MSc Advanced Materials Science

This MSc programme has been tailored-made to provide you with the scientific and commercial expertise in advanced materials to design innovative, problem solving, sustainable materials for the commercial world.

The IMD has a wide range of industrial connections from various sectors: from aviation to oil and gas, solar energy to biomedical. You will gain first-hand insight from these industry experts through guest lecturers and research projects.

Is this course for you?

Do you want a future career as a materials scientist? Or perhaps as an engineer? Whether you want to remain in academia or move into the industry this course will provide you with essential materials-research experience!

Designed for students from a range of backgrounds who are interested in a career discovering advanced materials:

• Materials Science
• Chemistry
• Physics
• Polymer Science
• Biology

What topics are covered?

Fundamental materials knowledge

• Metals
• Alloys
• Ceramics
• Nanomaterials
• Polymers
• Coatings
• Soft materials
• Composites

Practical knowledge in

• Processing & manufacturability
• Performance characterisation
• Life cycle design
• Medical device certification

Materials applications including

• Wearable electronics
• Personalised healthcare
• Adaptive materials
• Sustainable energy

Mastering Entrepreneurship

• Targeting specific advanced materials markets
• Identify potential products

What core skills are developed?

Enhanced transferable skills: learn from real-life case studies and student-led group projects :

• Analysis of academic-commercial and landscape
• Effective and efficient critical data analysis
• Productive and collaborative teamwork and effective communication skills

Managerial skills & entrepreneurship: work with academic experts and commercial leaders

• Commercially relevant product development and project management
• Problem-solving, creative thinking and innovation process
• Basic financial skills

Core Modules

• Advanced Materials Characterisation
• Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing
• Materials Design, Selection and Discovery
• Microstructural Control in Materials Science
• Research Methodology

Options

Students choose one or two optional modules to a total value of 30 credits from the following:

• Advanced Topics in Energy Science and Materials (15 credits)
• Biomaterials Applications (15 credits)
• Mastering Entrepreneurship (15 credits)
• Materials and Fatigue/Fracture Analysis (15 credits)
• Nanoscale Processing and Characterisation for Advanced Devices (15 credits)
• Simulation Methods in Materials Chemistry (30 credits)

Dissertation/report

All students undertake a literature project and a research project an independent research project which culminates in a 20-minute oral presentation and a dissertation of 10,000 to 12,000 words.

Teaching and Learning

Teaching is delivered by lectures, interactive tutorials, case discussions, and modelling projects. Assessment is by a combination of ongoing coursework, presentations, a group project and/or a written examination, a dissertation and a viva voce.

Entry Requirements

A minimum of a second-class Bachelor's degree from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.

English Language Requirements

If your education has not been conducted in the English language, you will be expected to demonstrate evidence of an adequate level of English proficiency.

The English language level for this programme is: Good

The UCL Institute for Materials Discovery (IMD) has relationships across the 3 faculties within the BEAMS school: the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MAPS) , the Faculty of Engineering Science , and the Bartlett , and also with the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre .

UCL ’s world-leading research in new materials and related areas that span a wide range of disciplines across the institution:

• to integrate fundamental chemistry, physics, materials, engineering and biological principles across the disciplines
• to create new opportunities in materials creation, discovery and exploitation for the development of clean energy, nanotechnology, engineering and biomedicine technologies.
• to accelerate and integrate materials discovery, together with sustainable and economical processing into novel products and applications

The Expertise

Focus on delivery

The IMD is focused on delivering the next generation of advanced materials designed to tackle the major global problems in:

• Energy
• Healthcare
• Telecommunication
• Transport

The People

To carry out this research the IMD has a core team of researchers and a wider community of collaborators and partners: find out more on our People page.

Research Partners

When all of this experience is combined the IMD can call on materials pioneers with experience in a vast and wide-ranging spectrum of fields from chemistry to mathematics, engineering to medicine!

Core Strategies

With five core strategies the IMD intends to deliver step-changes in advanced materials:

• Integrating the fundamental principles of chemistry, physics, materials science, engineering and biology
• Utilising a combination of computational, experimental and engineering research
• Combining sustainability with economic viability to develop processing technologies
• Working alongside industry to consider the commercial impact and meet current and future needs
• Considering materials development from theory through to scale-up demonstration to maximise efficiency