This four-year programme has a student satisfaction rating of 89%.

Materials Scientists and Metallurgists are helping to solve key issues facing the world in energy, transport and healthcare. Our programmes in Metallurgy and Materials provide an understanding of how materials behave and how we can develop and use them to make the products we experience – from bricks to bridges to body scanners.

We use our understanding of materials at the atomic and microscopic levels to design, for example, new types of medical implants, new alloys and production methods for more energy-efficient engines, and better sports equipment to allow athletes to safely perform at their maximum levels.

This four-year course has been designed in response to demand from the Nuclear industry for a programme at undergraduate level to equip students with the fundamentals to help provide non-fossil fuel alternatives for our future energy requirements. 

The course brings together a range of modules drawn from top ranked schools across the University. Students will study modules from the Schools of Physics and Astronomy  (ranked 2nd in the UK by the Times) and of  Metallurgy and Materials  (ranked 3rd in the UK by the Guardian), meaning that you will receive a first class grounding in the issues facing the nuclear industry today, taught by some of the leaders in their field.

Course structure
The course offers a modular programme of study which normally leads to the award of Master of Engineering (MEng) in four years.

This new course has been designed in response to demand from industry for a programme at undergraduate level to equip students with the fundamentals to help provide non-fossil fuel alternatives for our future energy requirements.

First year

Core modules in your first year will include:

• Fundamentals of Material Science
• Classical Mechanics and Relativity
• Fluid Flow and Thermodynamics

You will also study Computing and Mathematics to ensure that you have the essential skills for higher study in further years.

Second year

In your second year you will study subjects including Nuclear Physics and Fracture, Fatigue and Corrosion.

Third and fourth years

In your final years you will study a range of highly specialised topics developed in conjunction with our partners in industry, including:

• Advanced Nuclear Physics
• Design of Reactors
• Radiation Protection and Detection

 

This course has been designed to ensure that you have the theoretical foundations necessary to conduct further research in this growing area, or to obtain a graduate role in a range of disciplines from reactor management to radiation safety. 

Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining accreditation

This degree programme will be accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, and the Nuclear Industry. More information about can be found at www.iom3.org

Generic skills-training, focusing on transferable skills and employability, is embedded throughout the course from the outset, and will ensure that you are equipped with the ICT, presentation, team-working and problem–solving skills which will enhance your employability on graduation.

BSc or MEng?
The first two years of the MEng course are identical to our Bachelor of Science (BSc) programme H821, which means that you can delay your final choice of degree until the end of your second year. Entry onto the MEng programme is dependent upon successful completion of your second year and you must provide excellent results (i.e. be on target for a minimum of a high 2ii).

Related links

• Nuclear Engineering undergraduate degrees (pdf 250 KB)
• Nuclear Science and Materials BSc
• Metallurgy and Materials undergraduate degree courses
• Physics and Astronomy undergraduate degree courses

Personal Tutor: At the start of your degree, you will be assigned a Personal Tutor who will remain with you throughout your studies to help you in three important areas: supporting your academic progress, developing transferable skills and dealing with any welfare issues.

Delivery of the course
In your first and second years, the course is delivered as lectures, small group workshops, laboratories, computer-based activities, enquiry-based learning and tutorials.  A strong emphasis is placed on design and research project work in your third and fourth years respectively.

Laboratory-based practical work forms an integral part of the School's degree programmes. Laboratory classes are embedded within a module and used, not only to develop your experimental practical skills, but also to reinforce concepts introduced in lectures or to explore a particular phenomenon.  First year practical sessions, typically, last two hours and increase in length in subsequent years to allow for more advanced experiments.

Small-group tutorials/personal tutorials run alongside the lecture course, addressing any individual problems you may have and allowing you to consolidate the lecture material, as well as test your understanding through problem-solving exercises.

Enquiry Based Learning (EBL) provides an environment where your learning process is driven by enquiry and the lecturer's role is purely as a facilitator. EBL is typically a group activity.

This requires working in a team and you can be assessed in a variety of ways: in either a group or individually, by written reports and/or oral presentations. EBL will give you a research-orientated approach to a problem, and has a synergy within research-led institutions like the University of Birmingham.

Project work: A strong emphasis is placed on project work in your final year. The range of projects includes practical work in the laboratory, or computer-based projects. You can choose the topic of your project from a pool of titles and work with your project supervisor to tailor the project to your particular research interests.

Feedback shows that, on average, 95% of the students on this course find work and/or further study after graduating, and those in work are, typically, earning £26,000 a year six months after graduation.  Of those working, 85% are doing professional/managerial jobs.

Over the next ten years the UK will embark on an ambitious program of commissioning nuclear energy, creating opportunities from plant design and construction to finding sustainable ways of recycling nuclear materials. This new course has been designed in response to demand from industry for a programme at undergraduate level to equip students with the fundamentals to help provide non-fossil fuel alternatives for our future energy requirements. This challenging and growing field offers a range of well paid careers for graduates with strong technical and scientific skills.

We give you access to placement opportunities and careers advice and have strong links with a range of companies including:

• Magnox North
• NNL
• British Energy
• AMEC
• Rolls-Royce
• Serco
• HSE (NII)
• Atkins
• Babcock Marine
• AWE
• Nuclear Tech.
• Frazer-Nash
• BAE Systems
• Westinghouse
• Canberra
• UKAEA
• Aldersgate
• EDF
• E.ON
• RWE NPower
• Horizon NPower

Preparing for your future career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university.  As one of our Materials students, exciting career choices will open up to you when you graduate with an accredited degree such as this. You could pursue a career in one of the automotive, aerospace or energy sectors; one of the manufacturing industries; or you could work in other areas of science and technology, such as materials testing or failure analysis. Other areas that favour the problem-solving skills you will acquire are finance, law and marketing as well as teaching and/or research.

Superb opportunities exist for you to gain industrial experience before you graduate. You will gain relevant work experience, and earn money putting into practice the skills and knowledge gained from your degree.  Students on placement get involved in serious projects which ask difficult questions that require good engineering answers - and which often lead to sponsorship and/or the offer of a graduate job.

Another option is to join our MEng programme with industrial experience and spend up to six months with one of our industrial partners; usually between your third and fourth study years.

A rich vein of expertise will be available for you to tap into, not only through the University's dedicated Careers Network, but from the School's own industrial liaison officer. From these careers professionals you will gain the skills to help you secure a range of placements from vacation jobs to, eventually, your graduate job.

At School-level, you can opt to add a year to your programme, whatever the course you are studying, and spend this time on placement in industry. You will gain relevant work experience, and earn money putting into practice the skills and knowledge gained from your degree.  Students on placement get involved in serious projects which ask searching questions that require good engineering answers - and which often lead to sponsorship and/or the offer of a graduate job.  On successful completion of a placement in industry organised by the School, and success in your studies, you will be awarded the Certificate in Industrial Studies to add to your degree and improve your employability prospects.

 At University-level, our unique careers guidance service is tailored to academic subject areas, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team sources exclusive work experience opportunities to help you stand out amongst the competition, with mentoring, global internships and placements available to you. Once you have a career in your sights, one-to-one support with CVs and job applications will help give you the edge. In addition, our employer-endorsed award-winning Personal Skills Award (PSA)   recognises your extra-curricular activities, and provides an accredited employability programme designed to improve your career prospects.

Whichever of the above forms of careers guidance, or combination of such, you select you will find your prospects for employment after graduation considerably enhanced.  If you make the most of the wide range of careers advice we can offer, you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Career destinations of previous graduates include:

• Rolls Royce,
• AeroEngine Controls,
• Jaguar Land Rover,
• BMW Group,
• BP,
• Tata Steel,
• Schlumberger,
• Doncasters Limited,
• Sandvik,
• BAe Systems

University Careers Network

Preparation for your career should be one of the first things you think about as you start university. Whether you have a clear idea of where your future aspirations lie or want to consider the broad range of opportunities available once you have a Birmingham degree, our Careers Network can help you achieve your goal.

If you make the most of the wide range of services you will be able to develop your career from the moment you arrive.

Contact us

• Sophie Miller - Careers consultant (s.a.miller@bham.ac.uk)
• Richard Newman- Careers consultant (r.j.newman@bham.ac.uk)
• Caroline Egan - Careers adviser (c.egan@bham.ac.uk)
• Brendan Bacon - Internship officer (b.bacon@bham.ac.uk)
• Carl Jukes - Applications support adviser (c.jukes@bham.ac.uk)

Destinations of Leavers from Higher Education (DLHE) 2010/11

The DLHE survey is conducted 6 months after graduation.

Range of Employers for Birmingham's Metallurgy and Materials Graduates

• BAE Systems
• Bentley Motors
• Deloitte
• Pilkington Group Ltd
• Rolls-Royce plc
• Sandvik Hard Materials
• Serco Group plc
• Shell UK Ltd
• TWI Ltd
• University of Birmingham

Range of Occupations for Birmingham's Metallurgy and Materials Graduates

• Laboratory Manager
• Lecturer
• Material Scientist
• Materials Engineer
• Production Manager
• Project Development Engineer
• Project Engineer
• Research Fellow
• Research Scientist
• Senior Technologist

Range of Courses of Further Study for Birmingham's Metallurgy and Materials Graduates

• EngD Engineered Materials
• MRes Material Technology
• MRes Metallurgy
• MRes Science and Engineering of Materials
• MSc Material Science and Engineering
• MSc Materials Energy Technology
• MSc Research Design
• MSc Sports Engineering
• PhD Biomaterials
• PhD Metallurgy and Materials

Visit the Careers section of the University website for further information.