Masters in Materials Science and Engineering  (T275)

This programme is aimed at students with a primary degree in engineering or cognate physical science who wish to develop a career or engage with further studies in materials science and engineering leading to a professionally accredited qualification. We value and therefore encourage students to be engaged, autonomous learners who have a critical and problem-solving approach to materials as they are used in both common and advanced engineering applications. Of key importance within the learning experience is the ability of the student to work individually or within teams and to communicate their ideas and outcomes effectively. Students should also not lose sight of the ethical, environmental or human perspectives within which they work. We aim to provide a stimulating learning environment with a wide-ranging and relevant taught curriculum that is underpinned by a hands-on laboratory experience that will encourage students to develop a deep understanding of structure-property relationships in materials. A significant period of structured internship at an industrial partner is a key component of the programme. A variety of teaching, learning and assessment strategies are used to achieve the desired outcomes including individual and team assignments, technical presentations, internship assessment and a significant supervised research project. These are subject to assessment on both a continuous and end-of-trimester basis.

1 - PO1. Knowledge and Understanding Advanced knowledge and understanding of the mathematics, sciences, data science, analytics, and other technologies underpinning materials science and engineering
2 - PO2. Problem Analysis The ability to identify, formulate and analyse complex materials engineering problems.
3 - PO3. Design The ability to design innovative solutions to complex materials engineering problems.
4 - PO4. Investigation The ability to investigate, experiment and apply standard and specialised research methods
5 - PO5. Professional and Ethical Responsibilities Understanding of and commitment to professional and ethical responsibilities towards people and the environment in the practice of materials engineering.
6 - PO6. Teamwork and Lifelong Learning The ability to work effectively independently and in diverse and inclusive teams, and to prepare for lifelong learning.
7 - PO7. Communication The ability to communicate effectively on complex materials engineering activities to diverse audiences.
8 - PO8. Engineering Management Knowledge and understanding of engineering management principles and financial decision-making relevant to materials engineering and an ability to apply these to one’s own work and to the management of projects.
9 - Advanced knowledge and understanding of the mathematics, sciences, engineering sciences and technologies underpinning their branch of engineering.
10 - The ability to identify, formulate, analyse and solve complex engineering problems.
11 - The ability to perform the detailed design of a novel system, component or process using analysis and interpretation of relevant data.
12 - The ability to design and conduct experiments and to apply a range of standard and specialised research (or equivalent) tools and techniques of enquiry.
13 - An understanding of the need for high ethical standards in the practice of engineering, including the responsibilities of the engineering profession towards people, society and the environment.
14 - The ability to work effectively as an individual, in teams and in multidisciplinary settings, together with the capacity to undertake lifelong learning.
15 - The ability to communicate effectively on complex technical activities with the engineering and science community and with society at large.

If you are a graduate of the ME Materials Science and Engineering programme you can look forward to limitless employment opportunities in leading companies of the manufacturing, biomedical, aerospace, energy and electronic sectors. Manufacturing accounts for 24% of Irish economic output and employs 20% of the Irish workforce directly or indirectly. Ireland’s aerospace and aviation industry is worth over €4.1 billion to the Irish economy, and there are more than 250 companies involved in the aerospace, aviation and space sectors in Ireland, providing employment for around 42,000 full-time workers. Moreover, Ireland hosts 18 of the world’s top 25 medtech companies and a multi-national semi-conductor manufacturing company (Intel Leixlip), overall employing over 40,000 people. UCD materials graduates have taken up roles such as data scientist, manufacturing engineer, development engineer, and research engineer, in different industrial sectors including aerospace (General Electric, Rolls Royce, Lockheed Martin Aeronautics), electronics (Intel), biomedical (Boston Scientific, Stryker, DePuy Synthes) and energy (Siemens).

Hear from our alumni: MEngSc Material Science and Engineering (youtube.com)

Stage 1

The ME (Materials Science and Engineering) Degree Programme is offered as a two-year 2-Stage 120-Credit Masters Programme. Students must consult with and obtain prior approval of the Programme Director before registering to their modules.
Students are required to take 60 credits in each Stage (Year) of their programme with a balanced workload of 30 credits per trimester.

Stage 2

Stage 2 (Year 2) of the ME Materials Science & Engineering comprises 60 credits with a balanced workload of 30 credits per trimester.
In Stage 2 (Year 2), students will undertake a 2-trimester duration project module (ME MSE Project Module (MEEN40740)). All students are recommended to allocate 10 credits of MEEN40740 to the Autumn Trimester and 15 credits to the Spring Trimester when calculating the contribution of MEEN40740 to their Trimester credit workload for Stage 2.

See the UCD Assessment website for further details

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Module Weighting Info
 

• An honours undergraduate degree (NFQ Level 8) with a minimum upper second class honours or international equivalence in an Engineering or cognate Physical Sciences degree programme.
• Applicants whose first language is not English must also demonstrate English language proficiency of IELTS 6.5 (no band less than 6.0 in each element), or equivalent.
• Students meeting the programme’s academic entry requirements but not the  English language requirements, may enter the programme upon  successful completion of UCD’s Pre-Sessional or International Pre-Master’s Pathway programmes. Please see the following link for further information http://www.ucd.ie/alc/programmes/pathways/ 
• These are the minimum entry requirements – additional criteria may be requested for some programmes