1. Name and Address of Reporting Person
   MITSCH, DR. RONALD A.
   FOUR SHADOW LANE
   NORTH OAKS, MN 55127
2. Issuer Name and Ticker or Trading Symbol
   MATERIAL SCIENCES CORPORATION (MSC)
3. IRS or Social Security Number of Reporting Person (Voluntary)
4. Statement for Month/Day/Year
   03/01/2003
5. If Amendment, Date of Original (Month/Day/Year)
6. Relationship of Reporting Person(s) to Issuer (Check all applicable)
   (X) Director                   ( ) 10% Owner
   ( ) Officer (give title below) ( ) Other (specify below)
7. Individual or Joint/Group Filing (Check Applicable Line)
   (X) Form filed by One Reporting Person
   ( ) Form filed by More than One Reporting Person

TABLE I -- Non-Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+------------------------------+----------+----------+---------+--------------------------+--------------+-----------+------------+
|1. Title of Security          |2. Trans- |2A.Execu- |3. Trans-|4. Securities Acquired (A)|5. Amount of  |6. Owner-  |7. Nature   |
|                              |   action |   action |   action|   or Disposed of (D)     |Securities    |   ship    |   of In-   |
|                              |   Date   |   Date   |   Code  |                          |Beneficially  |   Form:   |   direct   |
|                              |          |          |         |                          |Owned         |   Direct  |   Bene-    |
|                              |  (Month/ |  (Month/ |         |                          |Following     |   (D) or  |   ficial   |
|                              |   Day/   |   Day/   +-----+---+-----------+---+----------+Reported      |   Indirect|   Owner-   |
|                              |   Year)  |   Year)  |Code |V  |Amount     |A/D|Price     |Transaction(s)|   (I)     |   ship     |
+------------------------------+----------+----------+-----+---+-----------+---+----------+--------------+-----------+------------+
                                                                                        
Common Stock                                                                               2000           D





TABLE II -- Derivative Securities Acquired, Disposed of, or Beneficially Owned

+----------+--------+-------+-------+---------+-----------+---------------------+----------------+----------+-------+-------+------+
|1.        |2.      |3.     |3A.    |4.       |5.         |6.                   |7.              |8.        |9.     |10.    |11.   |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Number |Owner- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |of     |ship   |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |                |          |Deriv- |Form of|      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |Title and Amount|          |ative  |Deriv- |      |
|          |        |       |       |         |           |                     |of Underlying   |          |Secur- |ative  |Nature|
|          |Conver- |Trans- |Execu- |         |Number of  |                     |Securities      |          |ities  |Secur- |of    |
|          |sion or |action |tion   |         |Derivative |Date Exercisable     +-------+--------+          |Benefi-|ity:   |In-   |
|          |Exercise|Date   |Date   |         |Securities |and Expiration Date  |       |Amount  |          |cially |Direct |direct|
|          |Price of|       |       |Transac- |Acquired(A)|(Month/Day/Year)     |       |or      |          |Owned  |(D) or |Bene- |
|Title of  |Deriv-  |(Month/|(Month/|tion Code|Disposed(D)+----------+----------+       |Number  |Price of  |       |In-    |ficial|
|Derivative|ative   | Day/  | Day/  +------+--+-----+-----+Date Exer-|Expira-   |       |of      |Derivative|       |direct |Owner-|
|Security  |Security|Year)  |Year)  |Code  |V |(A)  |(D)  |cisable   |tion Date |Title  |Shares  |Security  |       |(I)    |ship  |
+----------+--------+-------+-------+------+--+-----+-----+----------+----------+-------+--------+----------+-------+-------+------+
                                                                                
Phantom     $0       03/01/2         A         2930                          Common  2930     $0.0000    6340    D
Stock                003                                                     Stock
Phantom     $8.8                                                                 Common                      3004    D
Stock                                                                            Stock
Stock       $7.1875                                                   12/16/2004 Common                      1566    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $8.375                                                    12/16/2005 Common                      4777    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $10.18                                                    12/16/2011 Common                      3930    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $12                                                       12/16/2004 Common                      3334    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $14.05                                                    12/16/2012 Common                      2847    D
Option                                                                           Stock
Stock       $14.4375                                                  03/01/2005 Common                      3117    D
Option                                                                           Stock

Explanation of Responses:


Deferred stock units granted pursuant to the 2001 Compensation Plan for
Non-Employee Directors.  Stock units are deferred until
receipt on July
26, 2004, as specified by the director.

The phantom stock units (deferred stock units) were issued pursuant to the 2001
Non-Employee Directors Compensation Plan.  The units vest ratably over a nine
month period as follows:  25% on grant date, 25% three months from grant date,
25% six months from grant date, and 25% nine months from grant date.



SIGNATURE OF REPORTING PERSON
/s/ DR. RONALD A. MITSCH

DATE
03/04/2003