Materials Science and Engineering
Our highly rated materials courses offer a great mix of science, engineering, design, and hands-on practical experience, leading to high demand for our graduates from employers.
Material Science and Engineering at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ
Materials Science is the study of what things are made of, how they are structured and why they have the properties that they do. Materials engineering makes use of this knowledge and applies it to discover new and improve existing materials.
Our courses cover a range of materials such as food packaging, novel batteries, fuel cells, power electric vehicles more advanced materials for biomedical applications such as implants. They will give you the knowledge and understanding you need to develop new materials to meet society’s challenges.
Materials science and engineering has been a core strength at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ for over 50 years and we are one of just a few dedicated Materials departments in the UK. We are an open and friendly department with a high staff-to-student ratio, allowing us to support our students strongly during their degrees.
Our courses
Links with industry
All our courses offer the option to complete a salaried year in industry, where you can gain an extra qualification (Diploma in Industrial Studies – DIS). Our close links with industrial partners mean we can provide our students with considerable help in sourcing, securing, supporting and assessing their placement.
Our students join a variety of companies on their placement. Our students have secured placements at companies including: Airbus, BAE Systems, Bentley Motors, Bosch, Caterpillar, CERN, GSK, Jaguar Land Rover, Johnson & Johnson, Red Bull Racing, Renishaw, Tata Steel and Williams Grand Prix Engineering Limited.
The industrial contacts in the Department are substantial and hold an annual research income of over £3 million. Our industry-sponsored student projects, many related to our bigger research programmes, add real relevance for our students and many of the same companies offer year-long and summer placement jobs.
These contacts not only provide potential employment for our students but also bring invaluable experience from within industry which is reflected in our teaching.
Facilities
The Department is superbly well-equipped with extensive laboratories containing state-of-the-art equipment in materials processing, testing, analysis, simulations and characterisation, electron microscopy, x-ray, thermal and surface analysis.
Our newly refurbished building houses an extensive array of industrial and pilot-scale materials processing machines and equipment for preparation, formulation and testing. Our computer laboratories offer IT, CAD, modelling, materials selection and process simulation applications.
Accreditation
Our Materials BEng and MEng programmes are Engineering Council accredited degrees, accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3). This accreditation supports our graduates to gain Chartered Engineer status.
We fund membership of the IOM3 for our undergraduate students which covers the duration of the course, and for 18 months after the completion of studies. IOM3 student membership benefits include access to Materials World (online or in print), local society meetings and discounts on events and training courses.
Career opportunities
Materials graduates are in high demand since the subject covers a wide breadth of engineering and manufacturing activity across many sectors.
Our degrees prepare our students for careers in a wide range of sectors, including aerospace, automotive, biomedical, energy and sustainability, consumer goods, sports, and defence. Our graduates go on to work in large and small companies in the UK and internationally. Some remain in the Higher Education sector to study for research degrees.
The average starting salary for our graduates is £33,500 (Graduate Outcomes Survey, 2021-22 graduates)*.
*Average salary 15 months post-graduation – UK domiciled.
Some graduate destinations include:
- Airbus
- BASF
- Caterpillar
- Dyson
- GE Aerospace
- GSK
- Intertek
- Jaguar Land Rover
- Johnson Matthey
- MTC
- National Composite Centre
- Rolls Royce
- Syensqo
- Williams Racing
Some graduate roles include:
- Materials Scientist/Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Research Scientist
- Technical Sales
- Consultancy
- Metallurgist
- Project Manager
- Biomedical Engineer
- Product/Process Development Scientists
- Technology Entrepreneur
Our students
Student experience
We pride ourselves in ensuring our students have an unforgettable experience while they are with us and the stats speak for themselves.
We are in the Top 5 UK universities for Materials Technology in The Times UK University Rankings 2025 league table, who have also ranked º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ 5th for Graduate prospects (Materials Technology), 2nd for Teaching Quality (Materials Technology) and 3rd for student experience.
By studying Materials Science with us at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, you'll be joining a highly regarded Department where you'll thrive in our vibrant community of students, academics and support staff.