UC San Diego Materials Science & Engineering Grad Students
Comprehensive Exam
The Comprehensive Exam is taken soon after the Spring Quarter of the first year of study and is based on the core courses and your 2 chosen MATS program-specific electives.
In previous years the test has taken the form of 2 questions based on the material covered in the 4 core courses and 2 MATS elective courses of the student's choice. (12 total, but this can vary)
In some years collective efforts are made to reach out to professors to provide practice questions. Additionally, one may want to study for the exam with the rest of their cohort.
For both of these causes, we suggest joining the MATS Discord to organize this collectively while simultaneously connecting with your cohort:
Also, for official information reach out to academic advising or check the UCSD MATS website: www.matsci.ucsd.edu