The Master of Science in Textile Engineering (DE) degree program offers unique educational and research opportunities within the domain of textile materials, structures, machines and processes. The program is interdisciplinary in nature, drawing upon mathematical sciences, other engineering disciplines and the physical sciences. Current research activities in textile engineering include electro-mechanical design, inventory and supply chain control, studies in thermal and fluid sciences, polymer and fiber science, biomedical applications of textiles, textile composites and pollution prevention. Since our program encompasses such diverse fields of study, many of our students opt to co-major in other programs at NC State. Examples of these co-majors are statistics, biomedical engineering and industrial engineering.
Candidates with a bachelor's degree in textiles, or in a related area, may apply to the master's program.
Plan of Study
Students are held to the same requirements as the on-campus M.S. in Textile Engineering (TE) (Option B), and must follow the rules outlined in the Graduate School Administrative Handbook. In order to obtain a M.S. TE degree under Option B, students must take a minimum of 32 credit hours, including 2 semesters (6 credit hours) of independent study, TE 630, to the satisfaction of the student’s advisor. Students enrolled in this program option will develop a Plan of Graduate Work under the direction of his/her faculty advisor. Students in the Option B programs are not eligible for research assistantships.
M.S. TE Option B (Non-Thesis Degree) Program Requirements:
- A minimum of 32 credit hours is required to fulfill the degree requirements. Of the 32 credits, a minimum of 24 credit hours (8 courses) are required from items 2 and 3 below.
- Students must take a minimum of five 3-credit courses at the ≥500 level that are offered by TECS faculty and have the following prefixes: TE, TMS, TC (PCC), TT, FPS, and TTM.
- Students must take a minimum of four 3-credit engineering courses at the ≥500 level (i.e., courses offered by an engineering department. Note: This includes courses with the TMS prefix).
- Six hours of TE 630 (Independent Study) or approved equivalent independent project courses are required.
- Two semesters of TE 601 (Graduate Seminar) are required.
Note 1: Although classes may count in more than one area, eight classes are still required. For example, a student may take TE 505, TE 565, TE 566, MSE 5XX, TC 5XX, and TT 5XX fulfilling Requirements 2 & 3; however, the student would still need two additional graduate level classes.
Note 2: At least 24 credit hours must be letter graded courses at the 500 level or above.
Note 3: No minor is required.
Note 4: No committee and no final exam are required for this Option B. A Graduate Faculty member will be assigned as an advisor.
Textile engineers apply their understanding of engineering principles to the design, production and testing of textiles and construct materials. Textile engineers are valued for their understanding of the particular requirements of textiles that are manufactured for specific purposes, such as fire retardance, flexibility, durability or comfort. Engineers with a background in textiles are in demand for the product development of textiles and materials for military, firefighting, medical and survival gear, as well as scientific materials for extreme conditions and materials used in laboratories and space exploration. Additionally, textile engineers may find careers in a variety of additional areas such as manufacturing process optimization, supply chain optimization, product testing and quality control.
The Master of Science in Textile Engineering dovetails with materials science and chemistry, meaning graduates may research and develop solutions for the integration of chemistry and materials science. Typical employers include the military, medical science, environmental science and textile manufacturing companies as well as major international clothing/active-wear brands and retailers.