Spring 2027

Special Topics in Materials Science

Special Topics in Materials Science covers varying topics where students identify and describe key theories, concepts, and methods in the field.

offering recorded1–3 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Padma Gopalan3.5/5Dane MorganDawei Feng +1 more

Summary

1 / 2

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.91 GPA, 96.4% A/AB (n=28 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.74 GPA, 89.5% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

What you’ll be able to do

  • Identify and describe key theories, concepts, and methods in materials science and engineering

  • Apply key theories, concepts, and methods in materials science and engineering, using appropriate tools, equipment, processes, and/or software

  • Apply, analyze, or evaluate advanced theories, concepts, or methods in materials science and engineering

  • Communicate results in writing, in live presentations, written assignments, or recorded presentations

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

Graduate/professional standing

  • Graduate/professional standing
MS&E 803

This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree
  • Graduate/professional standing

Professors

Spring 2027
Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.14/5 from 7 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2015: 3.89 GPA, 88.9% A/AB (n=9 letter grades); Fall 2016: 3.59 GPA, 88.2% A/AB (n=17 letter grades); Spring 2022: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=2 letter grades).

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2022: 3.94 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=18 letter grades); Fall 2023: 3.88 GPA, 95.0% A/AB (n=20 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.58 GPA, 83.3% A/AB (n=12 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

DANE MORGAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Spring 2025, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DAWEI FENG is recorded teaching in Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

PADMA GOPALAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007, Spring 2008, Fall 2008, Spring 2009, Fall 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Spring 2011, Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
SEM 011Classroom Instruction0 / 100
SEM 012Classroom Instruction0 / 100
SEM 029Classroom Instruction0 / 200
SEM 004Classroom Instruction0 / 80
SEM 053Classroom Instruction0 / 100
SEM 014Classroom Instruction0 / 40

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.91 GPA, 96.4% A/AB (n=28 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.74 GPA, 89.5% A/AB (n=19 letter grades); Spring 2025: 4.00 GPA, 100.0% A/AB (n=6 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

No workload feedback recorded.

Topics

  • Varying topics in materials science
  • Key theories, concepts, and methods in materials science and engineering

Skills

  • Identify and describe key theories, concepts, and methods in materials science and engineering
  • Apply key theories, concepts, and methods in materials science and engineering using tools, equipment, processes, and/or software
  • Apply, analyze, or evaluate advanced theories, concepts, or methods in materials science and engineering
  • Communicate results in writing, live presentations, written assignments, or recorded presentations

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2025— not enough history to project Spring 2027.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Spring 2025

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
MS&E 803 · Spring 2027

Special Topics in Materials Science

Recorded 2026-10-14
MS&E 803 · Spring 2027

Spec Topics In Mat Sci

Recorded 2026-10-14
MS&E 803 · Spring 2027

Fund./Applic. Polymer Blends

Recorded 2026-10-14
MS&E 803 · Spring 2027

Targeted Mat Career Dvlpmt

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:636:012709",
    "course_id": "MS&E 803",
    "course_uid": "course_0d68f02980b08bada2eef591",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "012709",
    "source_subject_id": "636",
    "title": "Special Topics in Materials Science",
    "credits_min": 1,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Occasionally"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:636:012709.14",
    "course_id": "MS&E 803",
    "course_uid": "course_0d68f02980b08bada2eef591",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "012709.14",
    "source_subject_id": "636",
    "title": "Spec Topics In Mat Sci",
    "credits_min": 1,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Occasionally"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:636:012709.29",
    "course_id": "MS&E 803",
    "course_uid": "course_0d68f02980b08bada2eef591",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "012709.29",
    "source_subject_id": "636",
    "title": "Fund./Applic. Polymer Blends",
    "credits_min": 1,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Occasionally"
  },
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:636:012709.30",
    "course_id": "MS&E 803",
    "course_uid": "course_0d68f02980b08bada2eef591",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "012709.30",
    "source_subject_id": "636",
    "title": "Targeted Mat Career Dvlpmt",
    "credits_min": 1,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Occasionally"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews

No records available.

Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "458599c11360b20ac00938fd36dbf159a5792ae9847ca69b408a6dc16f0bbf5f",
  "requirements_status": "valid",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}