The planning grant is to develop the Materials Science and Engineering Program at Boise State, to establish a department management and to review system based upon the continuous improvement process of ABET. The focus is to create a student-centered, innovative undergraduate curriculum, which also reaches out to the general public to promote an understanding of Materials Science and Engineering. The goal while creating this department is to develop an ABET-accredited program that continuously incorporates the best practices in engineering education.
Although the innovations are particularly targeted toward students pursuing a B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering, the courses and the modules developed will be available for other science, math, engineering, and technology (SMET) majors. In addition all new coursework will be made freely available via the web. The program will leverage other activities in the College and University focused on recruitment and retention of underrepresented groups.