Graduate Programs in Materials Science

Objectives

The Institute for Physics of the Autonomous University of Puebla offers Masters and PhD graduate programs. The studies are oriented to experimental and theoretical research of the following areas:

Advance materials: Applications and modeling.
Properties of the materials.

The objective of these programs is to form successful graduates, able to go not only into the academia, but also to theoretical and experimental research areas.

Only full-time students are accepted in such programs, i.e., students able to complete the graduate program.

Our Masters and PhD programs belong to the "Graduate excellence degree programs" of CONACyT. For that reason, the accepted candidates could get a scholarship.

The Masters program, in its basics studies, consists of eight mandatory subjects, an investigation lab, and a seminar of preparation for general exams, which have to be presented. If the Masters program is the final degree to be obtained, then at least one elective subject should be taken and a Thesis should be written and presented.

The PhD program consists of at least three elective subjects, according to the list presented below. The Academic Board will define the program for each student. The PhD studies conclude with the defense of an original thesis. The duration of the studies, from the entry to the graduate degree program, will be four years.

Summary of the study-plan of the Masters program

The acquired experience with the Master degree program of IFUAP has allowed us to optimize it, making it more flexible and compatible with other degree programs of this country and abroad. The next table sums-up the study plan from the Masters degree till the PhD program.

Levels: Basics, formative and electives, divided into semesters.
Minimum and maximum credits to obtain the degree: 118-142 (with three elective subjects at most).
Number of weeks per semester: 20 weeks.

Master of Science (Materials Science)
Option A					Option B
Code	Subjects	HT	HP	TC	Code	Subjects	HT	HP	TC
1st Semester					1st Semester
To be assigned	Modern Physics	6		12	MMA30100	Modern Physics	6		12
To be assigned	Termodynamics and Cybernetics of the Materials	6	2	14	MMA30200	Termodynamics and Cybernetics of the Materials	6	2	14
To be assigned	General crystallography	6	2	14	MMA30300	General crystallography	6	2	14
2nd Semester					2nd Semester
To be assigned	Physical properties of the materials I	6		12	MMA30600	Physical properties of the materials I	6		12
To be assigned	Materials characterization techniques I	6	2	14	To be assigned	Materials characterization techniques I	6	2	14
To be assigned	Chemistry of Materials	6	2	14	MMA30400	Chemistry of Materials	6	2	14
3rd Semester					3rd Semester	Masters degree
To be assigned	Physical properties of the materials II	6		12	MMA30700	Physical properties of the materials II	6		12
To be assigned	Materials characterization techniques II	6	2	14	To be assigned	Materials characterization techniques II	6	2	14
To be assigned	Seminar of preparation for general exams Presentation of general exams (1st chance).	6		12		+ Master’s thesis
4th Semester					4th Semester
	Presentation of general exams (2nd chance)					Elective Presentation of Master’s thesis	6		12
Total of credits		54	10	118	Total of credits		54	10	118

HT: Hours of theory, HP: Hours of practice, TC: Total of credits

Elective subjects: The number of credits for the first two semesters is 40 (three mandatory subjects per semester), while for the third semester 38 credits should be achieved. If the way to get the Masters degree is via Thesis, the student should take at least one elective subject (12 credits) in the fourth semester. If the Academic Board considers necessary, the student will take additional elective subjects in the third or fourth semester (12 credits per subject). If the way to get the Master degree is via general exams, the seminar of preparation for general exams has to be taken (12 credits). On this choice, the student does not have to take any elective subject.
Tuition Fee: $100.00 per year.

Summary of the study-plan of the PhD program

The acquired experience with the PhD program of IFUAP has allowed us to optimize it, making it more flexible and compatible with other degree programs of this country and abroad. The next table sums-up the study plan from the Masters degree till the PhD program.

Levels: Basics, formative and electives, divided into semesters.
Minimum and maximum credits to obtain the degree: 60-72.
Number of weeks per semester: 20 weeks.

PhD (Materials Science)
Option A (with approved general exams)					Option B (with general exams passed in the first chance)				Option C (with general exams passed in the second chance)
Code	Subjects	HT	HP	TC	Subjects	HT	HP	TC	Subjects	HT	HP	TC
1st Semester
	Elective Starting of the doctoral dissertation	6		12	Seminar of preparation for general exams Presentation of a general exam (1st chance)	6		12	Seminar of preparation for general exams Presentation of a general exam (1st chance)	6		12
2nd Semester
	Elective Doctoral dissertation Presentation of a preliminary exam	6		12	Elective Starting of the doctoral dissertation	6		12	Elective Presentation of a general exam (2nd chance)	6		12
3rd Semester
	Elective Doctoral dissertation	6		12	Elective Doctoral dissertation Presentation of a general exam	6		12	Elective Starting of the doctoral dissertation	6		12
4th Semester
	Seminario de Tesis I Doctoral dissertation	6		12	Elective Doctoral dissertation	6		12	Elective Doctoral dissertation Presentation of a preliminary exam	6		12
5th Semester
	Thesis seminar II Doctoral dissertation	6		12	Thesis seminar I Doctoral dissertation	6		12	Thesis seminar I Doctoral dissertation	6		12
6th Semester
	Doctoral dissertation				Thesis seminar II Doctoral dissertation	6		12	Thesis seminar II Doctoral dissertation	6		12
7th Semester
	Doctoral dissertation				Doctoral dissertation				Doctoral dissertation
8th Semester
	Doctoral dissertation Defense of the doctoral dissertation.				Doctoral dissertation Defense of the doctoral dissertation.				Doctoral dissertation Defense of the doctoral dissertation.
Total of credits		30		60		36		72		36		72

HT: Hours of theory, TC: Total of credits

Elective subjects: The study program will be structured by the academic board and the supervisor of each student. The number of elective subjects to be taken will be those that are considered necessary. The student should take at least three elective subjects. The seminar of preparation for general exams could be mandatory, depending on the case. Moreover, the subjects "Thesis seminar I" and "Thesis seminar II" will be mandatory during the PhD.
Tuition Fee: $100.00 per year.

Mr. Dr. Enrique Quiroga González, Coordinator of graduate studies (Materials Science).
posgrado_mat@ifuap.buap.mx

Institute of Physics "Ing. Luis Rivera Terrazas"

Graduate Programs in Materials Science

Objectives

Summary of the study-plan of the Masters program

Summary of the study-plan of the PhD program

Institute of Physics
"Ing. Luis Rivera Terrazas"