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Advanced Materials Science and Engineering
Specialise in materials for energy transition and develop your passion for exploring and creating innovative materials.
Study this professionally accredited degree and foster your interest in exploring and creating innovative materials
Access high-level knowledge by working alongside our established research groups
Produce a specially designed independent project within an active research area
Course key facts
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Qualification
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MSc
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Duration
1 year
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Start date
October 2023
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Study mode
Full-time
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Fees
£16,600 Home
£38,600 Overseas
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Delivered by
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Location
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South Kensington
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Minimum entry standard 2023
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2:1 degree in materials, mechanical/civil/chemical engineering, physics or chemistry
Course overview
Learn how to solve problems in materials science on this Master's course, designed to suit talented engineers and scientists with a passion for understanding and creating innovative materials.
You'll acquire core knowledge of materials science and engineering that can be applied to a wide range of materials-based careers. This flexible programme covers many aspects of both the science of materials and engineering applications through coursework and original research components.
You'll advance your understanding of the characterisation of materials, in particular their structural, thermal, morphological and chemical properties.
This course also offers you the chance to work on real research projects as part of established research groups. This collaborative work will see you design, assess, implement and review solutions to real-life engineering problems.
You will be given the option to specialise in materials for the energy transition, and if you meet the additional criteria will be eligible for the following extra annotation on your degree certificate: Specialising in Materials for the Energy Transition.
Structure
This page is updated regularly to reflect the latest version of the curriculum. However, this information is subject to change.
Find out more about potential course changes.
You’ll take all of these core modules.
If you’ve previously taken the first two modules on an undergraduate Materials degree at Imperial, then you must take the alternative form.
Core modules
Gain a firm foundation in the fundamentals of the characterisation of the structure of materials.
Become familiar with a selection of important modelling techniques and use these methods to perform simulations.
Obtain the knowledge and skills needed to support your research project, including opportunities to attend and report on current research seminars.
Extend your learning from the Characterization of the Structure of Materials module by using the material in that course to carry out a small project.
This is available only to students who have already taken Characterization of the Structure of Materials.
Extend your learning from the Theory and Simulation of Materials module by using the material in that course to carry out a small project.
This is available only to students who have already taken Theory and Simulation of Materials.
You’ll choose five optional modules from the list provided.
You will only be assessed on four.
General optional modules
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Draw together key concepts within the ‘“processing-microstructure-properties-performance’” domain to consider the opportunities and challenges of using engineering alloys in real components. |
Assess the main methods and fundamental principles used for the processing of engineering and glass ceramics and understand the factors that influence their mechanical properties.
Investigate the fundamentals of nanoscience and how it can be applied in technological devices.
Build your foundational knowledge of biomaterials and explore the materials needed for various medical applications and how to synthesise and characterise them.
Engage with the modelling of materials with density-functional theory and learn how to compute the properties of real materials from first principles.
Examine aspects of processing through to resultant microstructure and properties and consider alloy structural behaviour and performance in service.
Gain insights into the emerging applications of nanotechnology through a series of topically relevant case studies and explore its impact on human health.
Review microstructural aspects of the behaviour of major ceramic families and examine the factors that control stability, mechanical performance and damage accumulation under service conditions.
Discover the latest developments in hard tissue biology and learn how to describe the main classes of natural polymers, their structure and their applications.
Analyse modern developments in tissue engineering, and the principles on which they are based.
Materials for the Energy Transition modules
Discover the materials in electronic devices used to emit, transmit and detect light and how these elements can be combined to create integrated systems.
Appreciate the fundamental science governing the electronic and ionic conductivity of metal oxides and use this knowledge to describe the operation of devices based on these properties.
Gain a thorough overview of the typical analytical techniques used to characterise surfaces and buried interfaces.
Develop an appreciation of materials issues associated with nuclear reactor technology and how this information is used when designing reactor systems.
Advance your knowledge of the chemical and chemical engineering processes associated with the production of nuclear fuel, the operation of nuclear reactors and the processing of nuclear waste.
Improve your understanding of the reactor physics of nuclear reactors, including neutron conservation, neutron diffusion, and other reactivity feedback mechanisms.
Explore the thermal hydraulics of nuclear reactors and associated issues in fluid mechanics.
Undertake a significant independent investigation of a research topic and present the results in a report and talk.
You’ll also learn about the ethics of research.
Professional accreditation
This course is professionally accredited by The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining.
Achieving a professionally accredited degree demonstrates to employers that you have achieved an industry-recognised standard of competency. It also brings international recognition of your qualification, which is particularly useful for students preparing for a career abroad.
Our accreditation agreement with The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining is renewed every 5 years, and the current agreement runs between 2018 and 2022.
Teaching and assessment
Balance of teaching and learning
Key
- Lectures
- Workshops
- Independent study
- 7% Lectures
- 2% Workshops
- 91% Independent study
Teaching and learning methods
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Laboratory work
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Lectures
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Oral presentations and small group discussions
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Practical sessions
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Tutorials
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Written reports
Balance of assessment
Key
- Coursework
- Examinations
- 70% Coursework
- 30% Examinations
Assessment methods
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Coursework
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Examination
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Practical
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Research project
Entry requirements
We consider all applicants on an individual basis, welcoming students from all over the world.
How to apply
Apply online
You can submit one application form per year of entry. You can choose up to two courses.
Application deadlines – Round 2 closes on Friday 31 March 2023
We operate a staged admissions process with several application rounds throughout the year.
Apply by midnight (UK time) on the relevant application round deadline to ensure that you receive the outcome of your application by the decision date.
We recommend applying as early as you can – we cannot guarantee that places will be available, or that courses will remain open, in later rounds.
Application rounds
Round 1
- Apply by 20 January 2023
- Decision by 10 March 2023
Round 2
- Apply by 31 March 2023
- Decision by 12 May 2023
Round 3
- Apply by 26 May 2023
- Decision by 27 July 2023
If you are applying for a taught Master’s course, you will need to pay an application fee before submitting your application.
The fee applies per application and not per course:
- £80 for all taught Master's applications excluding those to the Imperial College Business School
- £100 for all MSc applications to the Imperial College Business School
- £150 for MBA applications to the Imperial College Business School
There is no application fee for MRes courses, Postgraduate Certificates, Postgraduate Diplomas or research courses, such as PhDs and EngDs.
If you are facing financial hardship and are unable to pay the application fee, we encourage you to apply for our application fee waiver.
Find out more about how to apply for a Master's course, including references and personal statements.
Unless you are from an exempt nationality, you will need an ATAS certificate to obtain your visa and study this course.
Nationals from the following countries are exempt: Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, USA and EEA members.
Use this information when applying for an ATAS certificate to study this course:
- CAH code: CAH10-03-02
- Descriptor: Materials technology
- Supervisor name: Professor Sandrine Heutz
Get guidance and support for obtaining an ATAS certificate.
Tuition fees
Home fee
2023 entry
£16,600
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the College, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2022-23 entry, the maximum amount is £11,836. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Overseas fee
2023 entry
£38,600
You should expect and budget for your fees to increase each year.
Your fee is based on the year you enter the College, not your year of study. This means that if you repeat a year or resume your studies after an interruption, your fees will only increase by the amount linked to inflation.
Find out more about our tuition fees payment terms, including how inflationary increases are applied to your tuition fees in subsequent years of study.
Whether you pay the Home or Overseas fee depends on your fee status. This is assessed based on UK Government legislation and includes things like where you live and your nationality or residency status. Find out how we assess your fee status.
If you're a UK national, or EU national with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, you may be able to apply for a Postgraduate Master’s Loan from the UK government, if you meet certain criteria.
For 2022-23 entry, the maximum amount is £11,836. The loan is not means-tested and you can choose whether to put it towards your tuition fees or living costs.
Your future career
Engineers and scientists from a variety of backgrounds can build on their expertise and experience with this broad and flexible degree.
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Supplement your engineering and science experience with transferable skills, and training that will prepare you for a career in academia or industry.
With specialised knowledge, Materials graduates are highly sought after in a range of sectors.
These include: nuclear power, aerospace, biomedical, automotive, energy, manufacturing & technology, communications and electronics industries.
Further links
Contact the department
- Telephone: +44 (0)20 7594 6728
- Email: materials@imperial.ac.uk
Course Director: Dr Johannes Lischner
Visit the Department of Materials website.
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Terms and conditions
There are some important pieces of information you should be aware of when applying to Imperial. These include key information about your tuition fees, funding, visas, accommodation and more.
You can find further information about your course, including degree classifications, regulations, progression and awards in the programme specification for your course.
Programme specifications