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Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials MSc

London, Stratford (UCL East)

This one-year MSc was co-developed with industry to equip students with interdisciplinary skills that are highly in demand. This programme provides comprehensive training in advanced materials, high-throughput experimentation, robotics, automation, digitalisation, machine learning and AI, readying its graduates for the laboratories and manufacturing sites of the future.

UK students International students
Study mode
Full-time
UK tuition fees (2025/26)
£20,500
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 an upper second-class Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline 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.

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

Smart technologies and digitisation are radically changing the way new chemicals and materials are being developed and produced.

This MSc will prepare you to enter a rapidly-changing space, where R&D and manufacturing have moved on from the traditional and labour-intensive, manual experimentation and analysis.

Designed for the generation of engineers and scientists, this programme champions a holistic digital approach, combining up-to-date synthetic and analytic procedures, automation, data science, and a variety of computational tools.

Developed in collaboration with industry partners, experiential learning sits at the heart of the programme. You'll learn through case studies and open-ended research questions developed with industry.

The curriculum blends lectures and tutorials with hand-on sessions, covering topics including how to code in Python, how hardware and software can interact, how to synthesise and analyse advanced materials, how to operate robotic and flow-chemistry platforms for high-throughput experimentation, and how the data gathered empowers machine learning models.

You will be based at UCL East, home to the Manufacturing Futures Lab. You'll have access to specialist materials production labs – and the chance to build your expertise alongside world leading academics and industrial partners.

Who this course is for

We welcome students from all engineering and science backgrounds, including chemical and biochemical Engineering, electrical, electronic, and mechanical engineering, materials science, chemistry, physics, environmental science and computer science. 

We especially also welcome applications from those with recent industrial experience, e.g. from a role involving materials processing, data science or chemical engineering, of chemical analysis.

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

What this course will give you

This programme offers you the following benefits and opportunities:

  • Get a postgraduate degree from a top-ranked university. UCL is consistently ranked among the best universities globally (ranked 9th in the latest QS World University Rankings 2025), providing you with a prestigious qualification that is highly regarded by employers worldwide. 
  • Study at UCL Chemical Engineering, ranked 20th in the world (QS World University Rankings by Subject 2024) and internationally renowned for its outstanding research and teaching.
  • Learn from world leading academics with industrial experience and backgrounds in chemical engineering but also other disciplines such as physics, chemistry, materials and data science in the new Manufacturing Futures Lab.
  • Benefit from UCL’s and the departmental links with industry, as the programme is strongly influenced by our industrial advisors and collaborators representing various fields of manufacturing R&D in the UK and internationally, and take advantage of support through the UCL Careers team.
  • Get hands-on experience via experimental and computational module tasks to complement your theoretical learning.
  • Tailor your course material based on your interest, through optional modules covering sustainability, nano-engineering, electrochemistry, nature inspired engineering, material characterisation, precision manufacturing and more. 
  • Build sought-after interdisciplinary skills to meet the new industrial demands.
  • Study in the world's best city for university students (QS Best Student Cities 2024). What's more, our new UCL East campus boasts state-of-the-art lecture facilities to enhance your learning experience.
Read about what you'll get out of a graduate programme

The foundation of your career

The MSc in DMAM is a new programme, having launched in September 2023, with the first graduates finishing in September 2024.

UCL Chemical Engineering alumni have historically gone on to high-level roles in manufacturing, healthcare and diagnostics, pharmaceutics, energy and pharmaceutics. Destination companies include Transport for London, Johnson Matthey plc, Unilever, EY, and Trading Gas.

Others have gone on to further research at UCL and other leading universities worldwide, including University of Cambridge, University of Sheffield, and TU Delft.

To compete successfully for the top jobs in engineering and science, graduates must understand material synthesis with analysis using modern facilities and automation with robotics and data science with AI. Giving you this "and" instead of "or", is what this programme makes possible.

UCL Portico building with welcome sign between columns.

Dr Max Besenhard, Programme Director

MSc Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials

Employability

With a firm foundation in research methods, insight into topical research and strong interdisciplinary skills, you will be well placed for roles in digital manufacturing.

With a strong emphasis on experiential learning of material development production within our holistic (and industry guided) digital manufacturing approach, and the industry related research projects in Term 3, our graduates should be in high demand in academia and especially in industry.

Networking

You will have regular opportunities to connect, collaborate and build professional contacts as part of your Master’s.

  • Take part in events hosted by UCL Careers to get 1-2-1 support, and enhance your CV writing and interview skills. 
  • Take part in regular seminars, to hear from expert academic speakers and industrial experts talking about topical issues, and network afterwards.
  • Attend networking sessions where you will hear from industrial guest speakers from thriving start-ups and global enterprises from fields such as fine chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturing, healthcare and medical technology, reactor and process development, advanced materials and sustainable technologies. Followed by the opportunity to learn directly from them about career opportunities in smaller groups.
  • Complete an optional >70 h of work at a placement or project through the optional “Find your Future” module in term 2.

Teaching and learning

The programme is delivered through a combination of lectures, individual and group coursework, as well as hands-on experience with relevant tools and and engagement with researchers in academia and industry.

This programme is assessed via examinations (short-answer and multiple-choice questions), presentations, essays, coursework, and a research project. Please note that assessment will vary according to the module choices of the student.

Research projects are provided to extend knowledge and understanding of the topics studied and to encourage critical thinking. Creativity and innovation are encouraged.

On this programme, you can expect approximately 14-18 hours of contact hours a week. The exact number of contact hours and composition varies throughout the terms depending on the module choices of the student. Some modules may have content online on Moodle (which you can study at your own pace), which complement weekly face-to-face sessions on campus. These sessions are a chance to talk to your lecturers and ask questions.

All teaching sessions take place Monday – Friday 9am to 6pm. Wednesday afternoons are normally kept free. There may be additional events, such as careers sessions, which may take place outside of these hours.

This is a full-time course, which means students should expect a weekly working schedule of approximately 35-40 hours a week divided between contact hours, self-directed learning, and preparing for assessments.

Modules

The MSc in Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials is a full-time programme and students will undertake modules to the value of 180 credits. The 12-month-long programme is structured into 3 terms. 

Term 1 will provide an overview of the crucial aspects of materials and data science, teach coding, and showcase digital manufacturing in a way that is suitable for students with different educational backgrounds. 

In Term 2, advanced concepts of data science (with a focus on machine learning) and their relevance for automated materials manufacturing will be covered. An integrated module will enable you to apply the concepts and methodologies of digital manufacturing in a practical context and combine it with AI. 

Term 3 will be devoted to a research project, covering elements of data-driven materials manufacturing, with an emphasis on experimental and/or computational work. Each project will be supervised. 

The programme consists of 6 compulsory modules, of which one is the MSc research project in Term 3, as well as 2 optional modules, one of which must be taken from List A and one from List B.

Optional Modules: List A (15 Credits) 

  • Nature-Inspired Materials Engineering   
  • Mathematical Modelling of Engineering Systems   
  • Sustainability Analysis of Engineering Systems
  • Advanced Characterisation  
  • Electrochemical Materials  
  • Fundamentals of Nanoengineering  
  • Precision Manufacturing

Optional Modules: List B (15 Credits) 

  • East London Lab  
  • Find Your Future  
  • Inclusive Design and Environments  
  • Innovation for a Fairer World
  • Exploring Power, Inclusion and Exclusion with Local Communities  
  • Sustainability and Decision-Making  
  • Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice 
  • Community Wellbeing, Health Inequalities and the role of Social Prescribing
  • Foundations of Citizen Science

Compulsory modules








Optional 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 Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials.

Fieldwork

Fieldwork opportunities are being considered for this programme.

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.

Where you'll study

Two students in white lab coats working on computers in chemical engineering lab

UCL Chemical Engineering is proud to offer outstanding experimental facilities with state-of-the-art equipment. Our modern laboratories and specialist tools create an ideal environment for innovation and academic growth. With access to these resources, students have the opportunity to participate in cutting-edge research and to contribute to meaningful advancements in the field. The Advanced Propulsion Lab (APL), a global centre of excellence dedicated to the decarbonisation of the transport sector, specialising in battery and fuel cell electric vehicles. The Manufacturing Futures Laboratory (MFL), a multi-disciplinary research and teaching hub, driving strategic research and fostering innovative industry collaborations to deliver the sustainable products and manufacturing processes of the future.

Find out more

Visit us

All open days and events

Roberts Cafe, Roberts Engineering Building, Torrington Place, London WC1E 7JE - Open day

Graduate Open Events: UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences

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At UCL Engineering, our graduates turn discoveries into solutions - improving medical treatments, housing, transportation, the products, processes and students we produce change the world. Visit us on campus and get your questions about postgraduate study at UCL answered by our leading academics, current students, and admissions advisors. You'll also take part in Bloomsbury campus tours, and enjoy department-specific demos, visits, taster lectures, and facility tours!

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Chemical Engineering MSc Webinar (AM)

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UCL Chemical Engineering is a global leader in engineering research and education, routinely recognised among the top chemical engineering departments in the world. Join us for this webinar, where you'll hear more about the department, our specialist MSc programmes, student experience, and where our degrees have taken some of our alumni! There'll also be a Q&A, where you can get all your questions answered.

Online - Open day

Graduate Open Events: Chemical Engineering MSc Webinar (PM)

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UCL Chemical Engineering is a global leader in engineering research and education, routinely recognised among the top chemical engineering departments in the world. Join us for this webinar, where you'll hear more about the department, our specialist MSc programmes, student experience, and where our degrees have taken some of our alumni! There'll also be a Q&A, where you can get all your questions answered.

Fees and funding

Fees for this course

UK students International students
Fee description Full-time
Tuition fees (2025/26) £20,500
Tuition fees (2025/26) £39,800

Programme also available on a modular (flexible) basis.

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.

Students may be required to cover costs of printing of final project reports and/or posters, as well as for minor laboratory equipment such as a laboratory logbook. Indicative prices for printing can be found here and UCL poster printing prices can be found here. Typically laboratory logbooks can be purchased for approximately £2-£5.

This programme incorporates teaching in data science and machine learning, but associated tasks will not require a high specification laptop.

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

Current funding opportunities on offer can be found on the bursaries and scholarships page of the Chemical Engineering website.

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

When we assess your application, we would like to learn:

  • why you want to study Digital Manufacturing of Advanced Materials at graduate level
  • why you want to study these topics at UCL
  • what particularly attracts you to this programme
  • how your academic, professional, and personal background meets the demands of this 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.

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

Chemical Engineering
Chemical Engineering

chemeng.pgt.queries@ucl.ac.uk

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