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Advanced Materials Science (Materials Innovation and Enterprise) MSc

London, Stratford (UCL East)

The rapid development of a wide range of novel materials and devices over the past few decades has increased the demand for scientific experts and entrepreneurs who can adapt them for real-world applications, addressing global challenges such as achieving affordable and clean energy, as well as industry innovation and infrastructures. This degree combines frontline enterprise and research-led teaching from departments across UCL to train the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs in materials science.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£16,000
Overseas tuition fees (2025/26)
£39,800
Duration
1 calendar year
Programme starts
September 2025
Applications accepted
Applicants who require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 27 Jun 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Applicants who do not require a visa: 14 Oct 2024 – 29 Aug 2025
Applications close at 5pm UK time

Applications open

Apply for this course

Entry requirements

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

The English language level for this programme is: Level 1

UCL Pre-Master's and Pre-sessional English courses are for international students who are aiming to study for a postgraduate degree at UCL. The courses will develop your academic English and academic skills required to succeed at postgraduate level.

Further information can be found on our English language requirements page.

If you are intending to apply for a time-limited visa to complete your UCL studies (e.g., Student visa, Skilled worker visa, PBS dependant visa etc.) you may be required to obtain ATAS clearance. This will be confirmed to you if you obtain an offer of a place. Please note that ATAS processing times can take up to six months, so we recommend you consider these timelines when submitting your application to UCL.

Equivalent qualifications

Country-specific information, including details of when UCL representatives are visiting your part of the world, can be obtained from the International Students website.

International applicants can find out the equivalent qualification for their country by selecting from the list below. Please note that the equivalency will correspond to the broad UK degree classification stated on this page (e.g. upper second-class). Where a specific overall percentage is required in the UK qualification, the international equivalency will be higher than that stated below. Please contact Graduate Admissions should you require further advice.

About this degree

This programme aims to equip students with advanced, comprehensive knowledge of materials science and related state-of-the-art technologies, an understanding of the structure, properties and real-world, innovative applications of advanced materials and devices, scientific research skills, and the insight and capability to be an entrepreneur in the field. In addition, students will engage in a literature project and a six-month  research project.

Who this course is for

This programme is designed for those with a background in physics, chemistry, polymers, nanomaterials, materials science or engineering, and prepares students for a career discovering and exploiting these advanced materials for real-world application and enterprise that will shape the future of our world.

Read about what it takes to study for a Master's at UCL

What this course will give you

Advanced Materials Science (Materials Innovation and Enterprise) MSc relates scientific theories to research and applications of advanced materials, encourages innovation and creative thinking, and contextualises scientific innovation within the global market and entrepreneurship.

This programme aims to deliver innovative teaching; from  group design projects, that provide a unique opportunity for students to design the next generation of advanced materials, to the module on Advanced Materials for Real-world Applications which provides a detailed overview of the various categories of functional materials and emerging advanced devices for real-world applications in high-tech sectors, as well as the module on Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice, where students learn how to apply research in the commercial world. 

Students on this interdisciplinary programme benefit from UCL's emphasis on enterprise- and research-led  teaching informed by current research input from departments across UCL.

In addition to the specific skills and knowledge students acquire by taking this programme, they also develop managerial and entrepreneurship skills, and transferable skills in areas including literature survey, design of experiments, materials research, critical data analysis, teamwork and effective communication skills using real-life case scenarios and student-led group projects.

You will be based at our UCL East campus in the heart of East London, with easy access to all the cultural, entertainment and academic resources across the capital.

Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

Graduates from this programme are prepared to enter a variety of fields such as aerospace, biomedical, engineering and other multidisciplinary industrials, with students being offered roles at companies including Shell, Johnson Matthey, Rolls-Royce, Merck, Oxford Instruments, Huawei, Bytedance, Procter & Gamble, Coca-Cola.

This programme has also provided students with an excellent foundation for the pursuit of further academic study such as another postgraduate degree or doctoral research. Graduates have gone on to be awarded full PhD studentships in Purdue University in the USA, Universities of Oxford, Queen Mary, Nottingham, Bath, St Andrews, Imperial College London, and UCL in the UK, as well as other top universities in Australia and Hong Kong.

Find out more about which sectors / job roles our graduates are working in 15 months after they leave UCL on our find out what graduates do page.

Employability

On successful completion of this programme, our students will be equipped for a future career as a materials scientist or engineer in academia or industry, or as an entrepreneur to either build a new venture or join an existing SME.

Networking

Staff at the Institute for Materials Discovery have extensive professional networks and often organize research seminar talks given by internal and external academic and industrial speakers worldwide. Students are strongly encouraged to participate in these scientific seminars. In addition, students are also encouraged to organize their own academic, social and alumni events with staff supports to enhance their sense of belonging.

Teaching and learning

The programme will introduce you to the area of advanced material science through a lectures, case study workshops, individual and group activities, and lab practices. You will be expected to supplement material provided by lecturers with your own independent-learning and research, by reading around the subject and by engaging with wider activities in advanced materials science, for example by attending seminars.

The programme’s compulsory curriculum is assessed by a combination of different methods that typically include individual coursework, a group project and/or a written examination, individual research projects with associated presentations, dissertation reports and viva voce. Students are also given time to revise and work through their assessed work with opportunities for individual and group feedback.

Assessment methods vary according to modules and are designed to enable students to demonstrate learning over time.

Each taught module is normally lectured for 30 hours with around 20 hours tutorials and/or tutor-lead practices. The student is expected to spend around 100 hours on self-directed study for each taught module.

For full-time students, typical contact hours are around 12 hours per week. Outside of lectures, seminars, workshops and tutorials, full-time students typically study the equivalent of a full-time job, using their remaining time for self-directed study and completing coursework assignments.

In terms one and two full-time students can typically expect between 10 and 12 contact hours per teaching week through a mixture of lectures, seminars, workshops, crits and tutorials. In term three and the summer period students will be completing their own research project, keeping regular contact with their supervisors.

Modules

In Term 1 you will study compulsory modules relating to the Microstructural Control in Advanced Materials, Advanced Materials Processing and manufacturing, and you will be exposed to the concepts of research design and research methods, thus gaining the necessary knowledge to develop your research project during the year. You will also start route-specific compulsory module Entrepreneurship Theory & Practice.

In Term 2 you will further develop the skills gained in term 1, where you go on to undertake compulsory modules in Advanced Materials Characterisation, Materials Design, Selection and Discovery, as well as starting your six-month independent research project on exploitation of advanced functional materials for real-world applications, such as solar cells ,photodetectors, light-emitting diodes, transistors, lasers and biosensors. . You will also study route-specific compulsory module in Advanced Materials for Real-world Applications.

In Term 3 and Summer Term, you will continue to engage in your research project, supported by your project supervisor. This will culminate in you presenting your research progresses and findings to your contemporaries in both written and oral presentation formats.

Compulsory modules











Please note that the list of modules given here is indicative. This information is published a long time in advance of enrolment and module content and availability are subject to change. Modules that are in use for the current academic year are linked for further information. Where no link is present, further information is not yet available.

Students undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. Upon successful completion of 180 credits, you will be awarded an MSc in Advanced Materials Science (Materials Innovation and Enterprise).

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support and Wellbeing Services team.

Visit us

All open days and events

Roberts Building - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Institute for Materials Discovery Open House

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Join our in-person Graduate Open House Event to visit our campus, speak to current students and staff from the department and find out more about postgraduate study at UCL. These Open House sessions provide you with the chance to visit the department and find out more about our wide range of Master's programmes, how our programmes are taught, and what it's like to study at UCL.

UCL East Marshgate E20 2AE - Open day

UCL East Postgraduate Open Evening

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Discover our range of practice-based, postgraduate programmes and cutting-edge facilities at our UCL East Postgraduate Open Evening. Visit us for your chance to learn more about the future-focused, interdisciplinary degrees we offer and to meet leading researchers delivering our programmes and chat with current UCL students.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £16,000
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800

The tuition fees shown are for the year indicated above. Fees for subsequent years may increase or otherwise vary. Where the programme is offered on a flexible/modular basis, fees are charged pro-rata to the appropriate full-time Master's fee taken in an academic session. Further information on fee status, fee increases and the fee schedule can be viewed on the UCL Students website: ucl.ac.uk/students/fees.

Additional costs

For Full-time and Part-time offer holders a fee deposit will be charged at 10% of the first year fee.

Further information can be found in the Tuition fee deposits section on this page: Tuition fees.

There are no programme-specific costs.

UCL’s main teaching locations are in zones 1 (Bloomsbury) and zones 2/3 (UCL East). The cost of a monthly 18+ Oyster travel card for zones 1-2 is £114.50. This price was published by TfL in 2024. For more information on additional costs for prospective students and the cost of living in London, please view our estimated cost of essential expenditure at UCL's cost of living guide.

Funding your studies

For a comprehensive list of the funding opportunities available at UCL, including funding relevant to your nationality, please visit the Scholarships and Funding website.

See all the ways you can fund your studies

UCL East London Scholarship

Deadline: 26 June 2025
Value: Tuition fees plus £16,000 stipend ()
Criteria Based on financial need
Eligibility: UK

Next steps

Students are advised to apply as early as possible due to competition for places. Those applying for scholarship funding (particularly overseas applicants) should take note of application deadlines.

There is an application processing fee for this programme of £90 for online applications. Further information can be found at Application fees.

When we access your application we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Advanced Materials Science at graduate level
  • why you want to study Advanced Materials Science at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to the chosen programme
  • how your academic and professional background meets the demands of this challenging programme
  • where you would like to go professionally with your degree

Together with essential academic requirements, the personal statement is your opportunity to illustrate whether your reasons for applying to this programme match what the programme will deliver. Applicants who have a portfolio are strongly recommended to submit it when they apply.

Please note that you may submit applications for a maximum of two graduate programmes (or one application for the Law LLM) in any application cycle.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.

Year of entry: 2025-2026

Apply for this course

Got questions? Get in touch

Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences

imd-office@ucl.ac.uk

UCL is regulated by the Office for Students.