University College London (UCL)
Advanced Materials Science 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 focuses on giving students a solid foundation in the principles and practices of advanced materials science. It covers key topics like the structure and properties of materials, how they are made, and their various applications in industries like electronics, energy, and healthcare. The course emphasizes both theoretical understanding and practical skills, including lab work and research projects, to prepare students for careers in research, development, or industry.
Students will explore the latest technologies and methods used to analyze and design new materials. The program also encourages critical thinking about how materials impact sustainability and innovation. Through a combination of lectures, tutorials, and hands-on experience, students develop a broad understanding of how materials behave and how they can be engineered for specific needs. This approach aims to equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to contribute effectively to advancements 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
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 of tutorials and/or hands-on lab activities. 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 tw,o 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 optional modules in areas of interest such as Materials and Fatigue, Nanoscale Processing and Characterisation for Advanced Devices, Advanced Topics in Energy Science & Materials, Simulation Methods in Materials Chemistry, and Mastering Entrepreneurship.
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, Material Design, Selection and Discovery as well as starting your six-month independent research project on cutting-edge topics regarding advanced materials and related technologies (e.g. novel materials for healthcare and biomedical applications, energy conversion and storage, etc.). You will also study an optional module in areas of interest such as Biomaterials for Healthcare & Biomedical 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 progress and findings to your contemporaries in both written and oral presentation formats.
Compulsory modules
- Microstructural Control in Advanced Materials
- Materials Design, Selection and Discovery
- Advanced Materials Characterisation
- Advanced Materials Processing and Manufacturing
- Research Methodology
- Literature Project
- Research Project
Optional modules
- Biomaterials for Healthcare and Biomedical Applications
- Simulation Methods in Materials Chemistry
- Advanced Topics in Environmental and Energy Materials
- Nanoscale Processing and Characterisation for Advanced Devices
- Materials and Fatigue
- Mastering Entrepreneurship
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.
What this course will give you
The Advanced Materials Science 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. The programme aims to deliver innovative teaching; from the group design projects where students are challenged to design the next advanced material to learning how to apply research in the commercial world. Students on this interdisciplinary programme benefit from UCL's emphasis on research-based learning and teaching and research, including input from departments across the mathematical and physical sciences, and engineering.
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.
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.
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.