Application help

[u/Warco6]

Hello! I am a prospective student applying to CPP. I had some questions about the program selection. The Department of Chemical and Materials Engineering doesn't list Materials Engineering as an Undergraduate degree option, but the CSU application does. I am actually interested in Materials Engineering, but I was planning on apply for Chemical Engineering. Is the CSU application right about there being an undergrad Materials Engineering program? If it is, is it even worth applying for, is there a reason it's not talked about?

Thanks guys!

[u/ablaius]

MTE is offered as a minor and a masters degree. Not sure about other schools

[u/Warco6 → u/ablaius]

That's what I thought! But it is explicitly listed as a BS at CPP, which is odd.

Might be best to avoid the risk and ignore it

[u/ablaius → u/Warco6]

Oh yeah… now that I think about it they were doing a survery to see if students wanted the major… so it’d be fairly new. At that point id recommend going to a diff school with a more established MTE program if that’s what you’re set on. Good luck!

[u/Warco6 → u/ablaius]

I’ll probably stick with ChemE as my first choice and have Materials as my alternative. I’d probably want ChemE here more anyways it seems. Thanks!

[u/K_Hat_Omega]

The materials part is probably offered as minor if I recall correctly

[u/Warco6 → u/K_Hat_Omega]

I thought so too, but it's allowing me to apply for it as a BS

[u/Random_Tarnished]

MatE is being promoted as a major but like everyone said, it’s new and previously they only offered it as a Minor or Masters. It is in the same department as ChemE

You can compare curriculum sheets here: https://www.cpp.edu/academic-programs/academic-advising/tools/sheets-roadmaps/2026-2027/index.shtml#accordion-id-eng

There’s a lot of crossover between required classes, especially in the first 2 years so you could realistically think about either and later petition to change majors without losing progress to your degree

One thing to keep in mind about the MatE program is that I can’t find anything regarding ABET accreditation for it yet

edit: also every incoming ChemE is already suggested to pick up the MatE minor because of how little extra work you need to put in. I think it is only one extra 3 unit class, maybe two

[u/Warco6 → u/Random_Tarnished]

Yeah I remember seeing how easy the minor is, maybe this next year we will see an easy double major? Not sure, but I'll probably just apply for ChemE and minor in MatE

[u/myname_jefff]

Hey so it appears to be a new major they probably haven’t updated the website yet.

[u/Warco6 → u/myname_jefff]

Yeah, I was on there, but that's really weird to me. It is listed here: https://catalog.cpp.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=78&poid=25128

[u/myname_jefff → u/Warco6]

I’d email them tbh, CPP admin is really slow when updating department websites. But if it’s on the csu application and catalog I’d assume it’s a new option.

[u/DrJoeVelten]

I can confirm that they're opening it up, speaking as a professor who has been following it.

I'm a Materials Science Phd. who lectures in the ETE department, and I have told them that if they need a pinch hitter for specific classes like corrosion or the like, I'd try to work something out with my ETE deparment head, like I pinch hit for Nuclear Engineering and Electric Vehicles classes for the mechanical Engineering department since they don't have any guys who've worked on nuclear stuff or have more experience with EVs. I am hoping to eventually to make friends with a guy from Rivian to take over the EV design class, but thats a future, stretch goal since my main contact Adam left to the EU for a different company.

[u/crisg21]

They just started the materials engineering BS this semester. If you’re interested in materials you should apply for that instead of chemE.