Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science degree in materials science and engineering at Virginia Tech is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.

Program educational objectives

The goal of the BS degree program in MSE is to provide the educational foundation that enables alumni to pursue their personal career objectives. Historically, the majority of our alumni become valued members of industrial and/or research teams within the field of materials science or related technical disciplines while a smaller percentage pursue graduate education or other personal career objectives.

The Program Education Objectives (PEOS) for the BS degree program in MSE are to produce alumni (3-5 years after graduation) that are:

• effective communicators with written, oral and visual media,
• able to apply critical thinking skills to engineering and research problems, and
• effective learners able to apply new technical tools, techniques and knowledge specific to their field of employment or graduate studies.

Student outcomes

The program has adopted the ABET EAC Student Outcomes.  At time of graduation, department students are expected to have the following:

1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.