MSE Master’s Handbook

All masters students are assigned an academic advisor when entering the program. The Graduate Programs Manager will notify incoming students about their advisor assignment prior to registration. The student’s academic advisor can provide general information/guidance and help the student to complete his/her course registration.

• All masters students without a prior MSE degree are strongly encouraged to enroll in MS 539 – Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering.
• Masters Program Overview
  As noted on the overview, MET courses cannot be used to satisfy the program requirements for the MS degree.
• MSE MS Program Requirements
• MSE MEng Program Requirements
• Engineering Practice Option
• MEng Program Planning Sheet
• MS Non-Thesis Program Planning Sheet
• MS With Thesis Program Planning Sheet
• Graduate Student Forms.

• Advisor
• Graduate Programs Manager: Alison Krasnor
  mse@bu.edu, 617-358-0351
  15 Saint Mary’s Street, Room 119
• Associate Division Head for Graduate Programs
  Professor Soumendra N. Basu
• College of Engineering Graduate Programs Office
  44 Cummington Mall, Room 114, enggrad@bu.edu

Policies and Procedures are outlined in the College of Engineering Graduate Bulletin are some helpful links in the bulletin.

• • Graduate Program Deadlines
  • Registration and Attendance
  • Course, Grade, and Degree Policies
  • Student Bereavement
  • Student Records

The Division Program Learning Outcomes are designed to provide a given set of courses and other requirements so that students may acquire the knowledge, skills, habits of mind, and attitudes necessary to engage in a materials science career on graduation.

MSE Masters Program Learning Outcomes

1. Apply knowledge of mathematics, science, and engineering to identify, formulate, and solve materials science and engineering problems.

2. Understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental and societal context.

3. Use modern engineering tools and techniques to successfully practice the engineering profession in a variety of settings.

4. Use oral and written communication to convey technical concepts to engineers and non-engineers.

5. Collaborate as member or leader of a technical project team.

Masters students may register for Independent Study or Mentored Project credits to fulfill the Practicum Requirement.

To register for MS 951 Independent Study or MS 952 Mentored Project:

• Download, fill out, and get your advisor’s signature on the College of Engineering Directed Study/Independent Coursework Petition Form.
• Send the form to the Division Graduate Programs Manager at mse@bu.edu for division review.

The Division Graduate Programs Manager will obtain Division approval, register you for the course, and forward the final form to you and your course supervisor

International students may request a reduced courseload if they meet the ISSO guidelines.

International students pursuing a Masters Thesis will be certified-full time with a part-time load if they meet the requirements outlined below.

Reduced Courseload in Final Semester
International students are required to register for a minimum of 12 credits per semester, unless in their final semester.  Students who wish to request a Reduced Courseload in their final semester, must:

• apply for graduation before the start of the final semester to ensure compliance with ISSO guidelines
• submit a reduced courseload request on the ISSO Portal

Thesis Track, Certified Full-Time with Part Time Load:
MS with Thesis students may be certified-full time with a part time load IF they are registered for a minimum of 8 credits, including at least 4 credits of thesis, per semester.

Master’s students may add the optional “with Engineering Practice” designation to their degree by completing an approved internship in their field of study. The program option recognizes the power of combining rigorous academic coursework with supervised real-world research or industrial applications. Participating students add value to their academic experience with a related internship that enables them to both develop and apply their technical, project management, and leadership skills.

Students should refer to the Internship Guidance (Engineering Practice and CPT) provided by the College of Engineering.  This webpage provides guidance for Masters, PhD, and International students as well as required documents and the Engineering Practice Approval Form.

The College of Engineering Graduate Programs Office manages the Engineering with Practice and CPT process.  Please direct questions to enggrad@bu.edu.  The Division Director can provide additional support as needed.

Students are encouraged to discuss their research interests with faculty at the beginning of their masters program and enroll in their second semester.

MS candidates choosing the thesis option must enroll in ENG MS 954 Thesis for at least 4 credits; no more than 8 credits of thesis research can count towards the MS degree. Thesis work is likely to entail several semesters of research; as a result, completion of the masters with thesis degree usually requires more than one year.

A research problem is selected after initial discussions between the research advisor and the student. The development of a thesis topic is typically a cooperative effort between the student and research advisor. Commonly, the advisor initially suggests a problem to be addressed, but the student is expected to contribute ideas and thought as to how to approach the problem.

MS Thesis candidates shall demonstrate their abilities for independent research and scholarship by completing a written thesis in their field of study. The thesis will be primarily guided by the first reader (advisor), with the advice of the other member(s) of the Thesis Committee. The thesis should represent original scientific/engineering contributions that are appropriate for publication in a recognized peer-reviewed journal. The thesis is defended at a presentation open to the entire BU community and submitted to the Mugar Library to satisfy the requirements of the MS with Thesis degree.

Before a student may enroll in ENG MS 954 Thesis, a Thesis Committee must be formed.

The student must submit the following forms (see Forms section) to the Graduate Programs Manager at mse@bu.edu:

• MS Thesis Proposal Form
• Directed Study/Independent Coursework Petition Form(each semester)

Thesis Committee
The Thesis Committee must have a minimum of two members, one of which must be an MSE appointed faculty member. The student’s research advisor will chair the thesis committee. The Thesis Committee is charged with assessing the appropriateness of the research problem and the student’s preparation, based on the written proposal and the oral presentation. The Thesis Committee must approve that the Thesis is at a stage appropriate for scheduling the final presentation via their signature on the Final Thesis Presentation form and on the signature page of the thesis submitted to the Mugar Library.

Special Service Appointment

If a researcher from outside the University serves on a student’s committee, a Special Service Appointment Form (see Forms section) must be completed and submitted to the Division Graduate Programs Manager for division approval. The completed form and a copy of the person’s curriculum vitae, with the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies’ signature, will then be submitted to the Graduate Programs Office.

Intellectual Property Policy (IPP) Agreement

Students who receive support from sponsored research programs or who make significant use of BU funds and facilities are required to sign the BU Intellectual Property Policy Agreement. Seek counsel with your faculty advisor about this policy pertaining to intellectual property. A signed form is required for thesis students. Click here for the Intellectual Property Policy Agreement and form (Appendix A).

Occasionally MS students enter the program with a specific research advisor in mind and may even plan to work on a specific project. The majority of students, however, will utilize the first two semesters to determine what their specific interests are in the field of materials science and engineering and identify the opportunities for funding in a professor’s lab.

MS with Thesis students typically connect with their research advisors through (1) doing lab rotations and deciding upon a research area; (2) interacting with faculty through coursework and informal discussions. Students can check the list of current Faculty Research Interests and MSE Laboratory and Research Center Descriptions, available on the MSE website.

Another valuable way of learning more about specific research opportunities is to speak with other graduate students who are currently working in the various MSE faculty labs. The best measure for learning about working in a specific lab is to make an appointment to speak with the faculty member in charge of a lab you are interested in.

Some useful questions to ask are:

• What projects are currently going on and what projects are planned for the near future?
• What background is required to work in the lab?
• How is the lab funded and is there the possibility of funds for a new graduate student?
• What expectations does the faculty member have of graduate students?
• If the potential advisor has been at BU for at least a few years, does he/she have a strong history of training students in a timely manner? Have his/her students generally been successful?

Once a student finds a research opportunity and has the consent of a faculty member to be his/her advisor, the process of developing a research project begins.

Research Rotations

Masters students considering a thesis may seek out laboratory rotations during the first year. This provides the students an opportunity to gain exposure to more than one research area and to help in identifying a good match with a thesis advisor.

Who Can Be a Thesis Advisor

Any full-time member of the MSE faculty, or any affiliated or adjunct faculty member who has an appointment with the Division, is eligible to serve as a research advisor. The thesis advisor will supervise the student’s thesis project and advise. MS with Thesis students are expected to choose a thesis advisor no later than the end of the second semester of matriculation. The thesis advisor is also the student’s academic advisor.

The Final Thesis Presentation (see registration process, below) is a public presentation of the candidate’s thesis. The presentation should clearly define the problem, describe the method(s) used to solve the problem, report results and establish significance of the results. The purpose of the Final Thesis Presentation is to ensure that the thesis constitutes a worthy contribution to knowledge in the candidate’s field and that the candidate has attained an expertise in his/her field of research specialization.

Previous Masters theses are available for review in the Division. Please see the Division Graduate Programs Manager.

Formatting Guidelines

Please refer to the Guide for Writers of Theses & Dissertations while preparing the thesis and abstract. These must conform to the requirements of the University Microfilms International.  The process includes submitting a draft to theses@bu.edu for comment on formatting; the thesis cannot be submitted via ETD until approved by the Library.

Although students will have an opportunity to make final revisions to the thesis and abstract after their Final Thesis Presentation, they should not regard their Final Presentation version as a “rough draft.”

Register the Final Thesis Presentation

At least two weeks prior to the Thesis Presentation date, the candidate must Register the Presentation Online.

Upon registration, the Graduate Programs Manager will circulate the abstract and final thesis presentation forms using Adobe Sign and will assist with scheduling a room, preparing the thesis announcement, and arranging catering.

Before registering the presentation, the candidate must have provided a copy of the thesis document to all members of the Final Thesis Presentation committee. It is the student’s responsibility for scheduling a date, location and time with all the Thesis Committee members for the examination.

Conduct and Length of the Final Thesis Presentation

The thesis chair should introduce the candidate and include a brief academic background description. The candidate should restrict the length of the examination to approximately one-hour. During this period, either the Thesis Committee members or audience may ask questions of clarification. The chair should guard against digression and inappropriate questioning during the presentation. After the presentation, a reasonable period of questioning will follow, and then the audience will be dismissed. The Thesis Committee may wish at this time to ask additional questions of the candidate. Following this additional questioning, the candidate should be excused and the committee should complete its assessment of the examination.

Assessment

The Thesis Committee is charged with assessing completeness of the research, contribution to knowledge, and the candidate’s mastery of his/her research area, based on the written thesis and the oral presentation. Vote may be ballot or voice. A unanimous vote is required for a candidate to pass.

It is the chair’s responsibility to call the candidate back after the Thesis Committee has reached a decision. The chair will advise the student of the committee’s decision. At this time the candidate will be advised of any changes that must be made to the final title, abstract or thesis document, with a deadline provided by the Thesis Committee.

Reporting

The MS Final Thesis Presentation Form must be completed at the examination, with specific indication of whether the title, abstract and thesis are acceptable as they stand. If ALL requirements are acceptable, the committee members should sign the signature pages of the thesis. If there is some rework to be done, this is to be noted on the Final Thesis Presentation form. Thesis Defense Committee members should sign off on the form but will refrain from signing the signatures page of the thesis until all conditions have been met UNLESS faculty will be traveling at the time of library submission in which case all but one (usually the advisor) Committee member may sign the signature pages. The last signature will be added when all revisions are completed.

The signatures of the Thesis Defense Committee members on the thesis signatures page will indicate final approval of the title, abstract and thesis. Once signatures have been obtained, the student must submit two original, signed signature pages: one copy for the MSE Division and one personal copy for the primary advisor.

The Associate Chair for Graduate Studies gives final approval on the Final Oral Examination form.

The student will then follow the electronic submission guidelines provided by Mugar Library:

• Prepare the manuscript for library submission following the guidelines in this Research Guide.
• Review the final draft of your thesis/dissertation with theses@bu.edu  as early as possible.  DO NOT wait until the published submission deadline. 

• Submit your thesis/dissertation electronically via the ProQuest ETD Administrator only after your draft has been approved by theses@bu.edu. 

The Division Graduate Programs Manager will provide departmental electronic approval for the student upon receiving the

• original signatures pages and
• title page.

The Division Graduate Programs Manager will handle the binding of thesis copies for the primary thesis advisor and the Division.

The College of Engineering Application to Graduate can be completed in one to three steps, depending on whether you are applying to graduate with your Masters (upon completion of the PhD Prospectus Defense) or PhD degree.

For additional details on requirements and submission dates, you can refer to the  Graduation Deadlines.

International students, who wish to request a Reduced Courseload in their final semester, should apply for graduation before the start of the final semester to ensure compliance with ISSO guidelines.

Masters Application to Graduate

• Download and fill out your Program Planning Sheet (Forms section, below).
• Email your Program Planning Sheet to your advisor for review and electronic signature.
• Fill out the Online Application to Graduate and upload your signed Program Planning Sheet.
• See also,Office of the University Registrar, Diploma & Graduation FAQs

Division Forms

• Division Graduate Student Activity Form
• College of Engineering Graduate Student Forms
• MS Thesis Proposal Form
• MS Thesis Final Presentation Registration Form
• MSE MEng Program Planning Sheet 2025-26
• MSE MS Without Thesis Program Planning Sheet 2025-26
• MSE MS With Thesis Program Planning Sheet 2025-26

College of Engineering Forms (URL)

• LEAP Program Planning Sheets
• Childbirth and Adoption Accommodation Form
• Graduate Petition Form
• Directed Study/Independent Coursework Petition Form
• With Engineering Practice Form
• Specializations
• Special Service Appointment Form
• Transfer Credit
• Graduate Application
• Program Change Form
• Withdrawal and Leave of Absence Forms
• Add/Drop Form
• Registration From
• PhD Readers’ Approval Form (Dissertation Signature Page)
• Cross Registration Enrollment (Questrom)

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