Master | University of Twente

COMBINE CHEMISTRY AND ENGINEERING TO BECOME AN EXPERT IN THE EXCITING AND INNOVATIVE FIELD OF MATERIALS.

Progress in many branches of science and technology depends critically on the availability of new and better materials that are tailored to the needs of our 21^st century global society. From sustainable and recyclable materials to advanced materials for energy harvesting and storage technologies, materials chemistry and materials engineering play a central role in this multidisciplinary field of science. Examples are next generation solar cells, sustainable batteries, flexible touch screens, knee implants, and fully recyclable plastics. They all have in common that their development requires a thorough knowledge of chemistry. However, engineering materials implies more than knowing chemistry alone. It also takes in-depth understanding of some principles of mechanical engineering and physics.

The specialisation Materials equips you with a broad foundation in the chemistry and engineering of materials. Within the specialisation you can focus further on materials for sustainability, and materials for energy. Students who like to broaden their knowledge and skills beyond the disciplinary boundaries can opt for the track Materials Science and Engineering, a collaboration between the master programmes Chemical Science & Engineering, Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics. Within each track, the core courses are slightly different.

What to expect?

Which type of material is light-weighted, but still efficient enough to be applied in solar cells? What material would you recommend to store heat or electrical energy for later use? And how can you make sure that a polymer is fully biodegradable or recyclable to enter a second life? In this specialisation, a specific application or a real-life challenge is usually the starting point of your thinking process. You use in-depth knowledge of atomic and material properties and behaviour of materials to assess their suitability for specific purposes in engineering and technology, and propose further improvements.

Examples of courses you will follow during this specialisation:

How do you make sure that a material has the right chemical properties? The course Characterization will give you in-depth insights into advanced characterisation techniques, in order to define material properties, detect impurities or even create new chemical substances.
Properties of materials are often determined or limited by their surface. During the course Surfaces and Thin Layers, you will explore a.o. the structure and (electronic) properties of surfaces, diffraction and scanning probe techniques and the growth of thin films, including thermodynamic and kinetic aspects.
The course Phase Transformation and Manufacturing will provide you with a deeper understanding of the changes certain materials undergo based on changes in external conditions, such as temperature or pressure.

Next to the tracks focusing on materials energy and sustainability, the multidisciplinary track equips you with fundamental chemical knowledge in the field of materials science and engineering while complementing it with courses from the Master’s in Mechanical Engineering and Applied Physics. With close ties to the industry, you will be able to contribute to many real-life challenges.

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 in-depth chemical, physical and mechanical knowledge in the field of materials science;
- have both theoretical and practical knowledge of synthesis and characterisation techniques for the qualitative and quantitative determination of properties of chemical substances;
- understand materials’ atomic and molecular level implications and macroscopic properties and combine this with strategies of materials selection, preparation and characterisation for engineering and technology.
Skills
After successfully finishing this Master’s specialisation, you:
- can design, manufacture, apply and characterise new materials and (bio)molecular structures with high-tech features by making use of different properties;
- can give useful, extensive (technical) advice to third parties regarding materials use in production processes
- are able to critically examine existing theories, models or interpretations in the area of materials science and are able to conduct research independently at a master’s level.
Values
After completing this Master’s specialisation, you:
- value multidisciplinary collaboration;
- take into account environmental, social and safety aspects in researching, developing and selecting novel materials;
- are aware of the changeability of a (research) process due to external circumstances or progressive insights and you are able to adjust this process accordingly.

Other master’s and specialisations

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

Curriculum