Professor Burns was a fantastic lecturer. He can go a bit fast at times but he posts the slides and is willing to help explain (but hopefully you're never super lost because he has a few main ways to explain something and if they don't help then he'll just tell you to look at the textbook). He assigns textbook readings but I never did them, and was perfectly fine. This wasn't the easiest class I've taken, but it definitely was doable and I would recommend. I took this my first semester at UVA and was very glad that I did. Also, Professor Burns provides lots of extra credit at the end of the semester, and I strongly recommend going to class so you are able to access that, because for the majority of the semester my grade was in the mid-80s but then at the end with all the extra credit it went up to a 92. Something really important to note is that it is SUPER helpful to study using the provided old exams. Great class, but be prepared to actually do work.

Professor Burns was just great. He is an amazing lecturer, who really takes the time to make sure everyone understands the material. His slides are thorough and break concepts down with great visuals. Plus, they are all posted online and every lecture is recorded. The class is pretty fast paced, so it is quite a lot of information. But if you do the weekly readings, it is manageable. I would highly recommend this class to anyone. The information learned is helpful in just about any engineering discipline.

Professor Burns is one the best lecturers I've encountered so far. His course is organized intuitively; he is obviously well-versed and experienced in the field; he is well-spoken and lectures fairly well. I went in not knowing what material science is, just taking the course for the requirement. I came out of the course with an appreciation for material science and its applications to our world. Although the content can be daunting at first, if you really take up an interest in the material (no pun intended), you can make it through with an A. Personally, I went in with almost no chemistry background and still made it out fine. Other than that, his tests are straightforward, the textbook is useful, the homework is minimal, and grading is more than fair.

Professor Burns is great! He is a very good lecturer and is good at explaining the material in a clear and organized manner. The class can be challenging. I recommend keepingup with the reading, to understand the material best. Especially since you will have weekly reading quizzes. Tests can be tricky, but overally I think it is a fair class.

I really enjoyed this class! I happen to enjoy the material though, and I know some people really dislike it. Professor Burns is a great professor. The classes are lecture-based, so there's no group work or in-class work, but Burns is an engaging lecturer and he doesn't go too fast (he makes sure that everyone understands before he moves on). He also gives extra credit for class participation, so ask questions in class! There are a few other opportunities for extra credit, so as long as you do the homework and study, you can get an A in this class. He is a fair grader and is friendly and helpful in office hours.

There is an insane amount of material to be covered in this class, and it's very hard to master it all while still working on other classes. This is NOT an easy elective, and if you aren't interested in the material, which is pretty dry, it's even harder.

Burns is a great professor! His lectures are really helpful and he's a cool guy.

Burns is a great professor! As long as you go to lecture and skim the textbook you should be fine. Burns really takes the time to explain the material and he does it well so you'll leave class with a good understanding of the material.