Florida State University Materials Science and Engineering Program Graduate Handbook

Florida State University Materials Science and Engineering Program Graduate Handbook (Revised Aug 27, 2012) Table of Contents Introduction Contact Information Applying to the Program Program Deadlines Financial Support Information for International Students Health Insurance Requirement Language (English Competency)Requirement Course and Credit Information and Requirements 10 Academic Probation 11 Major Professor and Supervisory Committee 12 Graduation Criteria for M.S in MS&E 13 Graduation Criteria for Ph.D in MS&E 14 Timetable 15 Annual Reviews 16 University Graduate Degree Requirements 17 Steps to Graduation 18 Living in Tallahassee 19 Helpful Links 20 Appendix: MS&E Curriculum 1 Introduction Materials Science and Engineering is a broad-reaching, interdisciplinary field, where gigabyte memory sticks, human joint replacements, lightweight and smart prostheses, touch screen cell phones, and advanced composites (more than 50% by weight) in the new generation of commercial jet airliners are all or in part the results of MS&E Materials science involves the relationships between the processing, structure, properties, and performance of materials MS&E graduates develop or synthesize new materials and create new products or systems using existing materials Fundamental to MS&E is the design and simulation of the properties of new and existing materials through advanced computational methods There is an inter-weaving of basic and applied experiences that creates a unique skill set that allows graduates to successfully pursue the frontiers of MS&E research Return to Table of Contents Contact Information For more information about the Materials Science & Engineering program please contact: Eric Hellstrom Director – MS&E 850 645-7489 hellstrom@asc.magnet.fsu.edu Judy Gardner Graduate Coordinator – MS&E 850 645-8980 jdgardner@fsu.edu Website: http://www.materials.fsu.edu/ Return to Table of Contents Applying to the Program MS&E follows FSU’s admission standards and adds some additional requirements These are: FSU requirements • A bachelor's degree earned at a regionally accredited U.S institution, or a comparable degree from an international institution, with a minimum 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) grade point average (GPA) in all work attempted while registered as an upper-division undergraduate student working towards a bachelor's degree; or • • • • A graduate degree from a regionally accredited U.S institution or a comparable degree from an international institution Test scores from a nationally standardized graduate admission test which is acceptable for the program to which the applicant is applying International students whose first language is not English are required to take an English Language Proficiency test The following are the minimum scores required for admission to FSU: o Internet based Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): 80 o Paper based TOEFL: 550 o Michigan English Language Assessment Battery (MELAB): 77 o International English Language Testing System (IELTS): 6.5 Three (3) letters of recommendation MS&E specific requirements • Undergraduate or graduate degree in a STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics) field • GRE scores – On the old scoring system, must have a minimum combined score of 1100 on the verbal and quantitative GRE exam On the new scoring system, must score a minimum 55 percentile verbal and a minimum 75 percentile quantitative • A statement of professional goals Admissions process Students will apply to the MS&E program through the FSU Graduate School Admissions Portal: https://admissions.fsu.edu/gradapp/ Each applicant will be evaluated by the admissions committee, which will be made up of MS&E faculty members with tenure homes covering all the departments in the program This committee will decide whether to admit each student and will also evaluate each student for one of the first-year fellowships Return to Table of Contents Program Deadlines Beginning Semester Domestic students International students Fall July May Spring November September Summer March January Notes Must submit application package by January 15 to be considered for financial aid Only Florida residents admitted for Spring semester Only Florida residents admitted for Summer semester Return to Table of Contents Financial Support Fellowships The MS&E program will offer several fellowships for incoming PhD students These awards, which will pay $20,000 for the academic year and include a tuition waiver plus a subsidy for health insurance, will allow the recipients to learn about the wide range of research available in MS&E Recipients will be expected to spend time in three different research labs during the academic year and to join a research group at the end of the academic year By the Summer term of the first year, fellowship students should have chosen a research area The major source of financial support for graduate students is the research assistantship, paid for by the grant funds of the major professor These assistantships are awarded at the discretion of the major professor, subject only to the University stipulation that reinstated students on academic probation are ineligible for financial support Tuition Waiver Policies Out-of-State tuition waivers are available on a very limited basis, and most out-of-state students will need to be funded from fellowships or sponsoring organizations from their home country University policy limits the number of years a graduate assistant can receive out-of-state tuition waiver support from the University The standard is years for a student who enters graduate school at FSU without a Master’s degree, or years for a student entering FSU with a Master’s degree Taxes on Stipends The Internal Revenue Service has ruled that student assistantships are not tax exempt However, some foreign countries have treaties with the U.S., and individuals from those countries may be tax-exempt Questions about taxes (especially prior returns) should be directed to the Internal Revenue Service Second Job While Working as a Research Assistant The research assistant stipend provided to graduate students is intended to facilitate study, educational progress and research Additional, unrelated, outside employment reduces a student's role in contributing to the departmental graduate program, and also might be construed as indicative of a lack of commitment to a student's training If a student finds it necessary to obtain supplementary, outside employment, he/she must provide justification and obtain signature-approval from his/her major professor and other supervisory committee members Without the necessary approvals, it is inappropriate to be a full-time student on a research assistantship or fellowship and also receive outside employment Unapproved dual employment could jeopardize eligibility for continued (a) departmental support and/or (b) grant support, and/or work with the major professor of choice Approval of supplemental work and compensation does not excuse a student from meeting the time lines specified for graduation Return to Table of Contents Information for International Students International students are responsible for contacting the Center for Global Engagement (CGE) regarding the pre-arrival process The Center for Global Engagement can be contacted by telephone at 850/644-1702 or by e-mail at CGENewStudents@admin.fsu.edu Also, information can be obtained on the CGE website at http://cge.fsu.edu/newstudents/applyingtofsu.cfm Return to Table of Contents Health Insurance Requirement ALL new graduate students are required to show proof of adequate health insurance, either purchased through FSU or show comparable coverage as determined by Thagard Student Health Center For insurance information including coverage and cost, go to the Thagard Student Health Insurance website at http://www.tshc.fsu.edu or call 850/6446230 The Graduate School offers qualifying graduate assistants a subsidy towards the purchase of the university-sponsored health insurance The subsidy will be disbursed approximately 30 days after the drop/add period through payroll For more information visit www.gradschool.fsu.edu/Funding-Awards/Health-Insurance For more information about the insurance plans, please start at http://www.tshc.fsu.edu Click on the INSURANCE navigation bar towards the lower right of the page then click READ MORE When you have been directed to READ MORE, click on STUDENTS on the left hand navigation tabs (http://www.tshc.fsu.edu/insurance/student.html ) Of particular interest after Clicking STUDENTS are “1st time at FSU?” in the center and the following left-hand navigation bars: MUST READ: PLAN COMPARISONS 12/13, PREMIUM MATRIX; PRIVATE INSURANCE REQUIREMENTS: DOMESTIC; PLAN BROCHURE: DOMESTIC 2012-2013 Return to Table of Contents Language (English Competency) Requirement Occasionally, a student in the MS&E program will have an opportunity to work as a Teaching Assistant for his/her major professor A requirement for international students working in TA positions is to pass the SPEAK test, administered by the Center for Intensive English Studies (CIES), with a minimum score of 50 Return to Table of Contents Course and Credit Information and Requirements MS&E has an integrated Ph.D curriculum that consists of the following components: • • • Core courses (minimum 12 credits) o Fundamental Core Courses: - Three required o Elective Core Courses: - One required Five elective, specialization courses (minimum 15 credits) Interdisciplinary Seminar Series – taken every semester (0 credits) 24 credits (minimum) of dissertation research Minimum of 54 credits for graduation The courses will be offered by the participating departments Students who wish to take a specific course in this program need to have met the prerequisite(s) prior to taking the course or get the consent of the instructor Return to Table of Contents 10 Academic Probation A graduate student whose cumulative grade point average for courses taken at Florida State University falls below 3.0 at the end of a term (not counting courses for which “S” or “U” grades may be given) will be considered not in good standing by the University and will be placed on academic probation If a 3.0 cumulative grade point average is not attained by the end of the next full term of enrollment, the student will not be permitted to register for graduate study, including registering as a non-degree seeking student However, at the time of dismissal, the major professor may petition the academic dean for consideration of special circumstances that the professor thinks constitute justification for an exception to this regulation, but under no circumstances will a student be allowed more than one additional term of probation Owing to the differential uses of the designation, “academic probation” shall not appear on permanent records of regular graduate students After one probationary period, however, a student whose average falls within the probationary range will receive automatic dismissal Statuses of “academic warning,” “probation,” or “reinstated from dismissal” not specifically prohibit a student from participating in extracurricular activities unless otherwise specified by University policy, rules, or by-laws governing the activity or organization Consideration of the academic dismissal takes priority over any readmission application and must be resolved first Students on dismissal are not eligible for readmission or the readmission appeal process unless they have first been reinstated by the academic dean The academic dean is the final authority for reinstatement considerations The University does not allow reinstated students to be paid a stipend For more information, please see the FSU Graduate Bulletin 2011/2012 under Academic Regulations & Procedures: http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/info/acad_regs.htm Return to Table of Contents 11 Major Professor and Supervisory Committee Each student will choose a major professor (dissertation advisor) from the MS&E faculty by the end of his/her second semester The Ph.D supervisory committee consists of a minimum of five faculty members with Ph.D directive status The major professor is the chair of the supervisory committee and must be an MS&E faculty member The student and the major professor will select the supervisory committee A maximum of members of the supervisory committee can be from the advisor’s department, a maximum of can be from the advisor’s college, and the committee must have members from at least different departments In addition at least of the committee members must be from MS&E Additional members may be appointed to the committee if deemed desirable by the major professor The supervisory committee must be selected by the end of the semester in which the student passes the Ph.D qualifying exam FSU faculty members who participate in the MS&E Ph.D program must be approved for graduate faculty status in MS&E The university representative on the committee will be a faculty member who does not have graduate faculty status in MS&E After passing the qualifying exam, and following existing Graduate School policy, the student will submit a summary of his/her research results and plans for ongoing research in August of each year and will discuss this in a meeting with all of his/her supervisory committee in September of each year The committee will write a short evaluation of the student’s progress This evaluation procedure is done yearly until the student graduates Return to Table of Contents 12 Graduation Criteria for M.S in MS&E All students must pass all of the required coursework (18 credit hours of graded course work) with a minimum 3.0 GPA In addition to meeting the university requirement to maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or above, MS&E students need to achieve a grade of "B" or better in each core course Students not achieving a "B" must either retake the course or take another core course in a different topic area that will be selected by MS&E in consultation with the instructor of the core course in which the student did not achieve at least a "B." All M.S students must write, present, and successfully defend a thesis on their proposed research For more information, please see the FSU Graduate Student Handbook : http://gradschool.fsu.edu/Information-For/New-Current-Students/Graduate-StudentHandbook/University-Graduate-Degree-Requirements/Master-s-Degree-Programs Return to Table of Contents 13 Graduation Criteria for Ph.D in MS&E All students must pass all of the required coursework (27 credit hours of graded course work) with a minimum 3.0 GPA In addition to meeting the university requirement to maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 or above, MS&E students need to achieve a grade of "B" or better in each core course Students not achieving a "B" must either retake the course or take another core course in a different topic area that will be selected by MS&E in consultation with the instructor of the core course in which the student did not achieve at least a "B." Qualifying Exam All MS&E Ph.D students must take a written qualifying exam after the first year that is based on the content of the four core courses completed by the candidates Students must pass the exam to be in the Ph.D program Students will have two chances to pass the qualifying exam Preliminary Examination and Prospectus After passing the Ph.D qualifying exam and finishing all the elective specialization courses, the student will prepare a prospectus This is a written document that includes preliminary research results and a plan and timeline to complete the research The student will submit the written prospectus to his/her supervisory committee and will also present the prospectus orally As part of the oral prospectus presentation, the student will have oral questions from the supervisory committee based on the student’s elective specialization courses to gauge the student’s understanding of the breadth and depth of materials science This oral examination and presentation of the prospectus will constitute the preliminary examination Ph.D Dissertation Defense Upon satisfactorily completing the preliminary examination and prospectus, the student will finish his/her research and then prepare a written document for his/her dissertation and defend the dissertation orally For more information, please see the FSU Graduate Student Handbook : http://gradschool.fsu.edu/Information-For/New-Current-Students/Graduate-StudentHandbook/University-Graduate-Degree-Requirements/Doctoral-Degree-Programs Return to Table of Contents 14 Timetable Timetable – Note: timetable only counts academic semesters (Fall and Spring) Requirement Choose research advisor Deadline PhD students RA Students – when admitted Appoint research committee Written PhD qualifying exam PhD prospectus and preliminary exam Defend PhD dissertation Choose research advisor Appoint research committee Defend MS thesis Fellowship students – at end of 2nd semester By beginning of 2nd year Beginning of 3rd semester During 5th semester During 9th or 10th semester MS Students When admitted By end of 2nd semester By end of 2nd year Return to Table of Contents 15 Annual Reviews All graduate assistants must be reviewed each semester This is done by their major professor if they are a research assistant and by the course instructor if they are a teaching assistant All doctoral candidates must have a yearly written review of their progress This is done in the August-September time frame each year The student will present 15 minute summary of their current research and research plans to their entire research committee The major professor should meet with the student following the review for discussion A copy of the annual review will be provided to the student and will also be provided to the MS&E Graduate Coordinator and to the Dean of the Graduate School Doctoral candidate evaluation form is being developed Return to Table of Contents 16 University Graduate Degree Requirements For a review of FSU’s graduate degree requirements, please see this link to the Graduate Student Handbook: http://gradschool.fsu.edu/Information-For/New-CurrentStudents/Graduate-Student-Handbook/University-Graduate-Degree-Requirements Return to Table of Contents 17 Steps to Graduation 10 For information on graduation requirements in the final term, please see the Steps to Graduation section in the Graduate School handbook: http://gradschool.fsu.edu/Information-For/New-Current-Students/Graduate-StudentHandbook/Steps-to-Graduation For additional information on graduation requirements, please see the Registration for Final Term and Clearance for Degrees sections of the FSU Graduate Bulletin: http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/info/grad_degree.htm Return to Table of Contents 18 Living in Tallahassee Tallahassee is home to Florida State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tallahassee Community College There are several websites available for information on living here 11 For information about moving to and living in Tallahassee, please see this link to the FSU Center for Global Engagement site: http://cge.fsu.edu/livingintallahassee.cfm#housing « Expenses when moving to Tallahassee « Housing « Utilities « Telephone « U.S Bank Accounts « FSU Card « General Information on Tallahassee « Driver's License/Florida ID Card « University Parking Permit « Carpooling « Private Vans « English Language Classes « Cultural Activities and Volunteer Activities « Exchange Visitor Advisor Contact Info Students need to be aware that it will take several weeks for them to be paid by Florida State University if this is their funding source Students who are paid from abroad may also find that it takes some time for their funding to arrive from their home country Therefore, students should have sufficient individual funds available prior to their arrival in order to purchase insurance, provide any deposits for housing, phone services, electricity/gas/water services, and generally maintain themselves for these first few weeks The Center for Global Engagement estimates that they will need $1,700 to as much as $5,000 depending upon their transportation needs, insurance choices, and living arrangements Insurance coverage must begin from the day a student arrives, regardless of their initial financial resources, so students should budget accordingly in advance or purchase insurance before leaving home Students should expect to incur the following expenses upon arrival: $300 Utility deposit and connection fee $30 Deposit for phone service $600 Initial term of health insurance coverage $300 - 500 Initial food and household items $40 Month-long bus pass $400 First month of rent at Alumni Village OR $1700 (approximately) First and last month's rent, deposit, and application fee for off-campus housing $1700 - 3200 Total depending on housing arrangements Return to Table of Contents 12 19 Helpful Links For additional information on the following topics, please see these websites: Useful website with information from the City of Tallahassee for students - bus schedules and information on connecting utilities: http://www.talgov.com/residents/comm_services/student.cfm Additional information on bus schedules: StarMetro (Bus to get around Tallahassee): Students with valid Florida State I.D.s may ride free of charge on all city bus routes The Student Fare Free Zone is seven days per week except Thanksgiving and Christmas Days (See site above) Seminole Express (Bus to get around FSU campus): With five routes, the Seminole Express bus service assists students in their day-to-day movement around campus, including Innovation Park http://parking.fsu.edu/Seminole%20Express/Seminole %20Express.html FSU campus maps: http://www.fsu.edu/Campus/newmap Parking on the FSU campus: http://parking.fsu.edu All students are assessed a per credit hour fee paid with their tuition to cover their parking and transportation needs To acquire a permit visit the Parking and Transportation Services website Students must have a vehicle license number, vehicle make and model, valid Florida State e-mail, and a valid shipping address to which the permit will be mailed to obtain a student parking permit Students must also have a valid FSU Card and be registered for classes Permits become available the third week in August and are valid for one year: September through the following August 31 It is not necessary to pay for the permit at the time of procurement, as it is charged to the student via the Transportation Access Fee on the tuition bill Obtaining a Social Security number: http://cge.fsu.edu/j1scholars/ssntaxid.cfm Cable television in Tallahassee: Comcast http://www.comcast.com Century Link http://www.centurylink.com/prismtv/?pid=p_113404562&#index.html Dish Network http://www.usdish.com/fl-dishnetwork-tallahassee.html Checklist for new FSU Graduate Students: http://admissions.fsu.edu/graduate/accepted/enrollment2011.cfm FSU Graduate Student Handbook: Graduate Student Handbook PDF (pdf 1.09 MB) 13 FSU Graduate Bulletin: http://registrar.fsu.edu/bulletin/grad/apdefault.htm FSU Student Organizations (check bottom of page for student organizations from different countries): http://cge.fsu.edu/newstudents/prearrivalinfo.cfm Local events plus places to see and stay in the Tallahassee area, Visit Tallahassee site: http://www.visittallahassee.com/ Tallahassee Wiki: http://tallahasseewiki.org/ Return to Table of Contents 20 Appendix: MS&E Courses, Curriculum Please see the MS&E website for course requirements and curriculum: http://www.materials.fsu.edu/Ph.D.-in-Materials-Science-and-Engineering/DegreeRequirements-Courses Return to Table of Contents 14 ... see the FSU Graduate Student Handbook : http://gradschool.fsu.edu/Information-For/New-Current-Students /Graduate- StudentHandbook /University- Graduate- Degree-Requirements/Doctoral-Degree-Programs Return... Checklist for new FSU Graduate Students: http://admissions.fsu.edu /graduate/ accepted/enrollment2011.cfm FSU Graduate Student Handbook: Graduate Student Handbook PDF (pdf 1.09 MB) 13 FSU Graduate Bulletin:... of Contents 18 Living in Tallahassee Tallahassee is home to Florida State University, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University, and Tallahassee Community College There are several websites