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Formulation Engineering EngD

Start date
September
Duration
4 years full-time
Course Type
Postgraduate, Combined research and taught, Doctoral research
Fees

We charge an annual tuition fee. Fees for 2024/25:
£4,778
Further fee information is available.

The Formulation Engineering EngD is a four year postgraduate programme consisting of study and research, mainly based in industry. You will be placed within your sponsoring company and carry out industry-focused research.

This is an EPSRC-sponsored doctoral research and training programme. You combine a research project based in industry with a Masters-level training and development programme. The programme has been recognised by the IChemE as counting towards Chartered Engineer status.

The programme focuses on research into the physical, chemical and biological processes that create product structure, and the maintenance or breakdown of that structure in use. An important feature of the approach is that it is focused on achieving the desired performance of the product and the means to achieve this, rather than on characterisation of existing processes. This is a different approach from the traditional one in chemical engineering, and places new demands on interdisciplinarity and innovation.

You will take an inherently multidisciplinary approach, involving the component disciplines of Chemical Engineering, Materials Science, Chemistry, Physics and Biosciences, to a largely undeveloped area. The intention is to develop a framework of understanding for the design, manufacture and performance assessment of formulated products.

You will also develop personal, scientific and business skills to enable them to carry out the joint industry-academia research programme. The programme aims to produce graduates able to take charge of development teams in the most competitive markets

You will find available research projects on our EngD site.

Why study Formulation Engineering EngD at Birmingham?

  • Competitive stipend;
  • Potential for an industry top-up bursary;
  • Engagement with a wider research community;
  • Interdisciplinary training and research projects;
  • Integral engagement with leading industrial partners in both training and research

Chat with our postgrads

Kate standing against a dark backgroundThe best advice about studying a Masters or PhD at Birmingham comes from our students. Our friendly and welcoming postgraduate students are ready and waiting to chat and share their thoughts on our courses, stunning campus and life in a vibrant and cultural city.

Chat with Kate

Prior to my EngD I had completed a degree in Chemistry and was left not knowing where to go next! The EngD was perfect for me as it enabled me to gain engineering skills and also take part in taught courses. I became particularly interested in the food-related modules and confirmed my desire to work in the food industry. I spent some time living and working out at Unilever (my sponsor company) in Vlaardingen, The Netherlands from which I gained valuable industrial experience.

Dr Zoe Brown

Modules

The taught modules (120 credits) are spread over two/three years and are chosen from a range of topics including:

Basic Training and Introductory Modules (Years 1 and 2)

Choose a minimum of 40 and a maximum of 60 credits:

Specialism, Business and Research Skills Modules (Years 2 and 3)

Select modules with discussion with your supervisor to bring the total taught elements to 120 credits. Examples of optional modules are listed below:

Specialism modules

Business Skills

Research Skills

Please note: The modules listed on the website for this programme are regularly reviewed to ensure they are up-to-date and informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Fees

Annual Tuition Fees 2024/25 academic year

  • £4,778 - all students, full-time.

Scholarships

Research engineers can be recruited onto the PhD with Integrated Studies in Formulation Engineering.  Fees are covered by EPSRC and research engineers receive a stipend (from EPSRC) and an industry ‘top up’ from the sponsoring company. Contact us for details.

Postgraduate Doctoral Loan

A Postgraduate Doctoral Loan can help with course fees and living costs while you study a postgraduate doctoral course, such as a PhD.

Scholarships

We offer a range of postgraduate scholarships for taught programmes and research opportunities to ensure the very best talent is nurtured and supported at postgraduate level.

 

How To Apply

To apply please send a copy of your CV to r.w.greenwood@bham.ac.uk for consideration. Please indicate if you are interested in a particular project, details of which can be found via the available projects page.

Learn more about applying.  

International students applying for this programme will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the University can issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). We recommend that you apply for your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive an offer from us.

How to apply

To apply for a postgraduate research programme, you will need to submit your application and supporting documents online. We have put together some helpful information on the research programme application process and supporting documents on our how to apply page. Please read this information carefully before completing your application.

Apply now

Our Standard Requirements

A 2:1 Honours degree in Chemical Engineering, Biological or Physical Sciences, or Mathematics. Learn more about entry requirements. 

International Requirements



International Students

English language

For students whose first language is not English, one of the following English language qualifications is required:

 
  • IELTS 6.0 with no less than 5.5 in any band
  • TOEFL: 80 overall with no less than 19 in Reading, 19 in Listening, 21 in Speaking and 19 in Writing
  • Pearson Test of English (PTE) including online: Academic 64 with no less than 59 in all four skills
  • Cambridge English (exams taken from 2015): Advanced – minimum overall score of 169, with no less than 162 in any component
 

International students applying for this programme will need an Academic Technology Approval Scheme (ATAS) certificate from the Foreign & Commonwealth Office before the University can issue you with a Certificate of Acceptance of Studies (CAS). We recommend that you apply for your ATAS certificate as soon as you receive an offer from us.

Our mission is to carry out research of the highest academic quality, which is novel, challenging and relevant to users. 

The School of Chemical Engineering at Birmingham is one of the three largest centres for the postgraduate education of chemical engineers in the UK. We have pioneered development and research in rapidly expanding new areas such as pharmaceuticals and bioproducts, food processing, hydrogen fuel cells and energy research, as well as having leading-edge groups in fluid and particle mechanics. 

EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Formulation Engineering

The EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Formulation Engineering is a four year postgraduate programme consisting of study and research, mainly based in industry. The Centre has received £1.3 million of industry funding; sectors include foods, pharmaceuticals and speciality products such as paints, catalysts, detergents and agrochemicals. 

Dr Richard Greenwood

Formulation and Formulation Engineering.

The programme comprises 120 credits of taught material.  The modules offered are typically intensive one week long courses at the University, with the majority offered at Masters level with a pass mark of 50% (with the exception of the introductory modules). 

There are 10 and 20 credit modules available and we usually recommend students taking 50 credits in the first year, 40 in the second year and 30 in the third year (leaving final year free for thesis writing and experiments).  1 credit represents 10 hours of notional learning, so 10-credits is the equivalent of 100-hours, 20-credits of 200-hours and so forth.  On average our modules have 30% contact time (academic-led teaching activities such as lectures, seminars, lab work, etc) with 70% student-led independent learning.  

We currently offer a suite of courses:

Foundation’ modules in process engineering and bioscience to give basic training for those whose first degree did not contain the appropriate material

Core modules in formulation science and engineering, including measurement of structure and process, particle and colloid science, and in the science underpinning molecule delivery. 

A ‘Training Need Analysis’ is developed in collaboration with supervisors and modules are selected on the following basis:

  • Directly relevant to their research;
  • Develop business and transferrable skills;
  • Cover areas of Formulation Engineering not taught in the research engineer’s degree or career history;
  • Cover new manufacturing paradigms

 

Company support

Twenty-three different companies have sponsored projects to date including Unilever, Rolls Royce, Cargill, Johnson Matthey, Imerys  and Procter & Gamble, BASF, Astra Zeneca, Colgate-Palmolive, Royal College of Defence Medicine, AWE and Dupont Teijin Films

The scheme is now pushing into Europe with projects based in Unilever in the Netherlands and BASF in Germany. Additionally, we are currently in discussions with many other companies to create new projects, in particular Akzo Nobel, Syngenta, Nestle, Pepsico, Kraft and Tarmac.

Our graduate employability is 100%, with 70% of our students being employed specifically in the field of Formulation Engineering.  Around a third of our students are retained by the sponsoring companies upon completion of the programme.

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.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source 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.

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

For my Engineering Doctorate I was based at the Rolls-Royce Precision Casting Facility (PCF) in Derby UK. The project itself was looking at ceramic formulations being used for novel manufacturing techniques used to create single crystal jet engine components. During the project I worked as part of a wider team of engineers and researchers based at the Derby site and in California in the US. Day to day, I worked with the project team at Derby, spent time using the research facilities at the University of Birmingham and also had the opportunity for a number of visits to the US site to get involved in experiments, review and plan work.

Dr Stewart Welch

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.

Our unique careers guidance service is tailored to your academic subject area, offering a specialised team (in each of the five academic colleges) who can give you expert advice. Our team source 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.

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

Professional Accreditation

The EngD Studentships at the School of Chemical Engineering has been recognised by the IChemE as counting towards Chartered Engineer status.