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Advanced Materials Science (Sustainability) MSc

London, Stratford (UCL East)

As climate change continues to affect our lives and we realise its direct link to continuous production and consumption of goods, there is an urgent need to educate the next generation and equipping them with the knowledge and skills to manage these global challenges. Sustainable development is an evolving concept needed in all disciplines and will play an integral part of our approach to tackling these global problems. Our MSc Advanced Materials Sciences (Sustainability) will prepare new materials scientists for supporting initiatives, such as net zero emission targets, recently outlined by many governments around the world including the UK, and promoting research and discovery of sustainable ways to manage critical resources related to commodity materials.

UK students International students

Study mode

Full-time

UK tuition fees (2023/24)

£14,100

Overseas tuition fees (2023/24)

£35,000

Duration

1 calendar year

Programme starts

September 2023

Applications accepted

All applicants: 17 Oct 2022 – 28 Jul 2023

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. International Preparation Courses

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.

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 sciences and related state-of-the-art technologies aimed at achieving sustainable developments. This will give students an understanding of the structure, properties and applications of the main groups of materials. The course will also cover relevant scientific research skills, preparing students with the insight and capability to contribute to a better future for all, aiming for a lower environmental impact, while also enhancing the durability of goods.

This course will be delivered through seven compulsory taught modules. In addition, students will engage in a route specific literature project and a six-month research project with sustainable developments in mind. Studying at UCL allows you to participate in research and projects that can have an impact on society today. At our campus in the heart of East London, UCL gives you the ability to access the wide range of cultural, entertainment and academic resources that the UK has to offer.

Who this course is for

This programme is designed for those with a background in materials sciences, physics, chemistry, polymers, engineering or biology. It prepares students for a career discovering materials that can be used for sustainable developments, which 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

The Advanced Materials Science (Sustainability) 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 the group design projects, where students are challenged to design the next advanced material, to the route specific modules ‘Advanced Materials for Sustainable Energy Technologies’, and ‘Advanced Topics in Materials Sciences for Sustainable Developments’, where students learn important concepts for achieving a sustainable future, while understanding the issues that led us to this point in time.

Students on this interdisciplinary programme benefit from UCL's emphasis on research-based learning and teaching and teaching is informed by research input from departments across UCL.

In addition to the specific skills and knowledge students acquire by taking this programme, they also develop 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. Students will also develop skills in analytical thinking and innovation; active learning and learning strategies; complex problem-solving; critical thinking skills; creativity, originality, and initiative; leadership and social influence, which are valued by employers and beneficial to further academic study or research.

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, and UCL in the UK, as well as other top universities in Australia and Hong Kong.

Employability

On graduation students will be equipped for a future career as a materials scientist or engineer in academia or industry, or as an entrepreneur.

Teaching and learning

The programme will introduce you to the area of advanced material science through a blended mixture of lectures, face to face and online, 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 e-learning. The student is expected to spend around 100 hours on self-directed study for each taught module.

Modules

In Term 1 you will study compulsory modules relating to the microstructural control in advanced materials, material design, selection and discovery, 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 study compulsory, route-specific module Advanced Materials for Sustainable Energy Technologies.

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, Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing as well as starting your six-month independent research project on cutting-edge topics regarding sustainable materials, sustainable manufacturing
and production, and sustainable energy technologies. . You will also study compulsory route-specific module Advanced Topics of Materials Science for Sustainable Development. .

In Term 3 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.

added by PETER MARRON 1 minute ago

Compulsory modules

Materials Design, Selection and Discovery

Advanced Materials Characterisation

Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing

Research Methodology

Literature Project

Research Project

Microstructural Control in Advanced Materials

Advanced Materials for Sustainable Energy Technologies

Advanced Topics of Materials Science for Sustainable Development

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 (Sustainability).

Accessibility

Details of the accessibility of UCL buildings can be obtained from AccessAble accessable.co.uk. Further information can also be obtained from the UCL Student Support & Wellbeing team.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students

Fee description	Full-time
Tuition fees (2023/24)	£14,100
Tuition fees (2023/24)	£35,000

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

Full-time overseas students are required to pay a fee deposit of £1,000 for this programme and part-time overseas students are required to pay a fee deposit of £500.

There are no programme-specific costs.

For more information on additional costs for prospective students please go to our estimated cost of essential expenditure at Accommodation and living costs.

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

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 and £115 for paper 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.

This programme requires two references. Further information regarding references can be found on this Selecting your references page.

Choose your programme

Please read the Application Guidance before proceeding with your application.