The goal of the Graduate Materials Science (GMS) program is to provide a student who has a background in engineering or physical science with the knowledge of materials science and engineering necessary for work in the fields of structural and non-structural materials for aerospace systems. Such positions may range from those requiring very detailed and advanced level work in a specific discipline to those involving broad responsibilities and requiring interaction among many disciplines.

The program provides core preparation in thermodynamics and kinetics of materials; mechanical, electronic, and optical properties of materials; material characterization; material selection and processing; and mathematics. Each student is also required to take an in-depth study and perform research either in structural materials (metallic, composite, polymer, ceramics, etc.) or non-structural materials (electronics, optical, magnetic, dielectric, coating, etc.). Emphasis is placed on the application of fundamental knowledge to the design, development, test, and evaluation of materials for Air Force systems.

This program is normally six quarters in length. Five quarters are devoted to coursework, and one quarter is devoted to thesis research. Please see the Department Blue Book for further details.