Information
The Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials is internationally known for the excellence of its educational and research programs. Close ties with industry and government agencies are maintained to assure that teaching and research programs remain in step with the rapidly changing science and technology of the area. Knowledge of polymers is a desirable foundation for a career as a professional chemist in industry. More than 80 percent of the industrial chemists work with polymers, and many physicists and engineers also work on polymer-related projects.
Within the broad area of polymers, the department puts special emphasis on coatings. Coatings are encountered so often in everyday life they may be taken for granted. Paint on walls, coatings on the outside of automobiles, aircrafts or space shuttles, liners for the interior of beverage cans, coatings to protect bridges from corrosion, coatings on magnetic tapes and computer chips, and body implants are only a few selected examples. Closely related fields are adhesives, printing inks, plastics, cosmetics, food, and biotechnology. Since only five other universities in the U.S. offer programs in coatings, employment opportunities far exceed the number of graduates. To encourage students to study in the field, companies and organizations fund undergraduate scholarships of up to $2,500 a year. Entering freshmen and transfer students apply for these scholarships through the Office of Admission. Undergraduates already enrolled at NDSU apply to the department chair.
The Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials does not offer an undergraduate major. Undergraduates interested in Coatings and Polymeric Materials are encouraged to pursue a minor in Coatings and Polymeric Materials. The Coatings and Polymeric Materials minor provides excellent preparation for professional employment at the B.S. level and for graduate school. Students are strongly advised to plan their programs so that the entire coatings course (CPM 474, 475) and laboratory sequence (CPM 484, 485 for chemistry majors) (CPM 484 for ME majors) can be taken during the same academic year. Chemistry majors with the Coatings and Polymeric Materials minor are also required to take polymer synthesis (CPM 473) prior to graduation. Coatings and Polymeric Materials offers a major at the graduate level for programs leading to the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Coatings and Polymeric Materials Science.
Last Updated: Thursday, October 26, 2006