Undergraduate study 2013 prospectus

General information

The Material Engineering degree course is a carefully planned academic course which meets the particular requirements from industry and the relevant professional bodies to allow progression to Chartered status.

The course covers material structure, properties, processing, in-service behaviour and environmental impact. There is the option of an industrial ‘sandwich’ year offering the opportunity to obtain a one-year salaried post to gain industrial experience. This leads to an additional qualification of Diploma in Industrial Studies (DIS). 

Materials Engineering is also available for study at MEng degree level, offering a fast track route towards Chartered Engineer (CEng) status. 

Materials are at the centre of any engineering activity and lie at the heart of research and development aiming to improve performance, efficiency, sustainability and hence profitability. Materials engineers are involved with developments in high technology engineering such as aerospace power generation through all sectors of industry. 

The Materials Engineering course prepares you for careers as materials specialists in industry. It also contains some management modules and gives you many transferable skills to enable you to fit in well in the workplace and quickly build a career. 

If you take up the challenge to study this subject you will be kept interested and you will have excellent job prospects. This includes careers in the rapidly advancing automotive, aerospace and power generation industries.

Recent graduate destinations and positions

Rolls-Royce: Project Engineer, Atkins: Project Engineer, Smiths Medical, Development Project Manager, Team Loctite: Team Manager, Keyence: Application Engineer, Sermatech International UK Ltd: Process and Development Engineer and Selex Sensors & Airborne Systems: Materials Scientist/Technician.

Course structure

Core subjects that apply to all courses:

Year 1

• Experimental skills
• Introduction to Materials
• CAD and Engineering Drawing
• Mechanical Design
• Product Design and Materials Selection
• Maths and Mechanics for Materials

Year 2

• Manufacture and Processing of Metals, Ceramics, Polymers and Composites
• Mechanics and Testing of Materials ? Electrochemical Technology

Year 3 MEng, Final year BEng

• Sustainability, Recycling and the Environment
• Individual Project

Year 4 Final Year MEng

• Industrial Case Studies
• Tomorrows Materials
• Masters Team/Group Project

Additional subject areas for this course:

Year 1

• Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria
• Accounting for Managers (MEng)

Year 2

• Advanced Testing and Characterisation
• Product Design
• Marketing
• Maths for Materials

Year 3 MEng, Final year BEng

• Fracture and Failure
• Surface Engineering
• Design and Manufacture with Composites
• Project Management
• Advanced Materials
• Industrial Case Studies (BEng)
• Tomorrows Materials (BEng)

Plus 2 optional modules

Year 4 Final Year MEng

• Teamwork and Leadership
• Surface Analysis and Microscopy
• Materials Modelling

Plus 2 optional modules

Optional Modules include

• Operations Management
• Language Studies
• New Product Development
• Laser processing
• Automotive Crash Protection
• Legal Aspects of Product Design
• Human Resource Management (MEng)
• Advanced Materials Dissertation (MEng)

Study options and entry requirements

Here you will find information about the various study options available for this course and the entry requirements for each option.

SQA = Scottish Qualifications Authority IB = International Baccalaureate