Materials Engineering

University of Dayton is located in a region of the country that has a long tradition of advanced materials research. Our campus is close to world-class research facilities, including Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB), GE Aviation, and the University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI). In addition, our department has its own state-of-the-art research facilities specializing in polymer matrix composites, carbon nanocomposites and metals additive manufacturing.  

Our program is populated by a diverse array of students, including “traditional” full-time graduate students who perform their research on campus, employees of local industry and WPAFB who perform their research at their own location, non-thesis students who take a course-only option (M.S. only), and undergraduate UD students who are pursuing the Bachelor's + Master's (BPM) option. Most of our classes are offered after 5 p.m. to accommodate those working off campus. All of our courses are taught by subject-matter experts, including UD full-time faculty and our impressive team of adjunct professors who bring their real-world experience to the class room. In addition, we now teach two laboratory classes that can be taken as credit toward M.S. or doctoral degrees.

When you combine this level of excellence with a flexible program of study, it's easy to see why full- and part-time students from around the world join us in our pursuit of world-leading scholarship and development.

Plans of Study

Click here to go to the University Catalog for overview and courses for the Materials Engineering Master of Science (M.S.), Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Engineering (D.E.) degrees.

Career Outlook and Highlights 

• College Choice and U.S. News rate the University of Dayton's graduate engineering school in the top 60 in the nation. 
• No. 1 — Catholic university for sponsored materials engineering R&D
• No. 1 — Nationally for federally sponsored materials engineering R&D
• No. 1 — In Ohio for sponsored materials engineering R&D (National Science Foundation)
• No. 2 — Nationally in sponsored materials research (National Science Foundation)

Areas of Research

Research Centers

• University of Dayton Research Institute (UDRI)
• Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB)
• Regional industrial labs, such as GE Aviation (GEAE)
• Center of Excellence in Thin film Research and Surface Engineering (CETRASE)
• UD-Fraunhofer Joint Research Center

Program Details

In the master and doctorate programs, you'll learn from materials experts, including engineers and scientists from the University, as well as adjunct professors from UDRI, Wright-Patterson AFB, and local industries. Some of our graduate students are able to find financial support for conducting materials research alongside engineers at UDRI and the Air Force Research Laboratory's Materials Directorate at WPAFB.