The department offers programs of graduate study both in Materials Science and in Metallurgical Engineering. Graduate students may choose one of these programs depending on their desired emphasis, their undergraduate training and the research topic chosen. In the Materials Science program students may pursue studies in Polymeric Materials, Metallic Materials, Ceramic Materials, or other materials such as Composites and Biomaterials. The main emphasis is on the investigation of the structure at the molecular and atomic level and relating it to macroscopic properties of these materials such as strength, phase transitions, or adhesion.