Material Science
& Engineering  

Bachelor of Technology (B.Tech.)
A relatively novel undergraduate programme in Materials Science and Engineering at I.I.T. Kanpur has been designed to train engineering graduates who would be effective in meeting the emerging trends in our country in advanced materials as well as in Metallurgical Engineering. The programme is aimed at providing a basic understanding of the principles underlying materials characterization, structure- property relationship, synthesis & processing of differt types materials, and extraction & refining of metals. An indepth study of the area of special interest of the student is undertaken through departmental elective courses and project work. This is supplemented by industrial training for six weeks during the summer preceeding the fourth year of the programme and educational tour during the third year of the programme and guest lectures in various courses from engineers working in industries. The laboratory experiments form an important part of the undergraduate curriculum, which helps students in understanding the basic principles more thoroughly. Project work, both experimental and computer based, in the fourth year of the programme, enables the students to carry out independent research utilizing various skills learnt in the programme.
Undergraduate Courses
ESO205A         Nature and Properties of Materials
MSE201A         Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria
MSE202A         Rate Processes
MSE203A         Structure and Characterization of Materials
MSE204A         Introduction of Biomaterials
MSE310            Mechanical Behavior of Materials
MSE320            Principles of Metal Extraction
MSE330           Phase Equilibria in Materials
MSE331           Process Metallurgy Laboratory
MSE340           Phase Transformation in Materials
MSE350           Iron and Steel Making
MSE370           Manufacturing Processes
MSE390           Industrial Tour
MSE410           Electronic and Magnetic Proeprties of Materials
MSE415           Physical Metallurgy Laboratory
MSE470           Manufacturing Processes
MSE498           Project I
MSE480           Materials Degradation and Its Prevention
MSE499           Project II
Access the core course content


Besides these courses, a student also has to take other courses as elective wehere she/he gets a chance to explore the topics of interest.

Further details can be obtained from the Undergraduate Programmes: Procedures and Requirements

Master of Technology (M.Tech.)
The post graduate programme leading to Master of Technology (M.Tech.) degree has been designed to help students pursue their career options in industry, research & development, as well as in academia. The 22-month program is divided into four full semesters in addition to the summer semester. The students can choose their thesis guide(s) within first semester of entering the program and can start working on their research topic leading to the M.Tech. thesis. During the research work, a student has to get hands-on training on various processing and characterization instruemnts as necessary. Generally, the students complete their course work in the first year. The nature of courses is multifaceted which equip the students with fundamental understanding of various topics and thier applications that can further help them to choose a particular area for their professional career. Midway through the program, students may apply for switch-over to the Ph.D programme, subject to meeting necessary academic requirements. The program is designed for the students with background in metallurgical engineering, materials science and/or engineering, other appropriate engineering disciplines, polymers, ceramics, physics and chemistry.

Coursework

A student registered in the M.Tech program has to do four compulsory courses:

First semester compulsory courses:

•   MSE 615 (Structure and Characterization of Materials) and
•   MSE 626 (Heat and Mass Transfer)

Second semester compulsory courses:

•   MSE 616 (Thermodynamics of Materials) and
•   MSE 617(Mathematical and Computational Methods)

Remaining two courses in each of the first two semesters will be chosen by the candidate him/herself to fulfil the minimum credit requirement. Students may seek the help and advice of DPGC and/or their supervisor if required.

Access the list of all PG-level courses offered at MSE

A minimum CGPA of 6.5 should be maintained to graduate with a M.Tech. degree.
All the PG students will have to compulsorily register for the seminar courses before the completion of programme:

•  MSE690-Seminar Participation in II semester and
•  MSE691- Seminar Presentation in III semester

Choice of Advisor/Guide

The student can chose his/her M.Tech. guide within the first semester after discussing with faculty in the department. A student, if necessary, can also chose a co-guide from any department in consultation with the departmental guide.

Teaching Assistant (TA) duty

PG Students on institute assistantship will have to put in 8 hours of TA work/week. The TA assignment will be done every semester by the DPGC Thesis Oral Defense

At the end of fourth semester, the students defend their thesis in front of an Oral Board (which will be open for all). Details regarding the constitution of the Oral Board and other related matters can be found in the PG manual.
PG manual is available at the SPGC webpage. It has complete information regarding institute rules and guidelines.

Criteria for the admission into the M.Tech. Programme

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
The goal of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) programme of the department is to create future teachers, scientists, innovators, incubators, and engineers with strong analytical skills and in-depth training in theoretical concepts as well as experimental skills. The core philosphy of programme is to develop an enquiring attitude in the student enabling him/her to contribute to the scientific and engineering innovations and develop new paradigms. These objectives are achieved by offering a large number courses in various areas of specialisation followed by training the students in the scientific method of investigation of their research topics. Department encourages students towards an interdisciplinary course work and research to develop an overall understanding of the science and technology. Further to the course work, submission of a Ph.D. thesis on original research topic is an integral part of the programme.

Coursework

•  Students with M.Tech background:
The student should complete a minimum of 16 units/credits of courses (4 courses or more). A minimum CGPA of 7.0 should be maintained throughout the programme.

•  Students with B.Tech./M.Sc. Background:
The student should complete a minimum of 40 units/credits of courses (10 courses or more). A minimum CGPA of 7.0 should be maintained throughout the programme.

•  All the PG students will have to compulsorily register for the seminar courses before the completion of programme:
MSE690-Seminar Participation in II semester and
MSE691- Seminar Presentation in III semester

•  It is compulsory for all the new PhD students to registered for four courses in the first semester i.e. without any thesis credits. For the selection of the courses students can seek advice of DPGC or supervisor if they have already identified one. Students with little or no background in materials science fundamental courses are recommended to take M.Tech. compulsory courses which can be discussed with DPGC or the thesis supervisor.

Students without a strong materials science background are encouraged to do more basic courses such as compulsory M.Tech courses to hone up their fundamentals. Students can also audit (i.e. without registering) certain courses, if permitted by the instructors.
•  Coursework has to be completed before the student can appear for comprehensive exam.

Access the list of all PG-level courses offered at MSE

Assistantship

•  Full Institute assistantship is available for a period of 4 years. After that, on the recommendation of SPGC after submission of a detailed progress report duly commented and signed by the supervisors and Peer Review Committee (PRC), the scholarship can be extended for another year on full assistantship. Subsequent extensions are made on case to case basis upon the recommendation of PRC and SPGC with assistantship provided at a reduce rate.

•  A student can also be funded (assistantship) by other agencies such as CSIR during his/her PhD.

Teaching Assistant (TA) duty

•  PG Students on institute assistantship will have to put in 8 hours of TA work/week. The DPGC will assign TA work every semester.

Choice of Advisor/Guide

•  The student can chose his/her PhD guide within a period of 2 months after joining in the programm. Towards this, the students are encouraged to interact with the faculty members of the department. A student can also chose a co-guide in consultation with the guide if necessary.

Steps during PhD

Various committees that are formed for the following steps are explaind here.

•  Comprehensive Examination

Students registered in the Ph.D. programme must pass a comprehensive examination designed independently designed by each department. Passing this exam is a mandatory requirement for formally registering into the PhD programme. A student can appear in the comprehensive examination only after he/she has completed the course requirements and satisfied the minimum specified CPI requirement.

Students admitted with B.Tech, M.Sc, M.A. or M.Phil degrees may appear in the comprehensive examination earliest at the end of the second semester, but must pass it before the end of the fifth semester after their first registration.

Students admitted with M.Tech. or equivalent degrees may appear in the comprehensive examination earliest at the end of the first semester, but must pass it before the end of the fourth semester after their first registration.

The above time limits are exclusive of the period of sanctioned leave, if any.

•  State of the Art Seminar (SOTA)

Every Ph.D. programme is formally admitted to the candidacy for the Ph.D. Degree is required to give a general seminar in the department covering the State of Art of the area of research. This seminar must be given within six months of passing the comprehensive examination. A report of satisfactory completion of this requirement is to be communicated to Chairperson, SPGC by the thesis supervisor through the Convener, DPGC.

•  Peer Review

While thesis advisory committee monitors the progress of a PhD student's thesis each semester after Comprehensive exam and SOTA are completed, after completion of eight semester, a peer review committee needs to formed which submits its report to the SPGC each semester for the continuation of the program and the scholarship.

•  PhD Open Seminar

On completion of PhD thesis work, the PhD Open Seminar can be delivered. Students are expected to submit their thesis with in a stipulated after the open seminar. For details one can consult the PG manual on the SPGC-website.

•  Thesis Oral Defense One the referee reports on the thesis are recieved, the student will defend the thesis in front of the Oral Board (which will be open for all). Details regarding the constitution of the Oral Board and other related matters can be found in the PG manual on the SPGC-website.

Other general comments

PhD students are encouraged to attend as many departmental/institute seminars/lectures (not related to coursework) as possible to broaden their horizons.

Conferences: Institute funding is available to the PhD students after they finish the coursework requirement. In addition, students are encouraged to seek the financial support from various organizations such as DST, DBT, CSIR and many other bodies and trusts.

PG manual is available at the SPGC-website. It has complete information regarding institute rules and guidelines.



Criteria for the admission into the Ph.D. Programme