Program Overview

International Year One in engineering will prepare you to enter your next semester of a bachelor's degree program at The University of Alabama at Birmingham. After successfully completing the Pathway program, you are guaranteed to enter your next semester of study. This transition to university from an INTO program is called progression.

Materials Engineering
The world is made out of all sorts of stuff—metals, plastic, glass, stones, almost anything you can think of—and materials engineers not only study how to make that stuff but also why we use it. As a grad, you can go on to work in aerospace, chemical, automotive, metals casting, biomedical, or microelectronics fields.

For success in this field, we believe hands-on experience is invaluable. That's why we complement your classes with labs, research, internships, and co-ops. We offer a general curriculum, or you can focus on tissue engineering and implants, metals and automotive materials, or the chemical makeup of polymers. Plus, you can enrich your experience with additional research and seminars in our honors program, or even get a certification to teach general science through the UABTeach program. Best of all, you'll have access to our state-of-the-art 20,000 square-foot Materials Processing and Development (MPAD) facility.

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering offers undergraduate students a major in materials science and engineering, covering a wide spectrum of the materials world, with concentrations in biomaterials, metallurgy, and polymer matrix composites.

Besides classroom learning, our students are trained with technical skills through laboratory classes, research experiences in laboratories led by faculty, and internships and co-ops in industry. Students develop their professional skill by active engagement with the UAB student chapters of various professional societies and participating in outreach activities. After graduation, our students either start professional careers or pursue graduate studies.