Materials Science | Applied Physics

Learn to apply the fundamental principles of physics that underlie the properties, structure, and behaviour of materials to develop cutting-edge materials for tomorrow’s societal challenges.

Whether we are talking about clean energy technologies, information technology, high-tech manufacturing, or biomedical devices: advancements in industries rely heavily on breakthroughs in materials science. Imagine smartphones with longer battery life, energy-efficient AI chips, and materials for quantum computers. Or superconductors that enable higher-resolution imaging in MRI scanners or more efficient windmills. Or what about new solar panels that are better at capturing sunlight? In the specialisation Materials Science, you will study the fundamental principles of physics underlying the properties, structure and behaviour of new and cutting-edge materials. If you want to contribute to innovations in a wide range of industries – from the energy transition to tomorrow’s chips - the specialisation in Materials Science is right for you.

What is Materials Science?

In this specialisation, you will study the fundamental relationship between materials’ structure and properties in order to develop and/or optimise (new) materials that can exhibit specific optical, electrical, magnetic or mechanical characteristics. In doing so, you will combine computational methods (e.g. modelling, measurements, data analytics) with experimental research in high-tech laboratories. In the end, you will have an in-depth understanding of how physical principles like thermodynamics, quantum physics, optics, electromagnetism, solid-state physics and quantum mechanics govern material behaviour and you will know how to manipulate and control these principles to achieve desired material properties for specific applications.

Examples of courses you will follow during this specialisation:

The course Nanophysics deals with the unique physical phenomena that only occur on the nanometre length scale. At this length scale the wavelength of the electrons becomes comparable to the dimensions of the material.

Can you imagine building electronic systems that are almost as energy efficient as the neurons in our brains? Joining this specialisation, you will acquire specific techniques to create thin films, that can be used in a wide variety of applications – from data storage technologies to drug delivery systems and from solar cells to optical coatings for eyeglasses, camera lenses or lithography systems that are used in microchip design. You will be able to work on real-life projects in collaboration with industrial partners like ASML, Zeiss, and DESY, to name a few.

Looking for a multidisciplinary approach to Materials Science?
Find out more about our multidisciplinary specialisation in Materials Science & Engineering, where you will combine knowledge of physics, chemistry and mechanical engineering.

What will you learn?

As a graduate of this Master's and this specialisation, you have acquired specific, scientific knowledge, skills and values, which you can put to good use in your future job.

Knowledge
After completing this Master’s specialisation, you:
- have a solid understanding of materials as well as the experimental techniques and theoretical models that are used to scrutinise and unravel the physical properties of materials;
Skills
After successfully finishing this Master’s specialisation, you:
- are able to determine the physical properties of materials with a broad range of experimental and theoretical techniques;
- are able to design and tailor materials for specific applications;
- can proceed with a PhD trajectory or start a R&D job in the industry as a material scientist.

Other master’s and specialisations

Is this specialisation not exactly what you are looking for? Maybe one of the other specialisations suits you better. Or find out more about related Master’s:

Curriculum