Image shows a transmission electron microscope being used for microanalysis
It also offers coverage of aspects of the selection, design manufacture and properties of materials for use in engineering applications.
Teaching methods
Teaching and learning are carried out through a varied schedule of lectures, seminars, hands-on instrument sessions, laboratory classes, demonstrations and tutorials. A comprehensive set of lecture notes is provided for each course and discussion of individual applications and problems is encouraged.
Part-time study
Part-time MSc students come to the University for seven short courses, each of one week's duration, probably at a rate of two or three a year. At the end of each course they are given an assessment package to take away and work on. Students have six months to complete the package.
In addition, a project is carried out in their place of work. This will be written up as a thesis, under the supervision of a member of the academic staff. If students do not have facilities for undertaking an experimentally based project, they can write a thesis which is a review or a theoretical piece of work. This is called an Independent Study; it carries less credits than a project so students submitting an Independent Study will take two additional short courses.
Part-time students may take up to six years to complete their MSc degree.
Full-time study
For full-time students, our programmes are quite unlike traditional MSc courses, offering considerable flexibility and the possibility of projects requiring more time than traditional course structures might allow. Teaching is contained in the intensive one-week short course modules; in between the courses students work on their assessment packages, making use of the University resources. Projects are chosen soon after students arrive, and they run along side the short courses and assessments. The programme may be completed in one year though it is possible to extend the period if necessary.
