材料科学与工程系的任务是为毕业生准备材料科学与工程领域的各种职业。希望扩大学历的本科生可以在各个领域进行专门研究。这些研究包括陶瓷，聚合物，复合材料，纳米结构材料，高温合金，固化，腐蚀，变形处理，焊接，高强度高模量材料，生物材料，电子材料，表面和分子动力学，玻璃科学以及玻璃的研究。许多不同类型的材料的机械和物理特性的起源。通过应用工程，科学和数学原理来识别，制定和解决复杂的工程问题的能力。具有应用工程设计来产生满足特定需求的解决方案的能力，并且要考虑公共卫生，安全和福利以及全球，文化，社会，环境和经济因素
It is the mission of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering to prepare graduates for diverse careers in the fields of materials engineering. Undergraduate students wishing to extend their education can undertake specialized study in a range of fields. These include research in ceramics, polymers, composites, nanostructured materials, high-temperature alloys, solidification, corrosion, deformation processing, welding, high-strength high-modulus materials, biomaterials, electronic materials, surface and molecular kinetics, glass science, and the origin of mechanical and physical properties in many different types of materials.<br><br>While certain objectives of an undergraduate education in engineering are common to all programs, there are subtle but important differences that require some subset of objectives specific to ensuring that all graduates have specialized technical knowledge in their chosen field. Within a few years of graduation Rensselaer's Materials Engineering degree recipients, as graduate students or professionals, will: apply their knowledge and broad set of skills, including those arising from their mastery of the basic principles that underlie contemporary materials science and engineering, towards the goal of creating innovative and impactful solutions for societal needs in a broad range of career paths. continue growth into leadership roles that engage teams in complex tasks, develop new paradigms, systems and/or technologies that positively impact society.