The PhD program is designed to give students a broad and deep understanding of materials. The specialized research oriented coursework and quality thesis will allow students to build their career in aerospace materials, nanotechnology, smart materials and coatings & tribology. The key objective of the PhD degree program in Materials Science & Engineering (MSE) is to impart rigorous training for undertaking challenges in innovative research which is publishable in globally benchmarked high quality journals and conferences. The graduate students are expected to study and collaborate with faculty members in an open dialogue oriented explorative atmosphere (mostly informal but intellectually rewarding) compared with a structured and defined curriculum of undergraduate study. Generally, faculty members conduct research in different specialities of MSE that allow student to choose a research topic from a spectrum of research fields and then excel in them under the individual supervision and guidance of a faculty member. The program is designed for full-time students who under ideal circumstances will complete the different phases of coursework, qualifying examinations, and doctoral dissertation, and publish their work in an ISI indexed journal in 4-5 years of uninterrupted study.

• MS/ M.Phil/ equivalent (18 Years of education) with a strong background in relevant discipline with minimum CGPA 3.00 out of 4.00 or First Division (where CGPA not available) from HEC/PEC recognized Institute/University or from Foreign Institute/University of good repute
• GAT-Subject (Metallurgy & Materials Engineering) conducted by NTS with = 60% score or GRE International (Subject) conducted by ETS, USA, in the relevant field of study with minimum 60 percentile or minimum 70% marks in GAT (Subject) type test conducted by the concerned department in case of unavailability of GAT/ GRE subject option

1. Course work
   • Minimum 18 credit hours of course work must be undertaken with a CGPA of 3.00 out of band 4;
   • For MS leading to PhD program, students still need to pass 18 credit hours of course work over and above the MS course work with a CGPA of 3.0/4.0 before undertaking the PhD qualifying examination;
   • Migration/Transfer of the courses from other Universities/Institutes is allowed as per IST Migration/Transfer policy
   • The list of 6 PhD courses must have been approved by DBGS at the time of admission of a candidate and DBGS should have also assigned him a supervisor as per IST Policy in vogue.
2. Qualifying test
   • Qualifying test is conducted after successful completion of the course work. The test comprises of 3-written papers and presentation/defense of synopsis
   • Three written papers will contribute 80% while presentation/defense of the synopsis will contribute 20% in total marks of the qualifying test.
   • Paper 1 covers the intellectual analytical abilities of the candidate and he must get at least 40% marks to pass the exam. Paper 1 weighs 15% in the qualifying test;
   • Paper 2 covers major research area and will contribute 45% in the qualifying test
   • Paper 3 covers allied subjects and will contribute 20% in the qualifying test
   • Student will present and defend his synopsis in an oral exam. This will contribute 20% in the qualifying test. The result of the oral exams is decided by the DBGS through a majority vote. The presentation can be graded only as High Distinction (HD: 80-100% marks), Distinction (D: 60-80% marks, Credit (C: 40-60% Marks), and Fail (F: 0-39% Marks). The final score will be computed by taking an average of the grades assigned by each DBGS member.
   • A Minimum of 60 % marks are required to pass the qualifying test with a minimum of 40% in each part of the test (papers 1, 2, 3 & the project presentation)
   • Students who fail in qualifying test will be allowed to reappear once in the test only.

• 24 credit hours of research work spanning over at least two years through continuous registration in  Thesis-I, Thesis-II, Thesis-III, and Thesis-IV of 6 credits each;
• MS-leading to PhD candidates who disqualify PhD candidacy test or don’t want to proceed for PhD degree still need to submit thesis for a master degree requirement;
• 2 research publication in a journal indexed by institute for scientific information (ISI) with at least 1 of them being in an Honorable Mention & above as defined in IST JQRS SOP. The publication topic should be relevant to the PhD specialization area of research.

The curriculum is designed to provide interdisciplinary training that combines advanced fabrication methods with the latest techniques in materials processing and engineering.  The choice of courses is tailored to the student's professional objectives and must meet the minimum requirements of the IST. The courses are selected and approved in consultation with the DBGS at the time of giving admission. Departures from the stated requirements are considered only in exceptional cases and must be approved by Graduate Studies and Research Council (GSRC). Research areas are numerous and include aerospace materials, nanotechnology, smart materials and coating & tribology. To fulfil the minimum requirement of 18 credit hours of course work, students have to take a mandatory course in aerospace materials and five other courses from the list of PhD courses approved by DBGS for each student. A course that is part of MS degree curriculum will not be made part of PhD coursework. Moreover, a student must pass a non-credit course of “Research Methodologies” if not already studied during the MS coursework.

1. Mandatory courses
   • Advanced Aerospace Materials - 03
   • Advanced Topics in Materials Science and Engineering - 03
2. Other courses
   
   • Phase transformation and kinetics - 03
   • Thermodynamics of materials - 03
   • Nanochemistry for nanoengineering - 03
   • Smart materials - 03
   • Advance manufacturing systems (mech.) - 03
   • Deformation and fracture of materials - 03
   • Advanced surface engineering & coatings - 03
   • Advanced composite materials - 03
   • Tribology and lubrication - 03
   • Surfaces and interfaces - 03
   • Advanced microscopy techniques - 03
   • Micro/nano systems and technologies - 03
   • Magnetic materials - 03
   • Advanced welding and joining - 03
   • Smart Polymers - 03
   • Biomaterials - 03
   • Chemical synthesis - 03
   • Mathematics for Materials Science - 03
   • Renewable energy (mech.) - 03
   • Mechanics of composites (mech.) - 03
   • Finite element methods (mech.) - 03
   • Structure, design and analysis (aero) - 03
   • Semiconductor materials  - 03
3. PhD thesis - 24

• Dissertation recommended for defense by PhD supervisor
• Dissertation recommended by the DBGS
• Plagiarism check must be conducted on the thesis before sending for pre-defense
• Dissertation recommended by Pre-defense committee after presentation; the committee must consist of at least 2 DBGS members (including the supervisor) and 2 subject experts from other local universities
• Dissertation approved by two foreign experts in the relevant field from technologically advanced countries (see HEC guideline for the advanced countries list) who are active researchers (have published at least 1 ISI indexed impact factor paper in the last 3 years)
• At least two ISI indexed accepted papers at the time of final defense and at least one  of them is Honorable Mention
• An open defense of the thesis after positive feedback from foreign experts and local examiners of the defense committee
• A viva meeting between candidate and evaluating committee to discuss corrections required in dissertation. The candidate will be informed about the outcome of defense.

^$committee comprises of one internal (field experts in the department) and two external examiner (field expert in any other HEC recognised Institute).

PhD will be offered in the following specialisations:

• Aerospace Materials
• Nanotechnology
• Smart Materials
• Coatings and Tribology

Note: The elective course will be offered from the list subject to the availability of specialized field of faculty and the number of students interested in the course

Advanced Aerospace Materials (MSE 811)
Intensifying demands of properties of aerospace materials, Mission demands, New challenges, Increasing efficiencies and powers of engines, Metallic materials – classical alloys, smart materials, refractory metals, new trends, Ceramic materials – recent developments, New trends in polymeric materials, Development of various fiber materials for composites, New trends in composite materials, Advances in coatings for aerospace materials

Mathematics for Materials Science (HUM 821)
Algebra, Complex numbers, Complex e-function, Other complex functions, Vectors in N-dimensional space, Matrices, Square matrices and determinants, Systems of Linear Equations, Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors, Scalar and vector product, Hermite and unitary matrices with complex Components, Functions of one Variable, Derivatives and Integrals, Calculation rules of derivatives and integrals, Sequences and Series, Taylor series and their application, Linear Optimization, Fitting to an orthonormal set of functions, Functions as vectors, Schmidt's orthonormalization procedure, Fourier series,  Fourier-Transforms, Solution of DEQs by Fourier Transformation, Fourier Series vs. Fourier Transformation, Error function, Gamma function, Delta function, Functions of multiple variables, Partial derivatives / Derivatives in certain directions, Total Derivatives, Minimization problems, Simple N-dimensional integrals.

Nanochemistry for Nanoengineering (MSE 845)
Emergence of the fields, State of the Art and Challenges, Surface Science and Surface energy, Nanochemistry, Dimensionality and Materials, Nanosynthesis, Homogenous and Heterogeneous Nucleation, Sol-Gel-Synthesis, Forced hydrolysis, Solid state phase segregation, Kinetically confined synthesis, Seeding, Micelles and micro emulsion, Aerosol, Spray Pyrolysis, Microwave, Template-based synthesis, Carbon Fullerenes and Nanotubes, Micro and Mesoporous, Core-shell structures, Organic/Inorganic hybrids, Nanocomposite, Intercalation, Green Nanosynthesis, Nanopatterning, Self-assembly and self-organization, Capillary forces, Dispersion Interaction, Shear force assisted assembly, Electric field assisted assembly, Covalently linked assembly, Template assisted assembly, Green Nanopatterning, Nanoengineering

Phase Transformation and Kinetics (MSE 823)
Introduction, definitions, classification of phase transformations, Homogeneous nucleation theory, Transient nucleation, Heterogeneous nucleation theory, Nucleation in alloys, Spinodal decomposition, Interface controlled thermally activated growth, Diffusion controlled growth, Formal theory of transformation kinetics, Polymorphic, massive, and precipitation transformations, Kinetics of coarsening, Order-disorder transformations, Diffusionless transformations, Characteristics of martensitic transformations, Crystallography of martensitic transformations, Kinetics of martensitic transformations,  Shape memory alloys, Bainitic transformations, Amorphous materials; metallic glasses, Block co-polymers, semicrystalline polymers, Quasicrystalline materials, Nanocrystalline materials

Advanced Surface Engineering and Coating (MSE 861)
Philosophy of surface engineering, General Applications and Requirements, Principles and design of coatings, Physics of the plasma state and plasma surface interactions, Surface engineering as part of a manufacturing process, Integrating coating systems into the design process, Coating manufacturing processes, Electro deposition, Flame spraying, Plasma spray, Physical vapour deposition, Chemical vapour deposition, HIP surface treatments, Sol-gel coatings, Spin coating methods

Smart Materials (MSE 867)
Classification, Application Areas, Piezoelectric Materials, Piezoeffect, Piezoelectric Materials, Ferroelectricity, Fabrication, Applications, Magnetostrictive Materials, Magnetostriction, Cryogenic Materials, Rare Earth - Fe phases, Thin Film Materials,  Applications, Shape Memory Alloys, Shape Memory Effects, Superelasticity, TiNi - based materials, Shape Memory Thin Films, Applications, Multiferroic Materials,  Magnetic Shape Memory Materials, Magnetoelectric Composites

Advanced microscopy techniques (MSE 831)
Introduction to TEM and SEM, Hardware, Imaging, Diffraction, Spectroscopy, Electron crystallography, Theory of domain crystals, Advanced analytical techniques, Characterization of magnetic structure, EM in Materials Science, In situ observations, TEM on nanomaterials, Real structure and diffuse scattering, Crystal defects, Combined approach for structure analysis

Micro/Nano Systems Technology and Processes (MSE 856)
Introduction to micro- and nanosystems technology, Cleanroom technology, Optical and electron beam lithography, Thin film deposition: PECVD, sputtering, evaporation, pulse laser deposition, Wet and dry etching, Optical and scanning electron microscope inspection, MEMS materials, MEMS technologies, Doping of silicon, Micromechanical sensors, Piezoelectric transducers, Thermal sensors and actuators, MOEMS, MEMS packaging

Tribology and Lubrication (MSE 872)
Surface Topography, Physico-Chemical Aspects of Solid Surfaces, Surface Interactions, Mechanics of solid contacts, Elastic Contacts, Elastoplastic Contacts, Fracture, Friction, Laws of Friction, Mechanisms of Friction, Friction Space, Stiction, Stick Slip, Surface Temperature, Wear, Adhesive Wear, Delamination Wear, Fretting Wear, Abrasive Wear, Erosive Wear, Corrosive Wear, Mild and Severe Oxidational Wear, Melt Wear, Wear-Mechanism Maps, Lubrication, Boundary Lubrication, Solid-Film Lubrication, Mixed Lubrication, Hydrodynamic Lubrication, Hydrostatic Lubrication, Nanoscale tribology, Interatomic Interactions, Atomic Force Microscope (AFM), Challenges of Tribological Testing at Small Scales, Tribological testing, Common Geometries, Instrumentation and Methods Used for Testing, Influences of Test Parameters, Applications/Case Studies, Sliding Contacts, Rolling Contacts, Bearing Design, Coating Selection. Optional topics include: Electric Contacts, Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS), Design of Tribological Surfaces, and Troubleshooting.

Semiconductor Materials and Processing (MSE 813)
Band theory, Essentials of the Free Electron Gas, Energy Gaps and General Band Structure, Band Structures and Standard Representations, Semiconductor physics, intrinsic properties in equilibrium; Doping, carrier, concentration, mobility, and conductivity, Junctions and devices, Fundamentals of optoelectronics, Materials and radiant recombination, Recombination and luminescence, Doping of compound semiconductors, Wavelength engineering; Light and semiconductors, Total efficiency of light generation, Absorption and emission of light, modulation doping, and quantum effects, Real heterojunctions, Quantum devices, Single and multiple quantum wells, Principles of the semiconductor LASER, LASER conditions; Interaction of light and electrons and inversion; Light amplification in semiconductors, from amplification to oscillation, Second Laser condition, Laser modes, Light emitting devices, Basic requirements and design principles; Products, market, materials, and technologies; Selected LED concepts, Optimizing light confinement and gain in Laser diodes,  Special Semiconductor, Siliconcarbide, Materials aspects and applications.

Solid State Chemistry and Crystallography (723)
Structure of complex materials, Crystallography, Structure determination of bulk Materials, Intermetallic phases, biomaterials, porous materials, silicates, metal organic frameworks, Real structure of solids, Disorder of bulk materials, Theory of real structures with crystallographic group theory, Experimental characterization of disordered materials, Preparative methods for bulk materials, Solid state reactions, Formation of solids from the gas phase, Formation of solids from melts, Preparation of inorganic polymers, Porous and nanostructured materials

Magnetic Materials: Physics and Applications (MSE 824)
Fundamentals of magnetism, Manifestations of magnetism, Magnetic anisotropies, Magnetization processes, Magnetic domains, Soft magnetic materials, Hard magnetic materials, Spin electronics and magnetic recording, Spin transfer torque effect and devices, Advanced magnetic domain observation techniques, Permanent magnet materials for sustainable energy, Magneto caloric materials, Electric field induced changes of magnetism, Manipulation of cells by magnetism, Magnetization dynamics, Micromagnetic calculations, Spin calorics, Biomagnetism

Smart Polymers (MSE 734)
Introduction to smart polymers, Chemical responding polymers, Thermoresponsive polymers, pH sensitive polymers, Electroactive polymers, Light responding polymers, Magnetic responsive polymers, Self-healing polymers, Multiple stimuli polymers, Smart polymer hydrogels, Polymers for drug release, Shape memory polymers,  Conductive polymers, Fire retardant polymers. Their design, structure, properties and characterization. Outlook for the future.

Advanced welding and Joining (MSE 843)
Gas metal arc welding, Advances in GMAW, Process measurements and control, Hybrid processes, Future trends, Tubular cored wire welding, principle, equipment, Advantages and disadvantages, Gas tungsten arc welding, keyhole GTAW process, Future developments, Laser beam welding, process, principle, Application of Laser beam welding, Laser output characteristics, Laser as a machine tool, New developments in Laser welding, Electron beam welding, Electron beam welding machine, Explosion welding, Developments in explosion welding, Capability and limitation, Ultrasonic metal welding, mechanics and metallurgy of ultrasonic welding.

Biomaterials (MSE 878)
Introduction to Biomaterials, Biocompatibility, biocompatibility issues of biomaterials, how to overcome these issues, Bio functionality, In vitro and in vivo testing, Tissue -biomaterial interactions, biological response with bio-materials, Metallic biomaterials, Organic biomaterials, Biomaterials processing and synthesis, Hydroxyapatite (HA) coatings, Materials selection for implants and prostheses, Dental materials, Orthodontic wires Shape memory alloys, Use of ß-Titanium and Ni-Ti alloys as biomaterials, Corrosion and biodegradation of biomaterials, Stress shielding effect, how to overcome stress shielding effects Applications of biomaterials.

Chemical synthesis (MSE 889)
The main objective of this course to get understanding of various synthetic routs coupled with chemical modification methods such as alkylation, sulfonation, esterfication etc, also it covers development and modernization of lightweight materials such as x-aerogels, x-foam, x-nanofiber etc. for aerospace applications.

Note: Depending on the field subject specialization the DBGS can recommend the courses from the MS-list of courses or other relevant courses available in other departments of the IST.

Advanced Characterization Techniques (MSE 631)

Modern methods of materials characterization. X-ray techniques, X-ray diffraction (XRD), X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy (XPS), Optical Microscopy and Spectroscopy, Ellipsometry, Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Raman spectroscopy, Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Scanning Probe Microscopy (SPM), Particle Beam Analysis, Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (SIMS), Rutherford Backscattering Spectroscopy (RBS) 

Finite Element Methods (AAE 732)