OVERVIEW OF DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Minimum number of credits required to graduate: 120
Minimum Cumulative GPA required to graduate: 2.0
Minimum Grade requirements for courses to count toward major: Students must earn a minimum grade of “C-” in all required courses having the SFR designator.
Other GPA requirements to graduate: None.
Required Course(s) for fulfilling Capstone Experience: SFR 492
Contact Information: Candice Goyette, Student Academic Services Coordinator, 201B Nutting Hall, 581-4737, candice.goyette@maine.edu
The Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) involves multiple academic disciplines and aims to produce professionals with strong abilities to assess and communicate the technical foundations of how forest and other plant-based materials can be sustainably produced and converted for a variety of applications ranging from traditional wood products to emerging sustainable materials and bioenergy systems throughout the entire life-cycle of the products.
Renewable and sustainable feed stocks will increasingly be used to meet societal demands for materials ranging from traditional applications in construction and paper to packaging, composites, electronics, textiles, plastics, and bioenergy development. This change is rooted in benefits of using sustainably grown renewable materials, which can replace non-renewable materials produced from petroleum and mining sources. Benefits of this rapidly emerging 21st century circular bioeconomy include positive contribution to climate change mitigation attributable to the take-up of CO2 from the atmosphere inherent in the growing of trees and plants, lower embodied energy attained from the production of bio-based products, less dependency on fossil fuel-based energy due to the supplementary bioenergy and the co-location of manufacturing enterprises with human communities which provide local jobs and a beneficial environment.
The SMT program outcomes provide a holistic approach to the understanding and application of concepts necessary for product design and the conversion of renewable feed stocks to a wide variety of materials and products. Graduates of the program will gain a mastery of a broad set of skills necessary for success in this broad and rapidly evolving field. The skill areas include fundamentals of wood and plant growth and properties, quantification of sustainability and certification, supply-chain analysis, fundamentals of materials science and technology, principles of converting wood and other renewable materials to building materials, composites, packaging materials, and bioplastics as well as bioenergy, business concepts including market awareness, techno-economics, and statistics, along with key “soft-skills” in communications, team-building, critical thinking, and innovation.
The SMT program combines rigorous academic content with a focus on experiential learning through a series of directed laboratory experiences in world-class facilities such as UMaine’s world-famous Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC), the Forest Bioproducts Research Institute (FBRI), several cutting-edge research laboratories at the School of Forest Resources, internship requirements, involvement of industry, governmental, and non-governmental organization (NGO) partners, as well as field activities.
The Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) program is accredited by the Society of Wood Science and Technology (SWST).
The Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) program at the University of Maine has been developed in response to the need to educate and train necessary workforce for the state and beyond and builds upon the long-lasting reputation of the University of Maine in sustainability related disciplines. Maine’s vibrant sustainable materials industry in combination with large areas of forestland near the University provide additional opportunities for a field-based and industry oriented education. Students are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the numerous opportunities for summer employment with the bioproducts industry. Students in the Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) program have an opportunity to study, interact, and often work with the large number and diverse group of graduate students from around the world who have been attracted to sustainable materials-related studies at the University of Maine. The SMT faculty have active externally funded research programs, and they are involved in various outreach activities for their professions. Students learn from faculty who continually explore and extend the latest knowledge in their areas of expertise, and students meet directly with these faculty for academic advising.
Graduates of the SMT program are prepared for careers in the administration and supervision of sustainable material processing facilities. Specific career areas include: mill supervision and quality control; sustainable material business/marketing, new product development, life-cycle analysis, and sustainable material procurement. Opportunities also exist for graduate education at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels in the newly developed graduate concentration in Bioproducts Engineering.
The SMT program is part of the School of Forest Resources. The School of Forest Resources has the largest scholarship endowment fund on campus for an academic unit, where the School awarded over $500,000 for the 2020-2021 academic year to help support undergraduate studies. Some scholarships are specifically available for students in the Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) program.
Under the New England Regional Student Program, administered through the New England Board of Higher Education, the Bachelor of Science in Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) is open to applicants who reside in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Hampshire, or Vermont for reduced tuition.
The BS in Sustainable Materials and Technology (SMT) curriculum requires completion of 120 credits of coursework. Recognizing the significance of the sustainable materials industries to society, as well as the opportunities for professional employment of highly trained and broadly educated college graduates, the SMT program is designed to provide students with relevant and marketable knowledge and proficiencies in subject areas essential to the conduct of sustainable materials production and applications.
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