Materials Science is an interdisciplinary subject, spanning the physics and chemistry of matter, engineering applications and industrial manufacturing processes.

Modern society is heavily dependent on advanced materials, for example:

Materials scientists study the relationships between the structure and properties of a material and how it is made. They also develop new materials and devise advanced processes for manufacturing them. Materials Science is vital for developments in nanotechnology, quantum computing, energy storage and nuclear energy, as well as medical technologies such as bone replacement materials and drug delivery.

This diverse programme spans the subject from its foundations in physics and chemistry to the mechanical, electrical, magnetic and optical properties of materials. It also examines the design, manufacture and applications of metals, alloys, ceramics, polymers, composites and biomaterials. This work is supported by excellent laboratory and teaching facilities.

The programme also offers an opportunity to develop an introductory understanding of entrepreneurship (learning how to write a business plan, raise capital and start a company). There are also voluntary options to learn a foreign language with the University's Language Centre.

The Oxford Materials degree includes in its fourth year the special feature of an eight-month full-time research project. During this fourth year you will join a research team either here at Oxford in one of the strongest Departments of Materials in the UK or. Occasionally the research team might be at an overseas university or in an industrial laboratory (additional costs may be associated with a project outside Oxford).

You will learn how to break down a complex problem, design an experiment or model, manage a project and communicate your results. These research skills are transferable to many career paths and are valued highly by employers.

Students are encouraged to undertake a voluntary summer project in industry or a research laboratory. Recent locations for overseas summer projects have included Beijing, Zhejiang, Shanghai, Tokyo, Bochum and Boston. A voluntary industrial tour to an overseas destination is organised in most Easter holidays. Recent destinations include Singapore, France, China and Sweden.

Applying for Materials Science with a Foundation Year might be right for you if you’re interested in studying this course but your personal or educational circumstances mean you are unlikely to achieve the grades typically required for Oxford courses.

Visit our Foundation Year course pages for more details.

'Being a Materials Scientist is rather like being a chemist, physicist, engineer and mathematician all rolled into one: perfect for the all-round scientist! It is challenging, and requires a lot of effort and perseverance, but we get to carry out fun experiments involving orange jelly, molten metal and bubbles, so all the effort seems worth it. Practical classes are particularly good for developing a hands-on approach, and then we also have industrial visits where you get to see where all the work is leading you. I would definitely recommend Oxford as a place to read Materials Science, as there are so many resources and the course is just so varied, with extra options such as languages or ‘Building a Business’. Everyone really gets to know each other, and personally I have made some amazing friends on the course.'

Jodie

Discover Uni provides applicants with Unistats statistics about undergraduate life at Oxford.

Please select 'see course data' on the following course option to view the full Unistats data for Materials Science.

Please note that there may be no data available if the number of course participants is very small. 

Materials Science