Course summary

Understand how technological advances transform our everyday lives on this four-year course, which also includes the opportunity to specialise in nuclear engineering. Materials science and engineering (MSE) is increasingly helping to solve real societal problems in fields such as energy, sustainability, and nuclear safety. This course will see you engage with both scientific and engineering aspects of the discipline to better understand the processing, structure, and performance of materials. You'll also learn how the ability to invent and improve materials is opening up new opportunities in a variety of areas. You'll examine how this field is transforming fields such as nuclear energy, reactor technology, radiation safety, waste disposal, robotics and quantum computing. Experimental work is a core part of this course, and through a series of laboratory tutorials you'll be introduced to key techniques in a practical setting. This includes the chance to design your own experiments to test a hypothesis and investigate materials using electron microscopy and X-ray diffraction. The third year will see you specialise in nuclear engineering, where you'll deepen your appreciation of aspects of nuclear energy and nuclear chemical engineering. Your studies reach Master's level in your final year, where your work will culminate in a substantial research project. The common structure of the first two years of our Materials degrees means that transfer between courses is usually possible during this time. If you are an international student, transferring to a different course could have an impact on your visa, but our International Student Support Team are here to help advise and support you. Professional accreditation This degree is professionally accredited by the IOM3 (The Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining) on behalf of the Engineering Council. As well as your main Imperial degree, you will also receive the award of the Associateship of the Royal School of Mines on completion of this course.