Program Educational Objectives and Student Outcomes
Mission
The mission of the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University is to serve its constituents through: discovery, to expand the realm of materials knowledge; learning, through the dissemination and preservation of knowledge about materials; and engagement, through the exchange of knowledge about materials.
Constituents
The School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University will provide an education that optimally serves the School's constituencies the students, the MSE faculty, alumni and employers
Program Educational Objectives
Program Education Objectives are: “broad statements that describe the career and professional accomplishments that the program is preparing graduates to achieve”. These Objectives are listed in the following text.
The degree program in Materials Engineering will provide the educational experiences to produce graduates with the knowledge and skills to excel in materials science and engineering related positions or to pursue graduate study. Within a few years after graduating, our students will:
- Be successful in top graduate schools and in professional positions within industry and commerce.
- Contribute their Materials Engineering expertise effectively as members of engineering teams.
- Demonstrate lifelong learning and engagement through continued professional development, and participation and leadership in professional societies and organizations.
Our success in achieving these Objectives is evaluated primarily by surveying our alumni. We also receive input from our Advisory Committee consisting of individuals in business, industry and academia, and from you during your senior exit surveys and interviews. We use the input to help make decisions about curriculum changes that would better achieve our Objectives.
Program Outcomes and Assessment
Program outcomes describe the skill set students are expected to possess by the time of graduation. Program outcomes must facilitate attainment of the program education objectives described above. Graduates of the Undergraduate program in the School of Materials Engineering at Purdue University will have:
1. an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex materials engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. an ability to apply engineering design to produce materials engineering solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. an ability to 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. an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation in materials engineering, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.
To maintain accreditation, our curriculum must produce these outcomes, and an assessment process must be in place to measure the program’s success in achieving its program outcomes. The assessment process must be designed to indicate the degree to which the program outcomes are achieved, and the assessment process must be used to develop the program through the exposure of program weaknesses and subsequent addressing of identified weaknesses. The assessment process generally includes evaluation of student work including exam performance, laboratory reports, individual and group written assignments and oral presentations, and results from student and alumni surveys.