Sec. Doc. No. 21-077 SPECIAL REPORT OF THE ACADEMIC PRIORITIES, GRADUATE AND PROGRAM AND BUDGET COUNCILS concerning CREATION OF A MASTER OF SCIENCE DEGREE and DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY DEGREE IN MATERIALS SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING (#7537) Presented at the 805th Regular Meeting of the Faculty Senate April 22, 2021 ACADEMIC PRIORITIES COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP Richard Bogartz, Steve Goodwin, Farshid Hajir, Deborah Henson, Piper Gaubatz, Sangeeta, Kamat, MJ Peterson, Catrine Tudor-Locke, Sarah Poissant, Atul Sheel, Janine Solberg, Christine Turner, Jack Wileden ACADEMIC PRIORITIES COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION The Academic Priorities Council recommends approval of this proposal GRADUATE COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP Sonia Alvarez, Pamela Aselton, Evelyn Ashley, Joseph Black, D. Anthony Butterfield, Ana Caicedo, Robert DeConto, Jennifer Friedman, Mark Hamin, Neil Immerman, Cynthia Jacelon, Ramakrishna Janaswamy, Neal Katz, John Lopes, Martina Nieswandt, MJ Peterson, Sarah Pfatteicher, Sarah Poissant, Rebecca Reznik-Zellen, Frederic Schaffer, Patrick Sullivan, Corine Tachtiris, Tilman Wolf GRADUATE COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION The Graduate Council recommends approval of this proposal. Sec. Doc. No. 21-077 PROGRAM AND BUDGET COUNCIL MEMBERSHIP Zlatan Aksamija, Joseph Bartolomeo, Jeremiah Bentley, William Brown, D. Anthony Butterfield, Elizabeth Chang, Nancy Cohen, Patricia Galvis-Assmus, Steve Goodwin, Deborah Gould, Moira Inghilleri, Yoon Ju Kang, Andrew Mangels, Ernest May, Lynn McKenna, Anthony Paik, MJ Peterson, Alexander Phillips, Anurag Sharma, Lisa Wegiel PROGRAM AND BUDGET COUNCIL RECOMMENDATION The Program and Budget Council recommends approval of this proposal Proposals for new academic programs are filed using the forms required by the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education. Please see the following attachments: 1. Full Academic Program Proposal 2. Faculty CV’s 3. Course Summaries 4. Budget MOTION: That the Faculty Senate approve the Creation of a Master of Science Degree 33-21 and Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Materials Science and Engineering, as presented in Sen. Doc. No. 21-077. Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst Proposed Degree: M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering PHASE II: FULL ACADEMIC PROGRAM PROPOSAL TEMPLATE Review Guidelines Prior to Submitting Materials https://www.mass.edu/foradmin/academic/publicnewdegrees.asp Proposed Degree Title: Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy in Materials Science and Engineering Proposed CIP Code: (provided by campus OIR) Date of Local Board of Trustees Vote: (leave blank; AASAIR will fill in) Date Letter of Intent approved by the Board of Higher Education: (leave blank; AASAIR will fill in) Chief Academic Officer (CAO) Name and Title: John McCarthy, Provost CAO Phone Number: (413) 545-2554 CAO email: [email protected] Has the CAO reviewed this petition? Yes I. Overview of the Proposed Program 1. Context. Describe the program’s development, including the LOI process, as well as its proposed administrative and operational organizational structure. RESPONSE: This proposal for an Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IDGP) in Materials Science and Engineering (MSE), offering M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in MSE, was developed by a cross-college faculty task force starting in 2019, building on discussions over several years, and with strong support from the Provost and Chancellor. The task force was appointed by Sanjay Raman, Dean of the College of Engineering, in close consultation with Tricia Serio, Dean of College of Natural Sciences (CNS), and chaired by Ashwin Ramasubramaniam (Professor, Mechanical & Industrial Engineering). The task force consists of faculty from all departments represented in the IDGP, namely, the Departments of Biomedical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, Civil & Environmental Engineering, Electrical & Computer Engineering, and Mechanical & Industrial Engineering from the College of Engineering (COE), as well as the Departments of Chemistry and Physics from CNS. The proposed IDGP will offer coursework-based (non-thesis) M.S. degrees, including accelerated 4+1 M.S. degrees, thesis-based M.S. degrees, and Ph.D. degrees in MSE. This interdisciplinary academic program builds on UMass Amherst’s established and recognized strength in materials research (ranked 36th by U.S. News in 20211), bringing together nearly 50 faculty members across COE and CNS. The MSE IDGP will be led by a Program Director who will be a tenured faculty member affiliated with the program, nominated by the MSE IDGP faculty, and appointed by the COE Dean with concurrence of the CNS Dean. A faculty steering committee, consisting of representatives of all participating COE and CNS 1 Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst Proposed Degree: M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering departments, nominated by the respective Department Heads and appointed by the respective College Deans, will advise the Program Director and exercise oversight of the IDGP. Specifically, the steering committee will oversee the annual program budget, departmental MOUs, and internal degree policies; engage with the external advisory board; and serve as the graduate admissions committee. The responsibilities of the Program Director also will include service in the capacity of Graduate Program Director for the IDGP. The Program Director and steering committee will report directly to the COE Dean. Following an initial strategic investment from the University, it is anticipated that the IDGP will be self- supporting with operational expenses funded from revenues generated by the M.S. and accelerated M.S. (4+1) programs. COE will provide administrative staff support for the program during the startup period. Once the IDGP is administratively and financially sound, administrative support arrangements will be reviewed. 2. Description. Summarize the purpose of the program as it relates to the knowledge and skills will students acquire, and the careers for which graduates will be prepared as described in the approved LOI. RESPONSE: Modeled along the lines of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) criteria,2 the objectives of the MSE IDGP are to prepare graduates to: a. Apply advanced science (such as chemistry, biology, and physics), computational techniques, and engineering principles to materials systems; b. Integrate the understanding of the scientific and engineering principles underlying the four major elements of the field: structure, properties, processing, and performance related to material systems; and c. Apply, integrate, and expand knowledge from each of the above four elements of the field using experimental, computational, and statistical methods to solve materials problems including selection and design, as well as to develop new materials and processes and enable innovative materials technologies. The faculty affiliated with the proposed IDGP have extensive research and teaching expertise in MSE that encompass the four major elements of the field. MSE is already recognized as a major research strength of UMass Amherst (ranked 36th by U.S. News in 20211), with over 30 faculty members in COE with closely aligned research interests, nearly half of whom have been hired within the last seven years, making MSE an area of significant investment and projected growth for the College. More than 20 faculty members in the College of Natural Sciences (CNS) have MSE-aligned research programs. The University has also made significant investments in state-of-the-art shared facilities and research laboratories in the Life Science Laboratories (Institute for Applied Life Sciences), the Physical Sciences Building, and the Conte National Center for Polymer Research. Under the mentorship of MSE faculty and instructors, M.S. and Ph.D. students in the proposed IDGP will pursue coursework, obtain equipment and instrumentation training from dedicated staff, and perform original research in these modern, cutting-edge research laboratories and shared facilities. The proposed degree programs are therefore well positioned to impart high-quality training to students and enable their success in a variety of career roles spanning industry, academia, and government. Complementing knowledge and skills acquired through research experience, MSE students can also engage in experiential learning through internships and independent studies. The U.S. Bureau of labor Statistics (BLS)3 notes that “materials scientists with an advanced degree, particularly those with a Ph.D., are expected to have better [employment] opportunities.” The BLS notes that “prospects should be best for [materials engineers] 2 Institution: University of Massachusetts Amherst Proposed Degree: M.S. and Ph.D. in Materials Science and Engineering who gained experience by participating in internships or co-op programs while in college”. The MSE IDGP is designed to allow students to take up to three credits of practicum (independent study or industrial internship) working with a faculty advisor or an industrial partner to strengthen the application of their education. Students can also take up to six credits of Engineering Management courses with the aim of enhancing their professional preparation for a career in the materials industry. The Engineering Management program, offered by COE in collaboration with the Isenberg School of Management, can be completed fully online, fully on- campus, or in a blended fashion, making the M.S. program within the IDGP attractive to non-traditional students and working professionals. Graduates of M.S.