Undergraduates who excel academically have the unique opportunity to receive simultaneously or sequentially both B.S. and M.S. degrees from the department. The primary purpose of the Integrated Master and Bachelor (IMB) Degree Program is to provide students with superior breadth and depth in technical material, which will better prepare them for careers in industry. Students interested in pursuing the IMB degrees are encouraged to begin taking some of the required graduate courses before their last year. The MSE department offers two M.S. degrees: one in Materials Science and Engineering(MSE), a coursework degree, and one in Materials Science (MS), a coursework + research degree. The IMB degree program to obtain an M.S. in MSE degree (MS) normally requires two (or three to four) additional full academic semesters of coursework (coursework + research) beyond the B.S. degree requirements (normally eight academic semesters). Experience has shown that students complete the IMB program in eight to 10 full academic semesters after enrolling at CMU.
Degree requirements
IMB students can be enrolled in either the MSE (coursework), or the MS (coursework + research), M.S. degree programs, depending on their preference.
Students must meet the requirements of either the MSE, or the MS, M.S. degree programs, as well as any specially stated rules below.
Eligibility
The IMB program is available to all undergraduates who maintain a cumulative QPA of 3.0 or better, including the first year and the years in which they are enrolled in the IMB. Exceptions can be made by the department on the basis of other factors, including extenuating (e.g., medical) circumstances, improvement in grades, strong recommendation letters, etc.
Students become eligible to apply to the program during the spring semester of their junior year (fifth semester), or the semester in which they accumulate 280 or more units, whichever is earlier.
Enrollment
Students interested in the IMB program are not required to follow the formal application process for acceptance into the MSE graduate program. There is no requirement to provide a formal application, application fee, GRE scores, recommendation letters, official transcripts, or a statement of purpose.
Interested students are encouraged request acceptance into the program by contacting the MSE Academic Advisor Paige Houser by email prior to the middle of the semester in which they become eligible.
Requirements to enroll as a graduate student
If a student takes more than eight semesters to complete both the B.S. and M.S. in MSE (coursework), then he or she must be a graduate student for at least one full-time 15-week academic semester (fall or spring) before graduating, whether or not they have already completed their B.S. degree.
If a student takes more than eight semesters to complete both the B.S. and M.S. in MS (coursework + research), then they must be a graduate student for at least two full-time 15-week academic semesters (fall or spring) before graduating, whether or not they have already completed their B.S. degree.
Tuition assistance
When a student is a full-time graduate student through the IMB program, the department is able to provide some tuition assistance through optional teaching assistantships.
Additional information
Once the student has been accepted, the student should meet with his or her IMB academic advisor(s) to determine a course schedule.
The student must indicate to the departmental program coordinator at which point they intend to register as a graduate student.
Once a student in the IMB program has completed all of the requirements for the B.S. degree, they should become a graduate student.
To determine the most appropriate time for an undergraduate student to become a graduate student, they should consult with Enrollment Services to understand how becoming a graduate student will affect financial aid.