mse.osu.edu

Ohio State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering hosts two separate undergraduate open houses for prospective students: the Materials Science and Engineering Open House on Friday, October 2, 3–6 PM, and the Welding Engineering Open House on Friday, October 9, 3–6 PM. Both are listed on mse.osu.edu under "Undergraduate Programs Open Houses," and each has its own dedicated page linked from the department homepage. If you are considering either major, these events are the department's own scheduled opportunities to visit before applying.

The two open houses at a glance

Both are grouped on the site as Undergraduate Programs Open Houses, which tells you the intended audience: prospective undergraduates weighing these majors, not current students or graduate applicants.

What each event signals about the program

The department pairs each open house with a short tagline, and they are worth reading as positioning rather than decoration:

• Materials Science and Engineering: "One major. Limitless applications." The emphasis is on breadth — the field feeds into many industries rather than one career track.
• Welding Engineering: "100% job placement before graduation." This is the department's own claim about outcomes for that program, and it is the single most concrete thing the homepage says about either major.

If career certainty is your main concern, the welding engineering tagline is the more specific promise. If you want optionality across industries, the materials science framing points that way. Either way, treat both as the department's marketing language and use the open house to test it against what faculty and students actually tell you.

How to find the event pages

1. Go to mse.osu.edu.
2. Look for the Undergraduate Programs Open Houses section on the homepage, marked with double-arrow links.
3. Select either Materials Science and Engineering Open House or Welding Engineering Open House to reach that event's page.

The open houses also appear in the department's Events listing, alongside items like the MSE and WE colloquia and the Ceramic Engineering Alumni Reunion, so the events calendar is a second route to the same information.

What to do before you go

• Confirm the details on the dedicated page. The homepage gives date and time, but the individual open house page is where any registration instructions, location, or agenda would live. Check it rather than relying on the summary listing.
• Decide which event fits you. The two are on different Fridays, so you can attend both if you are undecided between the majors — and given how differently the department describes them, attending both is a reasonable way to compare.
• Prepare questions that the taglines don't answer. "Limitless applications" and "100% job placement" are claims; ask about typical co-op and internship paths, what coursework looks like in the first two years, and where recent graduates actually went.

Common sticking points

• The homepage banner area may show nothing. The site's Hero Banner block currently displays a notice that it has no unexpired banners. That is a content-management artifact, not a sign the events are cancelled — use the open house links and the Events list instead.
• Don't confuse the open houses with the colloquia. Events like the WE Colloquium or MSE Special Seminar are research talks, not prospective-student sessions. The open houses are the undergraduate recruitment events.
• Dates are term-specific. The listings show October 2 and October 9; verify the year and any changes on the event page before making travel plans.

Ohio State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) presents its research identity through two channels on mse.osu.edu: the department's dual focus on materials science and welding engineering, and a news feed that translates faculty and student work into concrete outcomes. The page evidence shows research spanning advanced metal alloys, additive and hybrid manufacturing, welding processes (including in-space welding), quantum materials and devices, and medical implant technology. If you want to understand what the department actually does, the news items and event listings are the most direct evidence — they name specific projects, funding awards, and people rather than describing research in the abstract.

The department's two research pillars

The site's heading pairs "Materials Science and Engineering | Welding Engineering," which signals that research and teaching are organized around both fields rather than materials science alone. This matters for prospective students and collaborators: welding engineering is treated as a distinct discipline with its own colloquium series (WE Colloquium) and its own open house, separate from the MSE seminar and colloquium tracks.

Materials science side

Research topics visible in the page evidence include:

• Advanced metal alloys — the news item on Distinguished University Professor Alan Luo describes work producing "the strongest, lightest metal alloys the world has ever seen."
• Quantum materials and devices — an MSE Colloquium by Mahdi Hosseini covers "Engineering Optical Materials and Devices for Quantum Sensing and Communication," and a separate news item reports an Ohio State–led team securing an NSF award to advance in the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program.
• Thermal properties — the events list includes the International Thermal Conductivity / Thermal Expansion Conferences (ITCC / ITES) 2026.
• Ceramic engineering — a Ceramic Engineering Alumni Reunion appears in the events list, indicating an active ceramics community within the department.

Welding engineering side

• In-space welding — a WE Colloquium by Andrew O'Connor is titled "In-Space Welding at NASA: Recent Progress and Continuing Needs."
• Additive manufacturing and welding metallurgy — a WE Colloquium by Robert Hamlin addresses "Laser Powder Bed Fusion Alloy 625 Gas Tungsten Arc Weld Heat Affected Zone Microcr[acking]" (truncated in the source), tying laser powder bed fusion to weld heat-affected zone behavior.
• Materials joining — a news item notes that "Engineering research extends beyond materials joining for students," and the welding engineering open house page states "100% job placement before graduation."

How the site communicates research impact

The department uses news stories and event listings rather than a static research-areas page to show what its faculty and students are doing. Each news item names a person, a project, or an award, which lets you trace research activity to specific labs and programs. Examples from the page evidence:

The event calendar works the same way: recurring colloquia (MSE Colloquium, MSE Special Seminar, WE Colloquium) show ongoing research exchange, while one-off entries like the ITCC/ITES conference and the Ceramic Engineering Alumni Reunion indicate the department's broader professional network.

What this means if you're evaluating the department

• If you're a prospective undergraduate, the two open houses (Materials Science and Engineering on Friday, October 2, 3–6 PM; Welding Engineering on Friday, October 9, 3–6 PM) are the department's own entry points for learning about programs and research up close.
• If you're looking for research collaboration, the colloquium and seminar listings name visiting and internal speakers by topic, which is a practical way to identify who works on alloys, additive manufacturing, quantum devices, or welding processes.
• If you're tracking funding and recognition, the news feed surfaces NSF awards and named professorships, but it does not publish a consolidated research-areas directory or funding totals on the page evidence provided.

One caveat: the page evidence includes placeholder text noting that a Hero Banner block has no unexpired banners, so some promotional content may be missing or rotating. The news and event entries themselves are dated and specific, which makes them the more reliable signal of current research activity.

Ohio State's Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) offers two distinct undergraduate majors: Materials Science and Engineering and Welding Engineering. Both sit within the same department, and the site promotes them together through separate open house events — MSE on Friday, October 2, 3–6 PM, and Welding Engineering on Friday, October 9, 3–6 PM. If you are choosing between the two, the clearest signal on the site is how each is framed: MSE is presented as "one major, limitless applications," while Welding Engineering is promoted with "100% job placement before graduation."

The two undergraduate majors

Materials Science and Engineering

The department's open house page describes MSE as "one major. Limitless applications." That framing points to a broad, fundamentals-driven field: the study of how materials are structured and how that structure determines their properties and performance. It is the kind of major that feeds into many industries rather than one narrow career track.

Welding Engineering

Welding Engineering is listed as a separate major with its own open house. The site's headline claim for it is "100% job placement before graduation," which signals a program tightly connected to industry demand. It is not a sub-track of MSE on this page — it is presented as a parallel undergraduate option.

How the two compare at a glance

Both are described under the department's "Undergraduate Programs Open Houses" heading, so they are undergraduate-entry programs rather than graduate-only offerings.

Beyond the majors: seminars and research activity

The department is also active in research and public programming, which is useful context if you are evaluating it as a place to study. The site's events list includes recurring colloquia and seminars, such as:

• WE Colloquium talks, including "In-Space Welding at NASA: Recent Progress and Continuing Needs" and a session on laser powder bed fusion Alloy 625 welding
• MSE Colloquium and MSE Special Seminar talks, including "New Alloy Development for Hybrid Additive Manufacturing for Turbine Components" and "Engineering Optical Materials and Devices for Quantum Sensing and Communication"
• Conferences and reunions such as the International Thermal Conductivity / Thermal Expansion Conferences and the Ceramic Engineering Alumni Reunion

News items on the site cover related research and people, including work on strong, lightweight metal alloys, summer internship programs that expose high school students to manufacturing science, wireless medical implants, and a National Quantum Virtual Laboratory award.

What this means for a prospective student

• If you want a broad materials foundation that can lead into many industries, the MSE major is the one the site frames that way.
• If direct employment outcomes matter most to you, Welding Engineering is the one the site highlights with a job placement claim.
• If you want to see the department in person before deciding, the two open houses are the concrete entry points — note they fall on different dates (October 2 and October 9).

For current details on degree requirements, admission steps, and any updates to the open house schedule, check the department's own pages directly, since dates and program details can change.

The department's homepage at mse.osu.edu carries both a News section and an Events section, and those two blocks are where you'll find faculty research stories, student features, colloquia, seminars, and conferences. The listings are short previews rather than full archives, so treat the homepage as a starting point and follow each item for details.

The News section

News items appear as dated headlines, newest first. From the snapshot reviewed, the mix spans research, people, and programs:

• Faculty research — e.g., "2026 Distinguished University Professor Alan Luo produces the strongest, lightest metal alloys the world has ever seen" (September 8, 2026) and "New technology could allow wireless medical implants to be built inside the body" (July 10, 2026).
• Student and outreach programs — e.g., "Summer internship programs at Ohio State expose high school students to the science behind manufacturing" (August 28, 2026).
• Department and college news — e.g., "Shanker named interim dean of Ohio State Engineering" (July 29, 2026) and "Dean Howard named president of Spelman College" (June 5, 2026).
• Research funding and initiatives — e.g., "Ohio State–led team secures NSF award to advance to next phase of the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program" (June 29, 2026).

A More News link sits at the end of the list, which is the route to older items.

The Events section

Events are listed with dates and titles, covering technical talks, alumni gatherings, and larger conferences. Examples from the listing:

Two recurring series are worth recognizing: MSE Colloquium and WE Colloquium (Welding Engineering). Both bring in outside speakers on current research, and the titles above show the range — space welding, additive manufacturing, quantum sensing, and welding metallurgy.

How to use these listings

• For research talks: scan the Events block for MSE or WE Colloquium entries, then open the individual event for time, location, and abstract.
• For prospective students: the Events block also surfaces admissions-relevant items such as the Materials Science and Engineering Open House (Friday, October 2, 3–6 PM) and the Welding Engineering Open House (Friday, October 9, 3–6 PM).
• For alumni and industry: the Ceramic Engineering Alumni Reunion and the ITCC/ITES conference show that the calendar extends beyond campus seminars.

One caveat visible on the page itself: the hero banner area reports that it has no unexpired banners configured, so promotional highlights may be missing at times. The News and Events blocks are the more reliable places to check for current activity.

mse.osu.edu is the website of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at The Ohio State University, which also houses Welding Engineering. It is an academic department site, not a commercial or product page: its purpose is to present the department's undergraduate programs, news, and events. If you are a prospective student comparing majors, a current student looking for seminars and deadlines, or someone checking what research the department publicizes, this is the official source. The site itself does not sell anything, and the available evidence shows no pricing or payment information.

What the department covers

The site's heading pairs two connected fields under one department:

• Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) — the study of how the structure and processing of materials determine their properties and performance.
• Welding Engineering — materials joining, treated here as a distinct engineering discipline with its own program and events.

The two are presented as separate undergraduate paths rather than one combined major, each with its own open house and its own colloquium series.

Undergraduate programs and open houses

The homepage highlights two undergraduate open houses, which is the clearest signal of what the department recruits for:

Both are listed under a shared "Undergraduate Programs Open Houses" heading, so a prospective student can attend either or both. The taglines are the department's own framing, not independent outcome data — treat the welding engineering placement claim as a departmental statement.

News and research the site publicizes

The news section mixes faculty honors, student programs, and research announcements. Examples from the listed items:

• A Distinguished University Professor described as producing "the strongest, lightest metal alloys the world has ever seen."
• Summer internship programs that expose high school students to the science behind manufacturing.
• A project on building wireless medical implants inside the body.
• An Ohio State–led team advancing in the National Quantum Virtual Laboratory program.
• Research on materials joining that extends beyond the lab for students.

This range is useful context: the department's public-facing identity spans metallurgy, manufacturing, biomedical devices, and quantum-related materials work, not a single specialty.

Events and seminars

The events list shows the recurring formats you can expect to find on the site:

• WE Colloquium — welding engineering talks, e.g., a NASA presentation on in-space welding and a talk on laser powder bed fusion of Alloy 625.
• MSE Colloquium and MSE Special Seminar — materials-focused talks, e.g., alloy development for hybrid additive manufacturing of turbine components, and engineering optical materials for quantum sensing and communication.
• Conferences and reunions — the International Thermal Conductivity / Thermal Expansion Conferences (ITCC / ITES) 2026 and a Ceramic Engineering Alumni Reunion.

Colloquia are typically open departmental seminars; if you want to attend, check the individual event listing for location and any registration requirement, since the homepage excerpt does not include those details.

How to use the site

1. Prospective undergraduates — start with the open house pages for MSE and Welding Engineering to get dates and program framing, then compare the two majors before choosing.
2. Current students and researchers — use the events list to track colloquia and conferences; these are where visiting speakers and departmental announcements appear.
3. Anyone checking the department's public profile — the news section is the fastest way to see what faculty and students are being recognized for.

One practical note: parts of the homepage are template-driven. The hero banner area displays placeholder text when no banner is active, so an empty-looking section does not mean the page is broken or the department is inactive — the news and events below it are the substantive content.