Contact Information
NDSU started offering polymer and coatings chemistry courses in 1906. Of the few universities around the world which offer training that focuses on special polymers used in coatings, NDSU has the longest and most extensive experience. Over the decades, the Department of Coatings and Polymeric Materials has established a worldwide reputation for education and research; as well as enhancing international diversity through interactions between students and research/administration staff with leading companies and universities in the United States and abroad. Today, there is a growing shortage of polymer and coatings scientists at all degree levels; therefore, providing Coatings and Polymeric Materials graduates with abundant job opportunities. NDSU graduates, at all levels, are especially sought after by coating and chemical/polymer industries, and are employed by major coatings, polymer, chemical, biomedical, electronic, and petroleum companies, with many graduates attaining upper management positions. At the undergraduate level, we now offer a Coatings and Polymeric Materials minor. This no longer limits the undergraduate students in the program to be chemistry or mechanical engineering majors. At the graduate level, MS and Ph.D. degrees are offered in Coatings and Polymeric Materials Science.
Program Status
The faculty includes individuals with an abundance of experience in the coatings and chemical industries, as well as fundamental and practical expertise in surface vibrational spectroscopy, polymer characterization, polymer rheology, coating design, surface chemistry, organic chemistry of reactive polymers, and polymer synthesis. Staff members are in demand as consultants and speakers in the US, Europe, and Asia.
The department works closely with the coatings and chemical industries, their suppliers, and customers to assure relevance of the programs to current needs. An Industrial Advisory Committee composed of 31 prominent industry people meets annually with staff and students. Its members critique the program and provide assistance ranging from technical information to job placement advice. Companies represented on the Industrial Advisory Board include:
Angus Chemical Company, Ford Motor Company, Armstrong World Industries, GE Plastics, BASF Corporation, ICI/Glidden Paints, Bayer Corporation, 3M, Boeing Commercial Airline Group Company; Springfield, MA, Corning, Inc., PPG Industries, Inc., Cytec Industries, Inc., Rohm and Hass Company, Datacolor International, Union Carbide Corporation, Dexter Packaging Products, Valspar Corporation, E.I., DuPont, de Nemours & Company, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base