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Postgraduate Taught

MSc Advanced Materials

Please note: The below is for 2025 entries. Click here for 2024 entries.
UCAS code 1234
Duration 12 months full time
Entry year September 2024
Campus Streatham Campus
Discipline Physics and Astronomy
Contact
Typical offer

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2:1 degree in Physics, Natural Science, Engineering, Materials Science, Maths or Chemistry (with a significant component of Physical Chemistry).

Contextual offers

Overview

  • Join the next generation of materials scientists and engineers with our MSc in Advanced Materials.  
  • Enhance your knowledge of the physical principles of advanced materials and metamaterials and apply cutting-edge analytical and numerical methodologies to design and fabricate them. 
  • Gain practical insights into contemporary real-world problems and how innovative solutions can be facilitated through novel material properties. 
  • Benefit from Exeter’s interdisciplinary research expertise, our industrial partners and connections with the wider metamaterials community.  
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Fast Track (current Exeter students)

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Contact

Programme Director: Alastair Hibbins

Web: Enquire online

Phone: +44 (0)1392 72 72 72

Top 10 in the UK for Physics

9th in the Guardian University Guide 2024

Learn from research-active academics leading in the advanced materials and metamaterials field

Opportunities to connect with industrial scientists and engineers from organisations at the forefront of advanced materials

Contribute to research while studying by undertaking an independent research project linked with one of our research groups.

Entry requirements

Applicants are required to have a 2:1 degree in Physics, Natural Science, Engineering, Materials Science, Maths or Chemistry (with a significant component of Physical Chemistry).  
 
Applications will also be considered from candidates with a 2:2 in these subject areas or if they have additional industrial experience. In these instances, applicants should refer to the programme director. 

Prerequisite experience needed

Assumed knowledge for the core courses in this degree include: 

  • Basic mathematics for physics: single and multi-variable calculus (differentiation and integration), trigonometry, complex numbers, vectors, vector calculus, Taylor and Fourier series, Fourier transforms. 
  • Introductory scientific computing: data handling, simple statistics (computing means and variances), plotting functions and histograms, writing simple programs in a general-purpose programming language e.g. Python or C++. 

  International students may require an ATAS certificate. 

Entry requirements for international students

Please visit our entry requirements section for equivalencies from your country and further information on English language requirements.

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Entry requirements for international students

English language requirements

International students need to show they have the required level of English language to study this course. The required test scores for this course fall under Profile B2. Please visit our English language requirements page to view the required test scores and equivalencies from your country.

Course content

Our MSc has been designed to equip you with the skills for success in the field of advanced materials innovation. The programme draws on the disciplines of Engineering and Physics, providing you with the skill set needed to model, simulate, design and experimentally characterise novel materials with unique properties. 

You will develop a well-balanced understanding of the physics of such materials, across a variety of regimes including electromagnetism, acoustics, elasticity and quantum, whilst attaining an engineering perspective on their applications. You will gain the technical skills to solve problems that currently can’t be solved with conventional material properties whilst having the opportunity to gain insight into the innovation and entrepreneurship required to take such developments outside of academia. 

The modules we outline here provide examples of what you can expect to learn on this degree course based on recent academic teaching. The precise modules available to you in future years may vary depending on staff availability and research interests, new topics of study, timetabling and student demand.

Fees

2024/25 entry

UK fees per year:

£12,100 full-time

International fees per year:

£27,500 full-time

Scholarships

We invest heavily in scholarships for talented prospective Masters students. This includes over £5 million in scholarships for international students, such as our Global Excellence Scholarships*.

For more information on scholarships, please visit our scholarships and bursaries page.

*Selected programmes only. Please see the Terms and Conditions for each scheme for further details.

Teaching and research

MSc Advanced Materials provides an unparalleled student experience, immersing you in our dynamic teaching and research environment from day one. Our interdisciplinary programme fosters a creative environment for you to study, research and innovate. Engaging regularly with research-active academics and industry leaders through seminars, workshops, and tutorials, you will discuss material that is at the very cutting edge of the discipline of advanced materials and metamaterials. You will also attend departmental, national and international colloquia, enhancing your knowledge in the field.

The Centre for Metamaterials Research and Innovation 

This programme is part of Exeter's Centre for Metamaterials Research and Innovation (CMRI) at Exeter is a community of academic, industrial, and governmental partners that harness research excellence from theory to application, and enable simulation, measurement, and fabrication of metamaterials and metamaterial-based devices. Our academic expertise spans electromagnetism (from visible and infra-red through to THz and microwave), acoustics and fluidics. The materials we work with have wide application, e.g. imaging, sensing and spectroscopy, acoustic and RF signature reduction, energy storage and harvesting.

Careers

The MSc Advanced Materials programme positions you at the forefront of a sector with soaring demand for skilled professionals. As industries increasingly recognise the transformative potential of advanced materials and metamaterials, your expertise will be sought after for a range of impactful roles.

Employment opportunities  

There is a wealth of employability opportunities in both the private and public sectors. Particularly pertinent sectors have roots in advanced and metamaterials for sustainability, where such devices offer ways to tackle the climate crisis through energy efficiency, storage, generation, harvesting and conversion with further applications such as passive cooling, low-power computing, lightweighting in aviation and waste heat recovery. 

Industry connections 

Through our extensive industry connections, you'll have the chance to engage directly with local industries as well as brand name industrial partners. This exposure not only enriches your academic journey but also provides you with an opportunity to connect with those recruiting in the field. 

You will benefit from the CMRI's long term and extensive links with regional and national employers; graduates from CMRI have started successful careers in a range of industries and organisations (e.g. QinetiQ, Snap Inc, Quantum Brilliance, Diabetes UK, Dstl, Institute of Cancer Research, COMSOL, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, GALGUS, BAE Systems, and academic institutions around the globe).

Careers support 

You will receive support from our dedicated Career Zone team, who provide excellent career guidance at all stages of career planning. The Career Zone provides one-on-one support and is home to a wealth of business and industry contacts. Additionally, they host useful training events, workshops and lectures which are designed to further support you in developing your enterprise acumen. Please visit the  Career Zone for additional information on their services. 

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