The Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) program welcomes students interested in a Ph.D. degree. Doctoral candidates perform experimental, theoretical, and computational research in any of the areas covered by the program, including quantum materials (two-dimensional and topological materials, among others), energy materials (batteries and photovoltaics), quantum sensors, photonics, magnetic materials (including spintronics), bioelectronics, and neuromorphic electronic materials. They develop laboratory, computational, and analytical theory skills which are of value in many fields, including semiconductor materials and device processing, computer simulation and visualization, cryogenics, x-ray scattering, electronic, magnetic, and photonic measurements, and bioelectronics among others.

Each Ph.D. student is assigned a faculty adviser who helps to design a coursework plan suited to the student’s interests. The MSE program is interdisciplinary by nature and program faculty are formal members of academic departments in the Physical & Biological Sciences (PBSci) Division and the Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE). A list of MSE faculty may be found here.

MSE graduate students and faculty use several UC Santa Cruz research facilities, including laboratory facilities located on campus in the BSOE, the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the interdisciplinary Westside Research Park research building. Proximity to the Stanford Synchrotron Radiation Laboratory, the Stanford Nanofabrication Facility, and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory provides additional local research opportunities. UC Santa Cruz faculty and graduate students also participate in research programs at Los Alamos National Laboratory, the National High Magnetic Field Laboratory , and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Collaborations with industrial partners, such as IBM, Advanced Materials, and other companies may also be available for some projects.

The UC Santa Cruz MSE program is committed to providing an excellent education to a diverse population of graduate students and we encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply. We employ a holistic process to assess candidates’ knowledge and passion for materials science and engineering, as well as the perseverance and tenacity required to complete the doctoral program. Of particular importance is the alignment between the research interests of the candidate and those of the program’s affiliated faculty. While taking into consideration a candidate's undergraduate grade point average (GPA), letters of recommendation, student statements, and Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) scores, we do not disqualify applicants based on any single factor. The program recognizes the documented limitations of the GRE as an equitable predictor of success in graduate studies and research.

Students pursuing the Ph.D. degree can apply for a master's degree upon successful completion of the requirements for a master's degree.