School of Metallurgy and Materials at University of Birmingham

To maintain Metallurgy and Materials Science at the University of Birmingham as world class teaching and research activities, to develop interdisciplinarity with engineering and science and to further the aim of Sustainable Development.

Research

Our status as one of the very top University schools confirmed once again through our 6* rating in the Research Assessment Exercise. This follows similar top grades of 5/A/A (1992), and 5*A (1996) - when the "star" classification was introduced. In research we are proud to encompass a wide range of interests in the processing, characterisation, assessment and modelling of materials.

We are also considered to be the leading school for many areas of metallurgical research. Research is currently organised within three independent Research Centres integrated under the Department. Our numerous interactions with industry span agreements lasting between three months and twelve years.

Undergraduate Studies

Our distinguished research culture feeds into our range of undergraduate degree programmes. Again, generous scholarships are available, often in collaboration with industry.

We consider highlights of the undergraduate degrees to include the industrial placements (during vacations) and the high content of experimentally-based laboratory studies embedded in our programmes.

This culminates in a large-scale (six-month) final year project (three-year programmes) and a six-month industrial project (four-year MEng programme). Throughout our courses we place emphasis on communication skills, and feedback from employers indicates that this ability to communicate well is a feature of our graduates. The use of case studies is also now a major part of several of our programmes.

Postgraduate Studies

At postgraduate level, we have a comprehensive choice of research degrees: MRes , PhD and EngD, with a wide range of generous scholarships available in all research areas. These research programmes are supported by outstanding academic staff, and a superb range of equipment and facilities. Most projects receive industrial support.