About UMC

The University Materials Council (UMC) is the association of department heads and chairs leading the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) departments and programs across the United States and Canada. Active since at least the 1980s, the Council today represents more than 140 member departments and programs. Materials scientists and engineers are essential to nearly every new technology, and the MSE departments represented by the UMC educate the leaders who will drive technological change across industry, government, and academia.

The UMC serves its members in two complementary ways. As a forum, it brings department leaders together to exchange ideas and best practices, helping MSE education continually adapt to new opportunities and challenges. As an advocate, it represents the interests of MSE departments to professional societies, accreditation organizations, industry associations, and governmental and non-governmental bodies.

In support of these functions, the Council works to:

• Help define and influence new directions for the field
• Promote the field and strengthen its educational foundation
• Foster improvements in the number and quality of students entering the field

To ground these efforts in data, the UMC conducts regular surveys benchmarking enrollments, degrees awarded, faculty salaries, research funding, and graduate stipends, and discusses the resulting trends at its meetings. The Council also maintains liaison with leading materials societies and with bodies such as the National Materials Advisory Board (NMAB) and the Federation of Materials Societies (FMS).

The UMC meets twice each year, with details available on the Meetings page.