Materials Science Graduate Program: Graduate Education on Soft Matter Science

We are now accepting Fall 2025 applications. 

Conventional liquid crystal displays were invented at the Liquid Crystal Institute at Kent State. While the Institute has recently changed its name to the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute, the Institute remains an internationally recognized center of excellence in both fundamental science and technology applications of this elusive state of matter. Our graduate program is a small one, with fewer than ten students entering each fall, and our alumni are in high demand—both in industry and in academia. 

If you want to learn about opportunities for graduate study at the Advanced Materials and Liquid Crystal Institute (AMLCI) at Kent State, you've come to the right place.

We offer both masters and Ph.D. options in our Materials Science Graduate Program (MSGP). These options focus on liquid crystal science and technology, an exciting interdisciplinary field open to students with backgrounds in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering and materials science.

Financial support is available to selected students for the Ph.D. track. Applications are due on January 15th for the Ph.D. track and April 15th for the Masters' program. Post-deadline applications for the Masters' program will continue to be reviewed.

Chances are good that the cell phone, music player, or GPS you may have in your pocket, the television you last watched, and perhaps even the computer screen on which you might be reading this message, were all made with technology developed here at Kent. The liquid crystal display (LCD) might even have been designed or manufactured by one of our graduates.

As you might expect, the science and technology of LCD's and non-linear optics are among our hottest research areas. But while the global market for displays is of order $100 billion annually, LCD's represent only one aspect of liquid crystal science. There are many more applications to pursue, each of which also has the potential to create the same economic impact. Liquid crystal rubber flexes and twists like an artificial muscle when exposed to light, heat, or electric fields. Biosensors made with liquid crystals provide exquisite sensitivity to the presence of harmful bacteria. Liquid crystal organic photovoltaic materials promise to improve the efficiency of solar energy conversion. Many of our grad students earn not only a diplomas but also patents for their work in developing these exciting innovations.