Materials Science

About the course

Materials Science is an interdisciplinary subject, spanning the physics and chemistry of matter, engineering applications and industrial manufacturing processes.

Modern society is heavily dependent on advanced materials, for example:

• lightweight composites for more efficient vehicles
• optical fibres for telecommunications
• and silicon microchips for the continuing revolution in digital technology.

Materials scientists study the relationships between the structure and properties of a material and how it is made. They also develop new materials and devise advanced processes for manufacturing them. Materials Science is vital for developments in nanotechnology, quantum computing, energy storage and nuclear energy, as well as medical technologies such as bone replacement materials and drug delivery.

This diverse programme spans the subject from its foundations in physics and chemistry to the mechanical, electrical, magnetic and optical properties of materials, and the design, manufacture and applications of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, composites, semiconductors, superconductors, nanomaterials and biomaterials. This work is supported by excellent laboratory and teaching facilities.

The programme also offers an opportunity to develop an introductory understanding of entrepreneurship (learning how to write a business plan, raise capital and start a company). There are also voluntary options to learn a foreign language with the University's Language Centre.

The Oxford Materials degree includes in its fourth year the special feature of an eight-month full-time research project. For this fourth year research project you will join a research team either here at Oxford in one of the strongest Departments of Materials in the UK or, occasionally, at an overseas university or in an industrial laboratory (additional costs may be associated with a project outside Oxford). You will learn how to break down a complex problem, design an experiment or model, manage a project and communicate your results. These research skills are transferable to many career paths and are valued highly by employers.

Work placements/international opportunities

Students are encouraged to undertake a voluntary summer project in industry or a research laboratory. Recent locations for overseas summer projects have included Beijing, Zhejiang, Shanghai and Tokyo. A voluntary industrial tour to an overseas destination is organised in some Easter holidays. Recent destinations include Germany, Singapore, France, China and Sweden.

Astrophoria Foundation Year

Applying for Materials Science with a Foundation Year might be right for you if you’re interested in studying this course but your personal or educational circumstances mean you are unlikely to achieve the grades typically required for Oxford courses.

Visit our Foundation Year course pages for more details.

'Being a Materials Scientist is rather like being a chemist, physicist, engineer and mathematician all rolled into one: perfect for the all-round scientist! It is challenging, and requires a lot of effort and perseverance, but we get to carry out fun experiments involving orange jelly, molten metal and bubbles, so all the effort seems worth it. Practical classes are particularly good for developing a hands-on approach, and then we also have industrial visits where you get to see where all the work is leading you. I would definitely recommend Oxford as a place to read Materials Science, as there are so many resources and the course is just so varied, with extra options such as languages or ‘Building a Business’. Everyone really gets to know each other, and personally I have made some amazing friends on the course.' Jodie

Unistats information

Discover Uni course data provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford for a particular undergraduate course.

Please select 'see course data' to view the full Unistats data for Materials Science.

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small. 

Visit the Studying at Oxford section of this page for a more general insight into what studying here is likely to be like.

Academic requirements 

Wherever possible, your grades are considered in the context in which they have been achieved.

Read further information on how we use contextual data.

Subject requirements

For candidates studying Maths, Physics, Chemistry and FM to A-level, normally our conditional offer will require A*AA in the first three (with the A* in any of these three subjects) and an expectation that you continue to study FM. An analogous offer will apply if instead of FM you are studying a different A-level in addition to the first three.

If your personal or educational circumstances have meant you are unlikely to achieve the grades listed above for undergraduate study, but you still have a strong interest in the subject, then applying for Materials Science with a Foundation Year might be right for you. Visit the Foundation Year course pages for more details of academic requirements and eligibility.

Applying

All candidates must follow the application procedure as shown on our Applying to Oxford pages.

The following information gives specific details for students applying for this course.

Admissions test

All candidates must take the Physics Admissions Test (PAT) as part of their application. 

All the information you need to arrange to take your test as well as how best to prepare can be found on your test page.

Written work

You do not need to submit any written work when you apply for this course.

What are tutors looking for?

At interview, tutors are aware that students may not have encountered Materials Science at school or college. Tutors look for an ability to apply logical reasoning to problems in physical science, and an enthusiasm for thinking about new concepts in science and engineering. 

Visit the Materials Science website for more detail on the selection criteria for this course. 

Fees

Additional Fees and Charges Information for Materials Science

The fourth year is entirely devoted to research - a special feature of the Oxford MEng in Materials Science programme - consisting of a full-time individual research project under the supervision of a member staff.

This final year has three extended terms of 12 to 13 weeks and is 37 weeks in total so you will need to budget for higher living costs in the final year, as you will be required to be in Oxford for longer than the standard terms.

View the likely range of living costs for an additional month in Oxford.

During the project you will learn how to:

• break down a complex problem
• design an experiment or model
• manage your time and project
• maintain systematic records
• present your work orally
• write a substantial report.

These research skills are transferable to other career paths and are valued highly by employers. On occasion significant scientific publications result from these projects.