Bridging Borders: MSE Education Around the World

Introduction

The trend of globalization has connected billions of people and firms all around the planet, and, in fact, global exports today are about 40 times what they used to be in 1913. But how does transcending international borders impact science & technology (1)?

Globalization plays a paramount role in prompting science innovation by facilitating collaboration. It gives rise to varying perspectives, global research databases and large-scale research projects, helping to solve critical worldwide issues faster than ever (2). Moreover, international collaboration gives students an opportunity to study and work in a country of choice, boosting their career prospects and global awareness.

Globalization is crucial for facilitating scientific collaboration. Credit: freepik

One field that drives the inventions of tomorrow is Material Science and Engineering (from here on MSE). This area of study seeks to enhance our lives with novel materials, examining their structure, properties, processing and performance. Standing at the intersection of multiple disciplines (namely chemistry, physics and engineering), MSE is growing very rapidly all around the world.

But what’s fascinating is how the culture and education systems of different countries give this field a unique shade in each of those societies. Local industries and cultural priorities, as though coloured brushstrokes, shape the MSE curriculum of a given country. For instance, Russia’s extensive history in mining and abundant natural resources (metal ore) have laid the foundation for its strong emphasis on metallurgy, encompassing specialized university departments and research (3).

This article will provide valuable insights for students considering studying MSE domestically or abroad, as well as presenting an outlook of the MSE education systems and their impacts around the world to anyone interested in the current global environment.

MSE is taught everywhere around the world!

The Conversation

What are the exact differences, strengths and weaknesses of the MSE education in each country? Join Kate Biryukova, a British curriculum student based in Russia, and Nik Suravarjjala, a representative of the U. S. curriculum from California, in their peer-to-peer conversation about material learning in Russia and the USA.

How did MSE first become a formal field of study in your country?

Russia (Kate): The evolution of MSE in Russia is very closely intertwined with the development of metallurgy, especially in relation to the mining and oil industries. In 1763, M. V. Lomonosov, known as the “Father of Russian Science”, became the first Russian scientist who attempted to explain the processing of materials through physical and chemical principles. This emerged as his work “The First Foundation of Metallurgy, or Mining”, initiating a series of breakthroughs in MSE in Russia that would continue for centuries.

In the 1940s, Russia, as many countries around the world at the time, saw a growing recognition of material science as a distinct field (4). However, it was not until 1991 that an MSE department was first established at a Russian university. Curiously enough, the location of this department was no other than the Lomonosov Moscow State University, named in honor of one of the Russian founders of Material Science (5).

USA (Nik): In the US, MSE evolved out of separate disciplines like metallurgy, ceramics, and polymer science, which were once taught in different engineering departments. The rapid growth of electronics, aerospace, and biomedical industries in the mid-to-late 20th century pushed universities to merge these specialties into a single, interdisciplinary field. By the 1980s, most major research universities had established formal MSE departments, often aligned with both engineering and applied science schools.

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