University College London (UCL)
Advanced Materials Science (Data-driven Innovation) MSc
London, United Kingdom
MSc
DURATION
1 year
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2026
TUITION FEES
GBP 39,800 *
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* international students: full time £39,800 | UK students: full time £16,000. Additional fees may apply
This MSc program in Advanced Materials Science (Data-driven Innovation) offers a comprehensive look at how data techniques are transforming the field of materials science. Students learn to combine traditional scientific knowledge with skills in data analysis, machine learning, and computational methods. The course covers key topics like materials characterization, materials design, and the application of data-driven approaches to solve real-world problems in materials engineering and innovation. It aims to prepare students to work at the forefront of research and industry, where data plays a vital role in developing new materials and improving existing ones.
The curriculum balances theoretical understanding with practical skills, encouraging hands-on experience through projects and industry collaborations. Students gain expertise in using advanced software tools and techniques relevant to modern materials research. The program also emphasizes critical thinking and problem-solving, helping students adapt to fast-changing technological environments. Graduates will be equipped to pursue careers in research, industry, or further academic study, where they can leverage data-driven methods to push innovations forward in materials science.
UCL Scholarships
There are a number of scholarships available to postgraduate students, including our UCL Masters Bursary for UK students and our UCL Global Masters Scholarship for international students. You can click the link below to search via the scholarships finder for awards that you might be eligible for. Your academic department will also be able to provide you with more information about funding.
External Scholarships
Online aggregators like Postgraduate Studentships, Scholarship Search, Postgraduate Funding and International Financial Aid and College Scholarship Search contain information on a variety of external schemes.
If you have specific circumstances or ethnic or religious background it is worth searching for scholarships/bursaries/grants that relate to those things. Some schemes are very specific.
Funding for disabled students
Master's students who have a disability may be able to get extra funding for additional costs they incur to study.
Teaching and learning
Teaching is delivered through a mix of lectures, interactive tutorials, case discussions and modelling projects. Assessment is through a combination of ongoing coursework, presentations, a group project and/or a written examination, a dissertation and a viva voce.
Each taught module is normally lectured for 30 hours, with around 20 hours of tutorials or tutorial-led practices. You will need to spend around 100 hours on self-directed study for each taught module.
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-led 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
Full-time
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 a route-specific compulsory module, Integrated Data-driven Materials Science and Digitalisation.
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 cutting-edge topics on the field of multiscale materials modelling and data-drive materials science to be familiar with state-of-the-art methods and empowered with the specialized skills in materials modelling, machine learning, artificial intelligence and data science for materials discovery. You will further consolidate your knowledge and skills in data-driven materials innovation by studying the route-specific compulsory module Machine Learning and Data-driven Materials Science.
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 progress and findings to your contemporaries in both written and oral presentation formats.
Compulsory modules
- Research Methodology
- Materials Design, Selection and Discovery
- Advanced Materials Characterisation
- Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing
- Literature Project
- Research Project
- Microstructural Control in Advanced Materials
- Machine Learning and Data-Driven Materials Science
- Integrated Data-Driven Materials Science and Digitalisation
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.
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 (Data-driven Innovation).
What this course will give you
Students will build a solid foundation in creating, managing and using materials data to better understand and guide the design and discovery of novel advanced materials for various contemporary and emerging applications.
We deliver innovative teaching that fosters critical thinking, creativity and peer collaboration.
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.
Students are 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.
The foundation of your career
Possible career pathways for graduates include computational modelling or data-driven innovation such as big data analytics, machine learning and digitalisation, targeting advanced materials for nanotechnologies, energy and the environment, as well as advanced manufacturing and processing.
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.
Employability
You'll be equipped with the comprehensive knowledge and research skills for a future career as a materials scientist or engineer in academia or industry, or as an entrepreneur.
As well as developing a sought-after set of skills in materials science, you will develop your managerial and entrepreneurship capabilities. You will also build transferable skills in areas such as literature survey, designing experiments, machine learning, materials research, critical data analysis, teamwork and effective communication, using real-life case scenarios and student-led group projects.
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.