General information
The Master of Science (MSc) program in Materials Science is offered jointly by Ontario Tech and Trent University. Materials Science is a broad multidisciplinary area of science that lies at the intersection of physics and chemistry. It comprises many sub-fields including nanotechnology, electronic materials, surface science, biomaterials and materials characterization.
An important goal of the Materials Science program is to advance the understanding and prediction of the properties of matter. Such understanding facilitates the design of new materials with particular properties. The development of experimental and theoretical predictive tools applicable to size scales, ranging from the molecular to the macroscopic levels, is an integral component of the program. The program provides both a broad and integrated overview of materials science and the opportunity for in-depth study of a particular problem emphasizing either theory or experimentation under the guidance of a research supervisor and a multi-disciplinary team of faculty from Ontario Tech and Trent University.
A current list of graduate faculty is available on the Faculty of Science’s website.
Admission requirements
In addition to the general admission requirements for graduate studies , applicants must hold an honours BSc degree in chemistry, physics or engineering, or hold equivalent qualifications as judged by the admissions committee. This committee is made up of the graduate program directors and one faculty member from each of the two universities. Prospective applicants must be well recommended and be accepted by a prospective supervisor who guarantees research assistant support for the duration of the student’s program.
Degree requirements
The residency requirement of the university in which the student is registered must be satisfied. For the university’s policy, see residency requirements .
The normal length of time for completion of the MSc is expected to be five semesters. A sixth semester may be needed to complete the thesis. Students are expected to complete the program in consecutive semesters. All program requirements must normally be completed on site at Ontario Tech University or at Trent University.
Students must successfully complete MTSC 6010G - Physics and Chemistry of Materials , and MTSC 6020G - Advanced Topics in Materials Science or MTSC 6140G - Experimental Techniques in Materials Characterization . Each student must also attend and successfully complete the non-credit courses MTSC 6000G - Graduate Seminar in Science Communication I (non-credit) and MTSC 6100G - Graduate Seminar in Science Communication II (non-credit) in each fall and winter semester of the program.
In addition, at least two one-term courses acceptable for graduate credit must be completed with at least a B-minus (70 per cent) final grade in each course. Normally, courses taken for credit are those designated as graduate courses within the program. One of the four courses may be a fourth-year undergraduate course approved by the student’s supervisor and the graduate program director.
The student must meet with their supervisory committee within the first six months of registration and subsequently at least once every six months. The committee consists of the student’s research supervisor and at least two other faculty members in the program. Each supervisory committee must include at least one faculty member from each institution. While one meeting in a year must be a formal one, the other meeting may be held informally. In the latter case, in addition to the student and the supervisor, the meeting must involve at least one other member of the committee.
An acceptable thesis on a research topic must be submitted. Detailed specifications of the format of the thesis are available from the appropriate graduate office. Acceptance of the thesis requires the approval of an examining committee following an oral defence of the thesis.
