PhD Materials Science and Engineering at Duke University

Programme overview

The University Program in Materials Science and Engineering is a multi-disciplinary graduate programme within the Graduate School, accommodating MS and PhD students from varied backgrounds and involving faculty from eight departments in the Pratt School of Engineering and Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. It is a core component of the Duke Materials Initiative.

Faculty: The Graduate School | Department: University Program in Materials Science and Engineering | Intake: Fall | Study mode: full-time | Location: Durham, NC, United States

What you will study

Shared curricular experiences including a participation-based graduate seminar and an experiential fabrication and characterization course in the Shared Materials Instrumentation Facility.

Official programme page

Application information

Entry requirements

PhD applicants must apply to and be accepted by a home department first (Biology, Biomedical Engineering, Chemistry, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, Mechanical Engineering and Materials Science, or Physics) and then choose to participate in the programme. Terms, deadlines and application requirements follow those of the home department. No writing sample required.

Requirements published at program group level.

Graduate School Ph.D. programmes list application deadlines for students beginning graduate study in fall 2027.

The Occupational Therapy Doctorate starts in August for applicants admitted in both the fall and spring rounds.

Fall 2027 Ph.D. deadlines (11:59 p.m. Eastern): most programmes 12/01/2026 including Biochemistry, Biology, Biostatistics, Cell and Molecular Biology, Chemistry, Classical Studies, Immunology and Physics; Computer Science, Civil and Environmental Engineering, Environmental Policy, History, Mathematics, Philosophy, Religion and Statistical Science 12/15/2026; English 12/08/2026; Economics 01/06/2027; Earth and Climate Sciences and Music 01/07/2027; Nursing 11/19/2026; Business Administration 12/14/2026; Political Science and Sociology 12/17/2026; Romance Studies 12/30/2026. Computational Media, Arts and Cultures and Public Policy Studies are not accepting applications for 2027 enrollment.

Occupational Therapy Doctorate 2026-27 application deadlines: Fall round Thursday, October 8, 2026; Spring round Tuesday, January 12, 2027 (applications through OTCAS). Fall applicants are notified the first week of December 2026 and spring applicants the first week of March 2027.

Apply through the official page: https://gradschool.duke.edu/admissions/

Explore more study programmes

Engineering