Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

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Mission

The Metallurgical & Materials Engineering program supports the historical mission of The School of Mines and Engineering by meeting the needs and interests of mineral- and metal-related industries while simultaneously addressing those of the materials industries in order to provide a broad and quality education with an appropriate blend of theory and practice so students can successfully and confidently enter into a career and contribute to the profession and society.  The Bachelor of Science degree in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Vision

The M&ME Department will attract and retain the highest quality engineering students in order to provide resource-based industries with minerals, metals and materials process engineers while maintaining the Montana Tech heritage. The department will sustain coveted programs with broad, hands-on learning experiences, supported by industry, in order to research and provide solutions for the future needs of society. Graduates of the program will be contributing members of the community, have a passion for excellence, and be recognized among the world’s most versatile engineers.

Program Educational Objectives

Program educational objectives of M&ME are designed to produce graduates who achieve some of the following within five years of graduating with their Bachelor of Science. Degree:

1. Practice the M&ME profession as demonstrated by
   1. Continued professional employment,
   2. Job promotion, and/or
   3. Expanded career responsibilities.
2. Obtain professional registration
   1. Professional Engineer (PE),
   2. Qualified Professional (QP) and/or
   3. Professional Certification.
3. Complete an advanced degree in M&ME or a related field
   1. Master of Science (MS) and/or
   2. Doctorate (PhD or ScD).
4. Continue professional development as demonstrated by
   1. Society membership and participation,
   2. Master’s in Business Administration (MBA),
   3. Continuing education, and/or
   4. Engineering related volunteerism.

Outcomes

The Bachelor of Science in Metallurgical and Materials Engineering curriculum has been developed in consonance with ABET criteria to ensure its graduates have the abilities to:

1. identify, formulate, and solve complex Materials Science and Engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
2. apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
3. communicate effectively with a range of audiences
4. recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
5. function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
6. develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
7. acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies
8. apply advanced science, such as chemistry, biology, and physics), computational techniques and engineering principles to materials systems implied by the program modifier, e.g., ceramics,, metals, polymers, biomaterials, composite materials.
9. integrate the understanding of the scientific and engineering principles underlying the four major elements of the field: structure, properties, processing, and performance related to metallurgical and materials systems appropriate to the field, and
10. apply and integrate 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 consistent with the program educational objectives.

To satisfy these student outcomes, the curriculum has evolved to (1) train students to understand a wide range of M&ME methods which apply to the five disciplines as well as related fields, (2) prepare students to adapt to an ever-changing world and its demands for minerals, metals and materials, and (3) give students practical, hands-on experiences in numerous laboratory courses and field trips. Students are encouraged to secure employment in M&ME or related fields through summer internships and cooperative education programs to guide them in their career choices, pay college expenses, and ultimately improve their marketability upon graduation

Assessment

Student outcomes and program educational objectives are assessed through knowledge surveys, course evaluations, mid-student surveys, senior exit interviews, graduate/alumni surveys, student satisfaction surveys, advisory board feedback, and imbedded indicators such as specific homework and test questions. M&ME faculty periodically reviews the documented assessment responses from students, alumni, and the advisory board and, when needed, makes changes to improve the program quality. The faculty believes that the quality of the program is ultimately defined by the long-term success of its graduates. If the outcomes and program educational objectives are attained, graduates are well-prepared for career success. Thus, the assessment goal is to maintain and continuously improve program quality in order ensure our students achieve the outcomes and our graduates meet the educational objectives.

Curriculum

In the freshman and sophomore years, M&ME students take a general education core that includes mathematics, chemistry, physics, social sciences, and the humanities. Introductory courses in Process Engineering Fundamentals (EMET 232) and Materials and the Human Experience (EMAT 230) are included to introduce the students to the “Metallurgical Engineering” and “Materials Engineering” components of the M&ME program. By the Spring Semester of their sophomore year, students are prepared to take courses in Materials Structures and Properties (EMAT 251) and M&ME Thermodynamics (EMET 307), both are prerequisites for many junior and senior-level M&ME courses.

At the junior and senior level, the core curriculum is designed to imbue students with a deep understanding of and proficiency in the skills required to succeed in the many occupational fields that employ Metallurgical and Materials Engineers. The core features courses in materials structure and properties (EMAT 351), unit processes (EMET 333, EMET 401, EMET 402, EMET 420), design and performance (EMAT 472), and analytical characterization techniques (EMET 471). The theory presented in the lecture courses is augmented and reinforced in laboratories (EMET 234, EMET 335, EMAT 353, EMAT 354, and EMET 405), where students gain valuable hands-on experience in working with our extensive inventory of process machinery, instrumentation and control systems, and analytical equipment.    

Electives

The curriculum includes 9 credits of M&ME electives, 6 credits of engineering electives, and 6 credits of STEM electives. This array gives students flexibility to tailor their undergraduate education according to their own intellectual interests and career aspirations. Students can choose to follow a process or a materials oriented track, broaden their education by pursuing a minor in another discipline, or just sample from the wide range of M&ME and STEM electives.  

Through careful selection of department and technical electives, seniors can focus their education in one of the four disciplines. Technical electives in mineral processing include energy resources processing, materials handling design, and flotation. Electives in extractive metallurgy cover topics such as advanced pyro-processing, process flow sheet development and design, precious metal processing, separations, and remediation of hazardous/ toxic elements. Materials-related elective courses include biomaterials, polymer processing, composite materials, electrical, optical and magnetic properties of materials. Physical metallurgy courses can be chosen from mechanical behavior of materials, failure analysis & design life, casting and solidification, and the metallurgy of ferrous welds. Many of these courses are cross-disciplinary, and others include advanced thermodynamics, computer applications, thermodynamic modeling, and SEM/EDX

Design

Design courses are an integral part of the curriculum. The design experience begins in the first semester of the freshman year with EGEN 101 - Introduction to Engineering Calculations and Problem Solving. In subsequent semesters, and particularly during the sophomore and junior years, students are introduced to unit operation design in lecture courses (EMET 232, 333, 401, and 402), and in laboratories (EMET 234, 335, and 405). In these courses, students learn fundamental extraction and separation principles, conduct experiments, and utilize data to size equipment, develop process flow sheets, and perform economic analyses. The design experience is enhanced by the study of materials structure, properties, and performance  (EMAT 251, 351, 472, and 475) and laboratories (EMAT 353 and 354), where students learn that materials selection is often a compromise reached after weighing the pros and cons of material properties. All M&ME laboratories exclusively focus on experiential learning through practical “hands-on” exercises that complement the theory. The program culminates with a real-world capstone senior design project (EMET 489 and 499W) in which the cumulative knowledge of general engineering fundamentals, metallurgical and materials engineering, computer applications, engineering economics, safety, communication skills, etc. are integrated.

Programs

• Metallurgical & Materials Engineering, B.S.

• Extractive Metallurgy Minor
• Materials Science Minor
• Mineral Processing Minor

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