Materials Science is increasingly recognised as a key discipline in the modern world, spanning both physical and biological sciences and also involving various branches of engineering. Recent technological developments in areas as diverse as medicine, sports goods, forensics, energy generation, electronics, communications and transport have all been largely dependent on improvements in the performance limits of constituent materials, rather than on advances related to physical principles or engineering design. People with an understanding of how the properties and performance of a material are determined, and might be improved, are therefore in great demand throughout the world, across a wide range of organisations. This understanding cannot be obtained solely by studying courses such as Physics, Chemistry or Engineering, since it relies on familiarity with various subtleties and interplays in the processing-microstructure-property relationships. The Materials Science course covers these relationships for all of the main types of material. It builds on the basics provided in the IA and IB Materials courses, although students who have missed one or both of them might nevertheless be able to take it. There are around 20 lecture courses in addition to practical and project work. Students also attend a business module comprising a careers day (talks and networking with alumni working in a variety of roles), an intellectual property course (delivered by a professional working in that area) and an industrial visit. The course leads to the BA degree.
The BA degree course has been accredited as meeting the academic requirements for CEng with Further Learning, for intake years up to and including 2023, by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3).
- Informal prospective study enquiries may be made to the Director of Undergraduate Teaching (DUT@msm.cam.ac.uk).
- Information for current students is found on the relevant Moodle course.
This page is for external visitors and gives general information on the lectures and course activities which are available during the 2023-2024 academic year. Please be aware that the lectures and activities offered can change from one year to the next, as may the lecturers who deliver them.
