For Undergrads, Prelims, Part I
The objectives of the Department of Materials at Oxford University are to produce world class graduate materials scientists and engineers, and to conduct world class research into the manufacture, structure, properties and applications of materials, for the benefit of the UK and world community.
The Department of Materials at Oxford is regularly graded one of the best materials departments in the UK, rated top in The Guardian league tables 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 (published in 2013 - 2017).
The Department has an outstanding record for world class research, as underlined by the UK Government's most recent assessment of research excellence in UK universities, the 2014 REF, Oxford Materials was one of the top-rated materials departments in the country. 98% of our activity was judged to be in the highest categories of excellence [ Grades 4* & 3*; respectively 'world-leading' (60%) and 'internationally excellent' (38%)]. 90% of our 'impact' was judged to be 'world leading'.
The Department provides teaching for a four-year M.Eng. undergraduate course:
- Materials Science (MS)
- formerly known as Metallurgy and Science of Materials
Details of the structure of lectures, practicals, tutorials and examinations, together with library, computing, career guidance, safety, counselling and other support facilities are available in the course handbooks.
The academic year is divided into three terms; each including an 8-week programme of lectures, practical work and tutorials. For an MS student the typical working week consists of 10 hrs of lectures, scheduled in the mornings, and 6 hrs of practical classes, scheduled in the afternoons. Each student also has one or more tutors from their own college who depending on the year of study provide typically 12-16 hrs of tuition per term - usually to pairs of students, with each hour of tuition requiring typically 6-8 hrs of work in preparation. Since these formal commitments total some 30 hrs per week, a key features of this system is that there is a lot of flexibility for students to organise the rest of their study and other activities. This requires that students develop self-discipline and organisational skills!
In addition to the weekly routine of lectures and tutorials covering the work which will be examined in the final examinations and the continually assessed practical classes, there are additional projects that must be undertaken as part of the degree. These projects include: a business plan, a team-design project, an introduction to materials modelling module, a characterisation or atomistic modelling module and mini-project and reports on industrial visits. The business plan project is supported is supported by workshops run by Enterprising Oxford, as well as tutorials from a business consultant and is completed by MS students in their second year. The team-design project is run in the first 2 weeks of the third year and is taken by all students who work together over a period of two weeks. Recent projects have included: an electronic book, a new EM mounting stage, an improved paintball gun loading mechanism and new materials for an improved boat lift at Foxton Locks. To raise their experience of industry, MS students must attend 4 industrial visits and submit reports on these. These visits are a mix of Departmentally-run trips, attendance on the student-run Industrial tour, and independent trips organized by the student.
Each year there are also a couple of lectures given by speakers from industry, which further help to put the subject of materials science into an industrial context. Students must attend these and submit a brief report on these.
Materials teaching in the MS 3rd year consists of lectures that are themed into 3 blocks (Metals and Alloys, Functional Nanocomposite Materials, and Non-metallic Materials). MS students choose two blocks to study through the Michaelmas and Hilary terms and sit two Options Papers as well as completing the Introduction to Materials Modelling module, and either the Characterisation or Atomistic Modelling module.
During the fourth year MS students undertake an eight-month full-time research project for Part II. The results of this project are written-up as a 12,000 word (maximum) thesis, which is followed by an oral examination. Most students find this a particularly worthwhile and enjoyable part of the course.
For MS students the practicals marks other coursework elements and project marks add-up to 50% of the total course.
