Department of Materials Science and Engineering

Graduate

The Fall 2026 admissions application will be available beginning on October 1: https://apply.grad.uci.edu/apply/.

The priority deadline to apply for the graduate program in Materials Science and Engineering is December 1, 2026, particularly for those who wish to be considered for financial support, and the final deadline is February 15, 2027. All applications and supporting materials must be submitted and received by the February 15 deadline to be considered for admission.

Please note that the GRE requirement for Fall 2026 admissions has been removed. Applicants are welcome to submit GRE scores if they wish, but it is not required to submit an application. 

Degrees Offered

The department offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in materials science and engineering. The department's 16 faculty members are conducting cutting-edge multidisciplinary research in five thrust areas: advanced and additive manufacturing; advanced materials characterization; biomaterials, bioinspired and self-assembled materials; energy materials and sustainability; materials for structural applications and extreme environments; modeling, theory and computational approaches to materials science and engineering.

Graduate students participate in all aspects of the department through the MSE Graduate Student Association, which is heavily involved in outreach and other critical events including the faculty hiring process. Competitive fellowship packages are available for Ph.D. students in MSE. 

Application Fee Waivers

Prospective students interested in applying to the M.S. or Ph.D. program in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) should be aware that individual academic programs do not offer application fee waivers. However, UC Irvine Graduate Division offers an application fee waiver program for eligible applicants who meet specific eligibility criteria and guidelines. For information about eligibility requirements and how to request a fee waiver, please visit the UCI Graduate Division Application Fee Waivers webpage.

Recommended Background

Given the nature of materials science and engineering as a cross-disciplinary program, students with a background and suitable training in materials, engineering (mechanical, electrical, civil, chemical, aerospace) and the physical sciences (physics, chemistry, geology) are encouraged to apply. Students with insufficient backgrounds may be required to take remedial undergraduate courses but are still encouraged to apply. Recommended background courses include an introduction to materials, thermodynamics, mechanical behavior and electrical/optical/magnetic behavior.