MSE Ranked #23 by U.S. News and World Report

The University of Maryland (UMD) Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) is ranked at #23 for 2021 U.S. graduate school programs according to U.S. News & World Report (USNWR), its highest ranking to date.

MSE faculty members, students and researchers alike have been performing high visibility MSE research in areas such as energy and energy storage, sustainability and nanotechnology. MSE Professors Liangbing Hu, Tim Koeth, Yifei Mo and Ichiro Takeuchi continue to make headlines and covers of top-tier journals, such as Science, Nature and Physics Today. Multiple professors continue to bring in large research grants every year, including Eric Wachsman, Director of the Maryland Energy Innovation Institute (MEI2), most recently with the $18M U.S.-Israel Energy Center project. The average annual research expenditure reached $0.8M per faculty member. Current students, researchers and alumna - for example, Jacob Garnett, Tian Li and Ashely Ruth - consistently receive honors and awards for outstanding contributions. All these were achieved with the help of a dedicated and efficient staff.

Last year, UMD MSE was ranked #18 among U.S. university MSE departments in the Nature Index, a more data-driving ranking.

"We have ground-breaking and innovative research programs in Materials Science and Engineering at Maryland, spanning from the most striking demonstration of the Klein paradox of quantum mechanics to superwood with the strength of steel yet at one fifth of the weight," said Dr. J.C. Zhao, MSE Chair. "We look forward to achieving higher ranking for our Department in the coming years, especially with four new hires this year and next."

The UMD A. James Clark School of Engineering also rose overall in U.S. rankings from #22 to #20.

Published March 17, 2020