kind of employment do you get with materials? I heard you do strength tests on different materials to find their breaking points.</p>

[RacinReaver]

<p>Here’s a good brief outline I found off the internet:</p>

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[Materials</a> Science Engineering Major | What Can You Do With a College Degree in Materials Science Engineering?](<a href=“http://www.worldwidelearn.com/online-education-guide/engineering/materials-science-engineering-major.htm]Materials”>Materials Science Major | Degrees, Jobs and Careers)</p>

<h1>A metallurgical engineer has a strong background in materials science and uses information gathered from studying metals to design, improve, and alter products. This type of engineering professional is valuable to most industries; metallurgical engineers find employment in many fields, depending on their interests and expertise. Often, metallurgical engineers work in teams, so communication skills and the ability to work with others is a key to enjoying and succeeding in this career.</h1>

<p>A Bachelor of Science in materials science and engineering is usually required for securing employment as a metallurgical engineering professional. Additionally, experienced metallurgical engineers generally find master’s degrees necessary to qualify for more advanced, higher-paying employment.</p>

<h1>An engineer working in materials production research aims to create new materials. These professionals research and test materials instead of focusing on practical applications. Essentially, a materials scientist in this line of work continually thinks of new ways to test, manipulate, and control the behaviors and components of different materials. Materials scientists who perform this research generally work in laboratories funded by the government or private companies. This work involves a great deal of trial and error, so success in materials production research requires perseverance, dedication, and patience.</h1>

<h1>When a company or engineering firm is working on a new experiment, a materials scientist or a materials engineer may be consulted. Materials consultants are typically experts in one area of materials and are familiar with past experiments and theories relating to the hiring firm’s proposed project.</h1>

<p>Materials consultants should be able to offer guidance, suggestions, feedback, and anything else that may help a project succeed. In addition to possessing sophisticated knowledge of a particular field, successful materials consultants are strong communicators. They are able to articulate ideas in a way that clients understand and find useful.

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<p>Generally, materials scientists and engineers try to come up with ways to make old materials better, make new types of materials, design better ways to test materials, choose suitable materials for applications, and are involved in the actual production processes in making materials themselves.</p>