oxford materials

8/3/2019 Oxford Materials

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Studying Materials Science

at Oxford University

Materials Science Programme

Materials, Economics & Management Programme

Department of Materials


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1 Studying Materials Science at Oxford University

The purpose of this brochure is to give

you some idea about Materials Science

at Oxford University and to help you to

decide if this is the degree subject you

want to study. It should also help to get

you started with your application.

The information given here should be supple-

mented by the undergraduate prospectus,

the Oxford University Undergraduate

Admissions web-site and information that is

updated from time to time on this and otherUniversity web-sites.

A summary of useful web-site addresses

is given towards the end of this booklet:

the Materials Department web-site is at

http://www.materials.ox.ac.uk.Contact

details are on the rear cover.

Materials research is increasingly important

world-wide as an engine for economic

prosperity, and the development and

application of new or improved materialsare key factors enabling the UK to remain

internationally competitive. Industry depends

critically on employing graduates with the

right skills and on innovations developed

in collaboration with universities. As well

as carrying out world class fundamental &

blue skies research, Oxford Materials has

developed strategic industrial alliances to meet

industry's R&D, employment and continuing

education needs.

The knowledge gained from these activities

informs our teaching, helping to make graduates

from this Department highly employable.

The skills developed during our degree courses

produce Materials graduates sought after by a

wide range of employers, including the business

and financial sectors as well as science &

engineering.

The following selection of a few of the hot

topics' in current materials research, together

with the images on pages 1 & 2, will give youa flavour of how wide and varied the subject is.

Materials scientists are:

developing components to

operate at 1,500C in the next generation

of jet engines and at even higher

temperatures in fusion reactors

improving the biocompatibility of prosthetic

implants by growing artificial bone and

developing sophisticated surface coatings

for these implants

creating new semiconducting materialswith individual particles one ten-millionth

of a centimetre across that turn out to have

some very unexpected properties

at the forefront of the development of

practical quantum computers

designing the next generation of high

performance packaging materials for every-

thing from integrated circuits to food

Materials Science is such a wide-ranging

and cross-disciplinary subject that this booklet

could not possibly give you a comprehensive

overview. Instead it is suggested that you

research the subject in more depth for

yourself by browsing materials web sites,

reading scientific magazines and books,

attending Open Days and asking questions

of teachers, industrialists and academics.

Useful introductory books include: Ivan Amato,

Stuff (Basic Books, 1997); Ken Easterling,

Tomorrows Materials, 2nd edn. (Institute ofMaterials, 1990).

The professional institute for materials scientists,

the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining,

has some useful links via its web-site, which

at the time of printing is http://www.iom3.org

look under careers and select careers in

materials from the drop-down menu.

There are several other relevant sources of

information, and you are urged to explore

these too. Sources include the OxfordUndergraduate Prospectus, the Oxford

University Undergraduate Admissions Office

web-site (http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk) and

the web-sites of the individual Colleges, which

are listed in a later section of this brochure.

Perhaps one of the best ways to discover more

is to attend one of our open days and speak

directly with lecturers and students about the

degree courses and career opportunities.

A Warm Welcome to Oxford Materials

Left: An X-ray image of a

titanium alloy hip implant

Right:

Special coatings are being

developed to enhance the

adhesion of hip implants

to natural bone. Thesecoatings are based on

a thin layer of porous

aluminium oxide. (The

scale bar shows 1m.)

Far Right: Spincoating of a polymer solution under

cleanroom conditions during the preparation of

polymerbased photovoltaic devices.


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At Easter, we host four open days solely for

Materials courses: these are the principal

events for Materials Science in the year. In

addition, there are two days in the summer

that provide opportunities to visit more than

one science department, including Materials,

together with some colleges, all on the same

day. Please note that booking is required

to attend at Easter, but not in the summer.

Booking information is available from theMaterials Department web-site.

We hope that you find the brochure to be

helpful. Your feedback, preferably by e-mail

to our Schools Liaison Officer, would be most

welcome and will help us to keep future

brochures relevant and up-to-date.

Upper Far Left: The electric arc spraying of molten steel droplets

onto a ceramic pattern to produce complex shapes for polymer

injection moulding and press tools and dies. This new approach

offers the potential for decrease in manufacturing times. Spraying

takes place in a controlled spray cell using a six-axis industrial robot.

Lower Far Left: The Airbus 380 Super Jumbo incorporates

advanced alloys and composites. Research in the Department

of Materials is developing a new low-density high strength

aluminium alloy for aerospace applications such as the A380.

Left: A Rolls-Royce Trent 700 aero engine makes use of a wide

range of advanced alloys and coatings, including thermal barrier

coatings, nickel superalloys and in the future, titanium matrix

composites all of which have been s tudied in detail at

Oxford Materials.

1: Dr. Andrei Khlobystov, from our

Quantum Information Processing

Research Centre, aquires an image with

atomic resolution (0.12nm) using the

Departments JEOL 4000EX transmission

electron microscope (TEM). The image is

of a specially synthesised structure known

as a pea-pod. This example of nanoscale

engineering is described further in the

next caption.

2: A computer-generated illustration of

the pea-pod system, in which a cylindrical

carbon nanotube is filled with spherical

fullerene molecules (the carbon-based ,

football-like, buckminsterfullerene family

of molecules) each of which contains

an atom such as cerium (shown in blue).

These pea-pod systems are of interest as

potential q-bits; the means of information

storage in quantum computers. There is

great excitement at present about the

advances in information technology that

will result from the successful development

of a practical quantum computer.

3: An end-on view showing the structure

of a carbon nanotube with its hexagonal

rings of carbon. Essentially the nanotube

can be pictured as a single sheet of carbonatoms from the graphite structure (known

as a graphene sheet), rolled up into a

cylinder.

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Contents What IS Materials Science? 3

Is Materials science for you? 3

Why come to Oxford? 4

What we look for in you 5

Colleges taking Materials undergraduates 6

College life 6

Open Applications 6 Applying to study Materials Science 7

Funding 7

The interview 7

The application timeline 7

Some course highlights 8

Subject content and assessment 9

Career options for graduates 10

Job destinations 11

Summary of useful web-sites 12

Travel links to Oxford 13

Admissions Policy

Undergraduate Admissions Criteria 14

Contact details rear cover


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Materials Science is an interdisciplinary

subject that makes use of knowledge

from Chemistry, Engineering, Physics

and, increasingly, Biology and Medicine,

but which has its own special character.

There are few areas of research and

development that combine such a wide

knowledge base and put it to such

diverse practical and commercial use.

The simplest description of what a Materials

degree course covers is "the science of howmaterials behave at all scales from electrons to

supertankers". We are interested in improving

the performance of existing materials and

in designing and fabricating new, higher

performance materials that nature forgot

to invent! A material is to us any solid from

which we can make something useful; from

sand on the beach (computer chips) to

nickel (the turbine blades in jet engines)

and carbon fibres (in composites that protect

the drivers of Formula 1 racing cars).

The subject appeals to students who do

not wish to be limited to a single traditional

science subject, who enjoy an interdisciplinary

approach and who want to apply their science,

both experimental and theoretical, to real

and important problems in engineering and

technology. Materials is an outward-looking

subject that can be studied in effective

combination with a wide range of subjects.

In Oxford, in addition to our Materials Science

course we offer a joint course combining

Materials Science with Economics and

Management. We also encourage and assist our

undergraduates to study a second language as

part of the course and to undertake a summer

vacation placement in industry.

Developments in the physics and chemistry

of materials take place alongside those in

manufacturing processes and engineering

design; all these areas are the domain of

the materials scientist. By manipulatingand designing materials at the atomic scale,

a new branch in the study of materials has

opened up, that of nanotechnology. This new

science is revealing more secrets about the

structure of matter and allowing major advances

to be made in areas such as electronics,

engineering, computing & medicine.

Modern materials are being developed which

may look like their counterparts of 50 or 100

years ago, but are in fact greatly modified

often at the atomic scale to providevastly superior properties, such as strength,

toughness, wear and corrosion resistance.

Equally, completely new materials such as

carbon nanotubes are also being developed:

materials that have many exciting applications,

not least in the development of quantum

computers and devices to generate green

energy.

What IS Materials Science? Is Materials science for you?If you can identify with some of the following, then

the answer could be yes.

Do you:

Enjoy all areas of science?

Perform competently in maths?

Gain satisfaction from solving problems?

Find yourself asking, why does a material

behave the way that it does?

Want to apply what you learn to practical

problems?Have a desire to develop new or improved

materials, for example, for engineering,

construction, electronic, aerospace or

medical applications?

Like the idea of mixing business

with science?

The scope of Materials Science is truly vast,

covering almost all areas of science. If you want a

fascinating & exciting degree course and career,

Materials Science is for you.

Right: One of our students at work in the

Departmental library. The bust is of the

Departments founder, after whom our

Hume-Rothery building is named.

Far Right:An Aerial view of the location

of the Department of Materials. At the

bottom left a small part of the attractive

grounds of the University Parks can

be seen.


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Why come to Oxford?Oxford University Department ofMaterials offers a blend of traditional

and modern teaching techniques,

with top rated lectures (23 out of a

maximum 24 points in the Teaching

Quality Assessment), given by lecturers

who gained the top materials research

rating in the UK (2001).

We are regularly judged as the overall best

materials department in the country (The

Times League Table 2005, The GuardianLeague Tables 2006 & 2007 and The Good

University Guide 2007). Our degree courses

are professionally accredited by the Institute

of Materials, Minerals & Mining and the

Engineering Council of the UK.

Oxfords highly prized college-based tutorial

system offers regular small group teaching

(typically one tutor with two or three students),

allowing tutors to deal with the specific needs

of individual students, as well as encouraging

stimulating and exciting discussion of thesubject in an informal and friendly atmosphere.

Practical work is an important part of a

Materials degree course and we have an

excellent teaching laboratory which recently

underwent a 300,000 upgrade.

The Department of Materials teaches about

120 undergraduates over the four years of the

course. This size gives a family feel to the

department in which staff and students are

often on first name terms. We also have an

active and respected staff-student liaison

committee (the JCCU) which inputs to

the management of the Department.

In addition to the tutorial teaching, the

residential college system provides superb

support, guidance and facilities during your

time at Oxford.

There are two distinct courses offered by

the Department; the Materials Science (MS)

course is aimed at the scientist who envisages

beginning their career in research or a technical

area of industry, while the Materials, Economics

and Management (MEM) course is aimed at

the more business-oriented student who isinterested in combining technical, financial

& management skills at an early stage of

their career.

In addition to lectures, tutorials and laboratory

classes, there are industrial visits and a team

design project. The fourth year involves either

solely a research project (MS), which may be

carried out in the Department, in industry or

occasionally overseas, or a six-month industrial

project together with taught courses (MEM).

Both degrees provide the basis for the

development of highly competent, well-trained

graduates. Whatever your ultimate destination,

the key skills developed in numeracy, commu-

nication, analysis and in solving a wide array

of problems, together with the high academic

standards of the courses, make Oxford Materials

graduates highly sought after by industry,

business and the financial sector.

Helen Boffey (St Edmund Hall) 1st

Year For my A-levels I chose Physics,

Chemistry, Maths and Further Maths,

and I was keen to find a degree in which

I could combine these subjects. The

Oxford Materials Course offers the

opportunity to do just that, whilst also

introducing an engineering element. In

the first year the course is quite general

covering many important areas in the

physical sciences. I am sure that this willbe a good basis for the more specialised

work covered in subsequent years.

I think one of the best things about

the department is its small size, which

makes it very friendly. There are about

thirty students in each year group and

everybody gets to know each other very

quickly. The atmosphere in lectures is

relaxed and people are never afraid to ask

questions.

I have particularly enjoyed my

involvement with the JCCU, a committee

which works to continually improve

teaching within the department, as

well as organising social events and an

annual industrial tour abroad. This EasterI travelled to Tokyo visiting companies

such as Hitachi and Nissan. I am

currently involved in organising a tour to

Milan next Easter, which I hope will be as

enjoyable as this years tour.

Tutorials are held in college, with

generally just one other student

attending and these provide an excellent

method to really understand the content

of lectures with the help of expert tutors.

The college environment provides a real

sense of community, helping you to settle

in easily.

The University offers a vast array of clubs

and societies to get involved with. I have

particularly enjoyed taking debating

classes at the Union, performing in a play,

college badminton practices and trying

to learn to punt (i ts much harder than

it looks!)

1: A materials tutorial with Dr. Mike Jenkins

2: Prof Steve Roberts giving one-to-one feedback

during practical class marking

3: A materials science lectureSome of our students:

4: In College

5: Discussing a team design project

6: In the Teaching Laboratory

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What we look for in youThe University of Oxford Department ofMaterials has high academic standards

and seeks to maintain these standards

by recruiting high calibre students.

In deciding which candidates should be offered

a place, we look for evidence of academic

knowledge and ability in those aspects of

Maths, Physics and Chemistry that are relevant

to materials science and engineering, and

an enthusiasm for, and interest in, the subject

of Materials.

Candidates should be taking Maths and at

least one of Physics and Chemistry at A2

or equivalent, and expect to achieve the

equivalent of grades AAA at A2. We strongly

advise you to offer the third of the subjects

named above to AS level if not to A2. We also

encourage applicants with International

Baccalaureate or other equivalent

international qualifications.

Detailed admissions selection criteria are

given at the end of this brochure and on our

web-site. We compare candidates against these

criteria using the information available to us

from the UCAS form, the Oxford University

application form and the interview.

Entry is competitive, and we do our best

to make offers to the applicants who are the

closest match to our selection criteria on the

basis of all the information available to us.

This includes mitigating circumstances relatingto exam results (e.g. illness during GSCE

exams), educational history (e.g. a move

from one country to another with a different

language) and any other factors affecting a

candidates performance.

1:Al fresco string concert

2: Ladies rugby team

3:Alumni rowing practice

(Photograph by Matchtight)

4: Punting on the River

Cherwell

5: Coffee break, in the

Departmental Common Room

6 8: Relaxing during the

evenings on recent industrial

tours to Munich,

Beijing & Tokyo

9: St. Catherines College

10: St. Annes College;

11: Trinity College Chapel

12: Trinity College

13: Mansfield College

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Femi Fadugba (St Catherines College)

1st year - I came to Oxford after a pretty

eventful gap year and consequently I

found it quite hard to cope with the first

term of the Materials Science Course.

Getting thrown into the first few weeks

and dealing with the initial workload

was quite difficult.

However, after taking some time to really

try and grasp the new concepts being

taught I found myself beginning to reallyenjoy the course. I am personally more

of a theory kind of guy so I found it

quite enjoyable learning the basics in

central topics like Thermodynamics,

Crystallography and Math. Initially the

course can appear abstract and quite

bitty but fortunately by the end of the

year all of the pieces of the jig-saw

begin to come together and you end up

with a rich and unique perspective of

exactly what Materials Science involves.

In addition, the tutorial system in the

colleges provides a forum through which

you can engage with your peers and top

academics regarding the topics covered

in lectures.I was pleasantly surprised to discover

that if you plan your time well you

can actually manage to have a lot of

fun at Oxford as well. Being part of St

Catherines College, Best College in the

World , meant I was able to take part

in extracurricular activities such as sports

and music at a level that I enjoyed and

was happy with, whilst keeping ahead

of my work.

Personally, the Materials Science Course

has gone really well for me this year and

the vast majority of my experiences at

Oxford have been very positive. If youre

really interested in Materials Science,

(or just passionate about Science and

generally a bit uncertain about exactly

which subject to study) then

Id definitely suggest choosing

Materials Science.


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At present seven colleges take Materials

undergraduates, but not all offer both

MS & MEM so you should check this

in the latest undergraduate prospectus.

The colleges are listed below, together

with their Web addresses.

Colleges have their own open days and

brochures, and you should seek information

on these directly from the colleges that interest

you. Each college has its own character and

traditions, and if you opt to specify a preference,you may like to take this into account. Also you

might like to seek more practical information

such as the typical number of materials students

at the college or the extent and price of

accommodation offered. The number of

students taken by each college may vary

slightly from year to year.

Up-to-date information is given in the under-

graduate prospectus and this gives a good

overview of all of the colleges, but before

applying it is good idea to contact any thatinterest you. A visit to an open day at one of

your preferred colleges is also advisable.

Corpus Christi www.ccc.ox.ac.uk

Mansfield www.mansfield.ox.ac.uk

Queens www.queens.ox.ac.uk

St. Annes www.st-annes.ox.ac.uk

St. Catherines www.stcatz.ox.ac.uk

St. Edmund Hall www.seh.ox.ac.uk

Trinity www.trinity.ox.ac.uk

Colleges taking Materials undergraduatesCollege lifeEvery college is a microcosm of the University,

with students from most subject areas, sports

facilities and teams, drama and musical

societies etc. No matter what your skills and

abilities, you will find a place in college for

them. College will be your home during term

time and many students maintain strong links

with their college after they graduate.

Open Applications

The question of which college to apply tois a cause of concern for many people. If,

after researching the colleges, you are still

undecided then you could make what is

termed an Open Application in which

you do not specify a choice of college. In

this case you will be allocated a first choice

college by an algorithm designed to distribute

Open Applicants to colleges most in need

of candidates.

All applicants are judged against the same

selection criteria, which are given at the end ofthis brochure. Candidates who are not offered

a place at their college of preference are then

considered by the other colleges. College

tutors make offers to the candidates available

to them on the basis of the selection criteria,

regardless of the first choice college

to which the candidates have applied.

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Evan Wang (St Catherines College) 1st

year - I chose Materials Science because

it is a combination of Physics, Chemistry

and Mathematics, which are the subjects

I enjoyed most in school. It also leads

to very exciting research fields such as

Nanotechnology or Quantum Computing.

The first year course was enjoyable and

varied significantly from Thermodynamics

to Electricity. The emphasis on practical

work gives us the chance to develop

our understanding of the theory by

doing experiments and gives us practice

in writing scientific reports. By having

different classes such as Crystallography

and Mechanical Properties, we learned

the ways of solving problems through

discussion with demonstrators.

What I like the most is our Materials

department, which deserves to have the

highest ranking in the UK. The staff here

are excellent and try their best to help

students. To give myself as an example,

they provided an 8-week placement

joining different research groups in

Begbroke this summer. After talking to

group leaders, I am expecting a great

experience during the placement. The

industrial trip to Japan during Easter

widened our horizons to foreign industrial

process by visiting Hitachi and Nissan

factory etc.

The college also supports us fully in our

academic work. The famous tutorial

system here enables us to discuss our

problems with the tutor, who is normally

the expert in that field. The facilities are

great at the college. There is a very good

library which is next door to where I live

and a well-equipped gym is available

for us.

After intense academic work, we can join

various societies at Oxford. I represented

Tae Kwon Do Society team to compete

with Cambridge University. I am also the

treasurer and the webmaster of the Duke

of Edinburgh Society. If you are keen on

learning, taking some language courses

and computing courses are possible

options. The computing service is very

helpful with any IT problems you have,

such as how to build a website.


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When you apply to Oxford University,

you will complete a UCAS form, as for

any University application.

There is also a separate form for Oxford

University. This is an opportunity to provide

additional information that is relevant to your

Oxford application but is not required by

other Universities.

Some tips for when you fill in your form

Make good use of all of the informationsources given in this brochure.

Think carefully about your wording; it

is a good idea to print a blank form for

producing a first draft.

Do ask for advice from people in a position

to help.

Please do not exaggerate you may well

be asked for more details at interview.

Remember to print your form before

submitting it; you can then recap before

attending an interview.

Have a look at the web-site, http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/teachers/

The interview

MS applicants are interviewed by Fellows

(senior academic members of college staff and

tutors in Materials Science they may be male

or female) and Lecturers of colleges. At least

one of the interviewers will be a member of

staff of the Department of Materials.

Candidates are interviewed at their first

choice college and one other. Candidates for

MEM may also be interviewed by an Economics

or Management tutor. At the time of printing

this brochure we normally aim to arrange

Applying to study Materials Scienceall your interviews on the same day, andcandidates are notified of the times and

venues in advance.

One of the main purposes of the interview

is to assess aspects of your academic ability

that are not tested by written exams such as

A-levels. There is no set pattern for interviews,

and different tutors have different styles and

preferences, but all are technical. Indeed, the

fact that you cannot be sure what to expect

is all part of the interview.

A common example of how an interview

might proceed is for the interviewer to set the

candidate a problem that does not require

knowledge beyond that gained at school,

but is more challenging than typical A-level

problems. Most candidates will require some

help in solving the problem(s), and the purpose

of the exercise is for us to see how far you get

without help, which route you take in trying to

solve the problem, and how you respond

to help from the interviewer. In some ways,

this simulates an undergraduate tutorial, and

is therefore a good way of assessing how you

might perform as a student.

The application timeline

As early as possible in the year start thinking

about possible careers and the degree courses

that will help you to achieve these aims.

The interview also provides an opportunity

for a discussion about a candidates interest in

Materials Science, and other matters such as

information on the UCAS form that requires

clarification.

You are strongly recommended to read a copy

of the booklet 'Interviews at Oxford, which

can be downloaded or obtained from the

Oxford University Undergraduate Admissions

Office (address and contact details on the rear

cover of this booklet).

General information about interviews can

be obtained online at:

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/interviews/

FundingIn addition to student loans, many

applicants will be eligible for grants from

the UK government and from the Oxford

Opportunity Bursaries Scheme. For detailssee http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/finance/

funding/

Alexander Zawadzki (St Annes

College) 2nd year - I took a gap

year between my Advanced Highers

(Scottish A-levels) and university and

because of this I was fairly prepared for

the self-motivated approach needed

for studying. I find that the lecture/

study/tutorial system at Oxford works

very well, it is a fantastic feeling to walk

into a tutorial confused and walk out

understanding what is going on.

I changed from Materials Science to

Materials, Economics and Management

after the end of the first year, and am

enjoying the wide content afforded

by the mixed course. Engineers learn

how to make a system work but, as

scientists, we learn why things work

and I enjoy developing this perspective.

I am also enjoying the Economics and

Management side of my course. It is

very interesting to look at Economic

problems and refreshing to be

spending some time writing essays

again. I am on a committee which

liaises between lecturers and studentsso I know that the lecture course

content and delivery is continuously

under review to make it as useful as

possible for the students.

I didnt know that there would be

such a range of sports clubs and other

social groups available. All of the

societies at Oxford have websites and

are listed online, so I checked up on

societies that I was interested in before

the start of term. Currently I practice

Aikido (Japanese martial art), as well

as Rowing, Ultimate Frisbee and Kite-

surfing.

Early September:

Ask your school for your

UCAS school passwordand Oxford application

form, and for help with

filling out the forms

Mid October:

The deadline

for application

forms

to be received at

the University.

Second Week

of December:

Interviews. (See

the section of this

brochure entitled

Interviews).

Mid to late November:

You will be told if you

have been selectedfor interview.

January: You will be

informed if you are

being offered a place.

July: Oxford application forms

are sent out to schools. Mature

students and others canobtain forms from the Oxford

University Undergraduate

Admissions Office (address on

rear cover).


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Some course highlights

Photographs from recent industrial

tours to China and Japan

1: An Investment Casting Factory in Tianjin

2: The Great Wall

3: The Empress CiXis Marble Boat

4: The Bullet Train to Kyoto

Tamara Ibrahim (St Catherines College)

3rd year - Oxfords reputation was

justified by having the top rated Materials

department in the country. The more

research I did, the more I became aware

of the access to cutting-edge technology.

This with the world-class teaching and

the prospect of a real academic challenge

convinced me that Oxford was the

university for me.

Probably the biggest surprise about Oxford

was the amount of work and independent

learning we are expected to do. However,

with good time management this is

achievable. The course has such breadth

and depth (as shown by the options we

get to choose between in the third year)

meaning it goes far beyond anything

one could expect beforehand. I have

particularly enjoyed when we have been

able to see the application of material

science first hand. The best example of

this was my second year industrial vis it to

Toulouse, where we got to see the new

Airbus A380 up close.

Another part of the course where we

adopted a hands-on approach was the

two week team project we were set at the

beginning of our third year. Our team was

given the task of designing a bandage

that actively heals burn wounds. This

gave us the chance to research materials

related in the biomedical field and speak

to professionals involved in biomedical

research.

College provides a sociable atmosphere

allowing you to have a wide range of

friends. It also gives you the opportunity to

get involved in various sports and activities.

This ranges deeper at university level

with every club imaginable. At university,

Ive been a key member of the Oxford

University Malaysia Club, holding the

position at Treasurer for a year and was

even in the Oxford Beginners Dancesport

team in my second year. In my experience,

studying at Oxford is challenging but

rewarding and has still allowed me to have

a well balanced student life.

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The first year at university is a major

step for most people, with complete

individual freedom and responsibility

for your studies and a great deal of

freedom in how you plan your time.

A close working relationship with your tutor and

others on your course makes reading

for a degree a very different experience from

school. The first year syllabus is common to both

MS and MEM degree programmes.

Second year students develop stronger insights into

their subject, and are assisted and encouraged to

study in greater depth. Hard work has its rewards,

especially when you start to feel that you can

have a good, in-depth conversation with leading

academics. MEM students start to study some

economics and management topics at this stage.

In the third year, the Team Design Project gives

you a taste of research and development combined

with marketing (as though you were trying to

convince financial backers that your idea for a novel

device/process etc. is worthy of their investment).

Whether you are a MEM or MS student, innovation

and funding is always relevant in science for the

21st century. In the third year you also have some

freedom to select your preferred lecture courses

from sets of options.

The most significant split between MEM and MS

comes in the fourth year. MEM students continue

their lecture courses and complete a six-month

industrial placement. MS students have already

completed their last written examination and

have all three terms to concentrate on their own

research project, including writing up an assessed

report and undergoing an oral examination on the

project. There is no shortage of research topics

in this leading research department and you are

guaranteed to be working on a significant project

as a member of a world-class team.

It is also possible to carry out the MS research

project in an industrial laboratory or at an overseas

university. Recent destinations include Sydney,

Princeton and MIT.

Our students are encouraged to undertake a

voluntary summer industrial placement in order

to gain experience of the application of materials

science and also to hone their transferrable skills.

Some recent placements have been with Rolls

Royce, Corus, BMW, Morgan Advanced Ceramics,

Siemens, Johnson Matthey, Proctor & Gamble,

Gurit UK and Sharp Laboratories of Europe.

At the time of writing we also have several

opportunities each year for students to undertake

a summer research placement, either in our own

laboratories or overseas through our exchange

schemes with Tsinghua University in Beijing and the

University of California at Santa Barbara.

Each year our students normally organise a

voluntary Industrial Tour to an overseas destination.

This takes place during the first 5-10 days of

the Easter Vacation; recent tours were to Tokyo,

Toulouse, Beijing, Munich, Hong Kong and

Helsinki. Often we are able to attract substantial

sponsorship for these tours which makes them

very good value; the cost per student for the 10-

day Tokyo tour in 2007 was just 460 and many

students received a grant from their colleges to

cover about half of this cost. For more information

on some of these tours please see http://www.materials.ox.ac.uk/teaching/tours.html


10/18


Subject content and assessmentThe following table gives an outline of the subject content and assessment methods for both MS and MEM degreeprogrammes and indicatesthe main differences between these two programmes.

Disclaimer: this course structure is correct at the time of going to print (September 2007), but changes may be introduced. Please see the current Oxford University Undergraduate

Prospectus and our web-sites for the latest information.

OutlineofMS&MEM

Programme&As

sessmentStructure

BolditalicsindicatecourseelementsthatareNOTshare

dbetweenMS&MEM.

Year

MaterialsScie

nce(MS)

MaterialsEconomicsandMan

agement

CommonFirstyear:

Directlyexamined

Continuallyassessed

Additio

nalelements

StructureofMaterials

PropertiesofMaterials

TransformingMaterials

MathsforMaterials&EarthSciences

Practicalwork

Crystallographyclasses

EngineeringDrawingclasses

ITskills

Industrialvisits

CareerPlanning

ForeignLanguage1opt

ion

1

PreliminaryExaminations

ResitAvailableinSeptember

Directlyexamined

C

ontinually

assessed

Additionalelements

Directlyexamined

Continua

lly

assesse

d

Additionalelements

Struc

ture&TransformationofMaterials

Elect

ronicPropertiesofMaterials

Mech

anicalProperties

Engin

eeringApplicationsofMaterials

IntroductoryEconomics

Practicalwo

rk

IndustrialVisits

IndustrialTalks

Mathematics

ExperimentalError

Analysis

CommunicationSkills

2

Structure&TransformationofMaterials

ElectronicPropertiesofMaterials

MechanicalProperties

EngineeringApplicationsofMaterials

Foreignlanguage1option

Supplementarysubjectoption

Practicalwork

Indus

trialVisits

Entre

preneurship

&NewVentures

IndustrialTalks

Mathematics

ExperimentalError

Analysis

CommunicationSkills

IntroductoryEconomicsFinalsExamination(P

artI):Markshelduntilyear3

MaterialsOptions1

MaterialsOptions2

Team

design

project

Characterisation/

Mode

llingmodule

Indus

trialvisits

Microeconomics

Mana

gement

Team

design

project

Industrialvis

its

Practicalwo

rk

3preparatory

workshopsforMgt

Project

Essaywritingskills

3

FinalsExaminationsPartI

PasswithHonoursUnclassfiedBA(Hons)[pr

ogressionontoPartII]

PasswithoutHonours

-unclassifiedBA[

noprogressionontoPartII]

F

ailresitfollowingyear

8-monthResearchProject

IndustrialVisits

CareersLecture

Careers&Networking

EventwithAlumni

ProjectMgtSkills

InformationSkills

OptionalSkillsTraining:

QualityMgt

EnvironmentalMgt

WorkshopSkills

PresentationSkills

WritingSkills&IPR

ForeignLanguage2

Mate

rialsOptions2

Econ

omics/ManagementOptions

24-weekmanagementprojectand

place

ment+associatedskills

work

shops

IndustrialVisits

CareersLecture

Careers&Networking

EventwithAlumni

4

FinalsExaminations

,PartII

PasswithHonours-ClassifiedM.E

ng

PasswithoutHonours-unclassifiedBA(Honours)

Fail-UnclassfiedBA(Honours)


11/18

10

Career options for graduatesGraduates from Oxford Universityare highly sought-after by employers

in many fields, not only those

manufacturing industries directly

related to Materials Science and

Engineering.

Factors that make Oxford Materials graduates

attractive to this wide range of employers

include the following:

The course is recognised to be intensive

and challenging, so simply getting a good

degree is a statement of your ability to

work effectively

You will be well trained to a high level in

mathematics with expertise in analysis

and solving problems

Your IT and oral presentation skills will

be highly developed and well practised

You will have a good grounding in

entrepreneurial and business skills

Proven ability to carry out and report on a

substantial individual project of 6-8 monthsduration.

All of these highly prized skills are additional

to your first class grounding in Materials

Science, taught by some of the worlds

leading practitioners in the field.

Typically, some 33-50% of our graduates choose

to study for a higher degree before they embark

on a career; most commonly a 3 year research

degree(PhD) or a 1 year taught MSc degree.

Many graduates eventually work their way into

management, whatever initial career route

they choose, and some will start their owncompanies. Others choose to remain active in

research, either in industry or academia, for

the whole of their working lives.

Careers for Materials Graduates include:

University Lecturer

Materials related industry; developing new

materials and new products, quality control,

production, sales, marketing etc:

Ceramics Composites Electronics

Engineering (all types) Medical suppliers

Metals Nuclear Industry Packaging

Plastics Household products Space exploration

Oil companies

Teaching

Technical Consultancy

Armed Forces

Many companies do not require work-specific

education, they train you on the job: they do

require, however, skilled people with analytical

minds. As an Oxford Materials graduate you

easily fit into:-

Advertising

Finance: Accountancy Banking

Stockbroking Consultancy Publishing: Editing Journalism

Proof reading Production

Civil Service

Administration

The legal profession also takes graduates with first

degrees in Materials Science to train as lawyers

specialising in industrial law requiring a high level

of scientific knowledge. For example patents and

contracts between multinational companies worth

many millions of pounds.

See also the careers information on the Institute of

Materials website at

http://www.materials-careers.org.uk

Katie Moore (Mansfield College) 4th year

- I found materials science as I was looking

through the Oxford prospectus and I knew

immediately that it was the right degree

for me, combining all the aspects I enjoyed

from chemistry and physics.

The materials course is very varied with

lectures, tutorials, practicals, a business

plan, team design project and in the

4th year an eight-month independent

research project. I have found all of these

incredibly useful and they have taughtme many useful skills. There is something

for everyone with subjects ranging

from traditional metallurgy to ceramics,

polymers and semiconductors. Options

in the third year and the 4th year project

allow you to specialise in your area of

interest. My 4th year project investigated

the corrosion properties of two new spray

formed aluminium alloys.

The Department is small compared

to other departments at Oxford,

however this means that there is a very

friendly atmosphere and all the staff are

very approachable. Students often make

friends in other colleges and as eachcollege only has a few materials students

there is a real family environment across

the four years.

Materials Science is unique in that students

organise an industrial tour abroad every

year, in my second year I co-organised a

trip to China. It was a really interesting

experience and useful to see lecture

material put into practice.

Although the course is challenging,

with good organisation there is still time

to enjoy Oxford and take part in the

many activities available across the

university. I have rowed throughout mydegree, taking it up in my first term,

and have taken part in many other college

and university activities.

I have found the materials course very

enjoyable and rewarding and thedepartment is very friendly hence I have

decided to stay in the department to do

my DPhil.

Andrew Geddes (St Catherines, 1965)

The subject used to be called metallurgy

in my time. I liked the idea of a more

applied subject and it seemed so much

more promising than straight chemistry.

Good news that they now have the

Economics and Management option

which is a sector that has always interested

me. You will also find that sooner or

later you may end up in managementanyway, either for a big corporation

or for your own company. I started off

with Rio Tinto in market development of

Pb & Zn, then moved to Al & alumina

covering the commercial aspects of their

share of Angelsey Aluminium. After 5

years I moved to an international trading

company and I have worked in this sector

ever since having done business with

about 70 countries around the world and

regular visitor to 50.

A lot of contact on trade finance with the

banks, as well as with the London MetalExchange for hedging of the physical

position. Lived mostly in the UK but also

in Switzerland for 16 years where I am

still a regular visitor for another trading

company. I also get appointed as an

Expert Witness in commercial disputes on

alumina or metals contracts.

All extremely interesting and it is a

pleasure to be active in this sector of

business. It would not have been so easy

if I had chosen a different subject to study.


12/18


Job destinationsA selection from recent first jobdestinations for our Materials Graduates.

Research towards PhD

Gas Turbine Engineering

Royal Navy

Foreign & Commonwealth Office

Investment Banking

Teacher Training

Civil Service (MoD)

Engineering Firm

Defence R&D

Financial Services Company

Science Administration

Corrosion Scientist

Oil Company

Accountancy

Masters degree in Brewing

Masters degree in History of Science

Venture Capital Company

VSO

Markus Mittermaier (Mansfield, 2007)

My next stop after Oxford Materials,

Economics and Management (MEM)

has been the venture capital arm of

Siemens, a large German engineering

conglomerate which invests in high

tech start up companies. Whilst I am

not likely to be called upon to design

a state of the art aircraft wing anytime

soon, the knowledge I gained through

the Materials course stands me in good

stead to understand the intricacies of the

technologies we are investing in. In fact,I was both surprised and pleased that

the very first deal I was involved in had

me delve back into my microplasticity

lecture notes during the technological

assessment phase of the company.

The company being a spin out from a

Materials Department in the US and

my being the only one with a Materials

background on the investing team

allowed me to quickly assume rather

senior tasks in this transaction.

The Economics and Management

knowledge, particularly related to

finance, obtained as part of my joint

honours programme has also proved

useful. In fact, I cannot imagine a coursemore suited to my chosen career than the

Oxford MEM course.

This is not to say that everyone will have

the same experience as I had or that I

will forever be involved in investments in

Materials technologies. However, beyond

the pure factual knowledge, I believe the

skills that will really stand the test of time

will be the analytical thinking inculcated

in us during tutorials. This gives me

the ability to tackle problems from first

principles, think outside the box and

provide solutions quickly. It is this aspect

of the Oxford education that I find useful

each and every day.

Tamara Lim (Trinity, 2006) - I graduated

in June 2006 after completing my 4th

year abroad at Massachussetts Institute

of Technology (MIT) researching in

Biodegradable Bone Screws. During my

time in Oxford, I have managed to obtain

some of the Departments generous prizes

such as the Corus Prize for top practical

marks and the Worshipful Company of

Ironmongers Prize for best presentation in

4th year. Currently, I am working at ShellGlobal Solutions BV in Amsterdam as a

Materials and Corrosion Engineer. Shell

Global Solutions is the consulting arm of

Shell with the cutting-edge know-how

commercialised and being offered as a

service to other parts of Shell and 3rd party

oil companies.

The Materials Science course at Oxford

has been really wonderful to be a part

of. It is a small department where

everybody knows everybody and the level

of attention and recognition within the

Materials department makes a student

feel they are never lost. It is furthermore

very challenging and offers a variety ofinteresting courses (especially in 3rd year,

such as Advanced Engineering Alloys

and Biomaterials), with scope for

teamwork (3rd year Team Design Project)

and options to join your degree with

Economics and Management, as well as

complete your 4th year abroad in another

country. It widened my perspective on

the important role Materials play in our

everyday standard of living, from cement

for construction to semi-conductor chips

in our computers, how manufacturing

and fabrication makes such a difference

to material properties, how altering the

atomic arrangement can vastly change

the properties of a product (e.g: titaniumalloys), and the list goes on. It interfaces

with many industries such as aerospace,

oil and gas, semi-conductor, medical and

automotive. The topics are very much

alive and cutting-edge (with a chance to

make a new discovery in 4th year) and

materials scientists are a rare and valued

breed in the engineering world today so

job prospects are good after graduation.


13/18

12

Summary of useful web-sitesProfessor George Smith, FRS (Corpus Christi, 1965)

I was the first person from my family ever to go to

University. I became interested in materials science when

a former pupil from my school invited me to look round

the laboratory where he worked. I applied to Oxford,

won a scholarship and progressed from undergraduate

to Professor in the Department of Materials, where until

recently I was Head of Department.

My research work involves looking at atoms at specific

locations in materials and chemically identifying what

they are (this is now called nanoscience). Together with

some colleagues, I started a sp in-out company, Oxford

Nanoscience, which produces the special Atom Probeequipment needed to see and identify atoms (see

accompanying photograph). This company has now been

floated on the stock exchange, as part of a larger group.

Materials Department

http://www.materials.ox.ac.uk

Oxford University Undergraduate Admissions Office

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk

Admissions, frequently asked questions

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/faq.shtml

Teachers information relating to admissions

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/teachers/

The admissions information centre

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/admissionsi/

General information about interviews

http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/interviews/

Oxford University Students Union

http://www.ousu.org

Oxford University student-led access initiative

http://www.targetschools.com/

Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining (IOM3)

http://www.iom3.org

United Kingdom Centre for Materials Education (UKCME)

http:www.whystudymaterials.ac.uk

Sarah Haigh (St Annes, 2004) - For me

one of the highlights of studying materials

at Oxford was the opportunity to complete

a year long research project. My project

involved researching the properties of a

new type of superconductor material using

an instrument called a NanoSIMS. This is a

very powerful piece of equipment, one of

only a few in the world and worth millions

of pounds.

When I graduated I wanted to continue to

do cutting edge scientific research and thedepartment had just taken delivery of one of

the most advanced electron microscopes in

the world (an instrument costing even more

than the NanoSIMS). I therefore decided to

stay in the materials department in order to

study for a doctorate. My research involves

using this instrument to image atoms and

therefore understand a materials structure

at ultra high resolution.

I have developed programs to combine

the images in new ways in order to obtain

more information about a material. Since

graduating less than three years ago I have

had the opportunity to travel, teach and

work all over the world and have reallyenjoyed it!

Although my current work is highly

specialised I have benefited greatly from

the broad background in materials that

I gained as an undergraduate.

My degree also gave me the confidence

to tackle seemingly impossible problems,

a skill that I think is probably invaluable

whatever your chosen career.

Dr Annette Bramley (St Catherines, 1994)

- The highlight of my Materials degree at

Oxford was the final year project which

ignited a passion for research which shaped

my future career. Initially, I stayed in

academia but after a few years I felt that

I needed to widen my horizons, so I joined

the Engineering and Physical Sciences

Research Council.

Im now Head of both Engineeringand Complexity Science Programmes,

managing an annual research budget of

around 100M, investing in universities to

ensure that the UK maintains its reputation

for scientific excellence, builds a strong

economy and improves peoples quality

of life.

As a Materials undergraduate at Oxford I

learned a lot about materials science, but

looking back I can also identify many other

skills I developed then that I now use every

day. Because I studied for a degree that is a

mixture of Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry

and Engineering, my approach to science ismultidisciplinary and looks across traditional

subject boundaries to where the interesting

challenges are. In tutorials I honed my

ability to think analytically and through

practical classes and my final year project

I learned to communicate better with

others and to work as part of a team.

I also learned to plan and organise my

time to fit in all the things I wanted

to experience from Oxford - which is

especially useful now as I balance work

and home!


14/18


Ring Road

Main Roads

Suggested Routes

Oxford UniversityBegbroke Science Park

P

P

P

P

P

P Park & Ride

Department of MaterialsUniversity of Oxford

TOSWI

NDON

&BRISTO

L

TOLONDON

A40(M40J8)

LOND

ONRO

AD

A420

A4142

A40

COWLEYROADB480

IFFLEYROAD

A4158

TOHEN

LEY

A423

TONEW

BURY

A34

A34

BOTLEY

ROAD

A420

A34

TOCHELTENHAM

A40

TOBIRMINGH

AM

A34(M

40J9)

TOBANBURY

A4260

TOWOODSTO

CK

A44

SAND

Y

LANE

Travel links to Oxford

A location map for the Department of

Materials is available on our web-site.

Travelling by coach

Heathrow 1 hour 20 mins

Central London 1 hour 40 mins

Birmingham 1 hour 30 mins

Travelling by train

London Paddington 1 hour 10 minsBirmingham New Street 1 hour 15 mins

Nick Rounthwaite (St Edmund Hall, 2007)

- I chose to study Materials Science, as I knew

I wanted to study a science, but was interested

in too many areas, which were not all covered

by a single traditional Chemistry, Physics or

Biology degree. Materials allowed me to study

a variety of topics and each course involved not

just theories, but also the practical applications

of the lecture contents. Following my graduation

earlier this year, I have decided to embark ona research degree, the DPhil, here at Oxford

Materials. My summer placement in Colorado

and my eight-month 4th year research project

left me in no doubt that pursuing a research

degree was the correct career route for me.

In the first two years of the undergraduate

course there were subjects that were enjoyable

and those that were more tedious, but all were

interesting and the way the exams were set out

it was possible to focus on my best subjects.

The third year options were the most enjoyable

lectures as it was possible to specialise in the

areas I was better at. As all exams are at the

end of the third year, the fourth year is a l ot less

stressful than many other courses, as long asyou start your research project write-up in good

time. I chose to study tissue expanders in the

biomaterials laboratory for my final year, but

there is huge choice from research into silicone

wafers to metal casting.

Perhaps the best part of the Oxford Materials

Department is its size. The small number of

undergraduates means that everybody knows

everybody. On top of this lecturers are often

tutors, so it is easy to find either students or

tutors to get advice on work. During the summer

vacation of my third year, with the assistance

of the Department of Materials at Oxford, I

was able to spend several weeks working on a

research project in the Materials Department at

the Colorado School of Mines in the US.

Outside of academia, there is a huge amount

to do in Oxford. In my four years I have street

luged, bungee jumped and helped rebuild

two classic Alfa Romeos for motor racing. All

of these have been helped by the 9 and 10 am

lectures, which may have destroyed my dreams

of student length lie-ins, but meant I was able to

get involved with a huge amount in and around

Oxford.


15/18

(updated pages to replace page 15 of the printed course brochure)

DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS UNDERGRADUATE BROCHURE

ADMISSIONS POLICY & CRITERIA FOR ENTRY IN 2012

Advance Notification

Please note that for ENTRY in 2013 (applications received in October 2012) for both the Materials Science

and the Materials, Economics & Management degree programmes A-levels (or equivalent) in both Maths

and Physics will be essential requirements, as will at least a GCSE in Chemistry (or double science) or itsequivalent. Offering Chemistry as a third A-level or failing that at AS-level (or their equivalents) will

remain highly desirable.

Department of Materials - Statement on Admissions Policy

The Department of Materials selection procedures for undergraduate entry aim to ensure that the

candidates chances of obtaining a place are affected as little as possible by their choice of college.

Candidates are selected for interview at a Departmental level; tutors from all the colleges are involved and

the decision not to call candidates for interview is taken only if all colleges agree. All candidates who are

called are interviewed by two colleges, with the second college, and the first if applicants have submitted an

OPEN application, chosen on the basis of the colleges need of applicants and such that all colleges see areasonably similar ratio of first choice applicants to available places. If there is very uneven distribution

between colleges of the ratio of first choice applicants to available places then it may be necessary to re-

allocate some applicants to a different first choice college. When making offers of places, college tutors

assess applicants with respect to the whole applicant cohort for that year according to our published

admissions selection criteria (see below, or our web-site: www.materials.ox.ac.uk).

In principle, the Department of Materials has no strong preference for or against applications for deferred

entry. In practice, however, tutors are only likely to commit places for deferred entry to applicants who are

significantly above the borderline for selection. It should be noted that some deferred entry applicants may

be offered a non-deferred place instead and unsuccessful deferred entry applicants are welcome to re-applyin the following year's admissions exercise.

The Department of Materials short-lists applicants for interview. Prior to the short-listing meeting, which is

attended by a representative of each college that accepts Materials undergraduates, all Materials applications

are assessed against the Admissions Criteria described below and awarded a short-listing grade.

Our policy is that normally applicants will be short-listed for interview unless (i) or (ii) below apply:

(i) Their application gives good cause to doubt they are likely to achieve grades equivalent to our

standard minimum offer. This is currently set at A*AA in specified subjects at A-level.

(ii) A comparison of their grading or ranking in the short-listing exercise with the maximum numberof places available suggests that they would be unlikely to be successful in attracting an offer of a

place.

Typically, including any candidates interviewed under the Physics 2nd Choice subject scheme

(http://www.physics.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/procedures.htm), the number of candidates invited

for interview will be between two and three times the number of places available.

The decision on whether to invite up to eighteen Physics 2nd Choice Subject applicants for a Materials

interview is taken once the distribution of short-listing grades for, and the total number of, direct Materials

applicants is known. Any Physics 2nd choice Subject applicants are short-listed taking into account both the

results of the Physics Aptitude Test and a grade awarded following assessment against the AdmissionsCriteria described below.


16/18


Admissions Criteria for the Undergraduate Programmes in Materials Science (MS)

and Materials, Economics and Management (MEM)

These admission criteria are correct as of May 2011 and apply to applicants to be considered in December

2011 for admission in October 2012. The criteria in the printed brochure (2007) are out of date, but the on-

line PDF version of the brochure has been updated to May 2011.

Introduction

The University and its colleges seek to admit students of high academic merit and potential. All selection for

admission takes place irrespective of gender. All colleges select students for admission without regard to

marital status, race, ethnic origins, colour, religion or social background. Decisions on admission are based

solely on the individual merits of the candidate and the application of selection criteria appropriate to the

course of study. Entry is competitive and the attainment of minimum standards is no guarantee of a place.

Criteria

1 Academic Ability

Sufficient background knowledge and understanding of at least two of the three subjects Maths,

Physics and Chemistry to be able to understand first year lectures in Materials (assuming progress

continues at the same rate after the admissions exercise). The level of knowledge required is similar

to typical UK GCE AS and A2 syllabuses in these subjects.

Sufficient academic ability and independence of thought to grasp the concepts encountered in the

Materials Science course and to apply scientific knowledge to unfamiliar problems at a level where

marks of at least 2(i) standard in Materials Science examinations are a reasonable expectation.

A higher minimum level of academic ability is required for those who have studied only two of the

three subjects Maths, Physics and Chemistry to A2 level or equivalent (see educational

achievements).

An ability to understand and appreciate the interdisciplinary nature and applied scientific approachinherent in Materials Science.

2 Interest in Materials Science and the relevant parts of Physics, Chemistry and Maths, including an

appreciation of some aspects of Materials Science outside the confines of the A level science syllabuses (or

equivalent).

3 Motivation and perseverance

4 Independent working and communication

Ability to work independently; willingness and ability to express ideas clearly and effectively orally,

in writing and numerically; ability to absorb information given orally or in writing.

5 Educational achievement

GCE: Good grades at GCSE are expected, especially in science and mathematics. Three A-levels are

required. It is essential that one of these be Mathematics and a second be either Physics or

Chemistry, and it is strongly recommended that if one of these subjects is not offered at A-level it

should be offered at AS-level. Our standard minimum entrance requirement is A*AA with the A* in

any one of Maths, Physics or Chemistry. (For Hong Kong A-levels the equivalent offer is taken to be

AAB with the AA in any two of Maths, Physics or Chemistry.) SCE: Good grades at Standard level are expected, especially in science and mathematics. Five

Highers are required. It is essential that at least two from Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry are


17/18


offered at Advanced Higher Level. If Mathematics is not offered at Advanced Higher level it is

essential that it be offered at Higher level, and it is strongly recommended that if one of Physics or

Chemistry is not offered at Advanced Higher level it should be offered at Higher level. In recent

years most offers have required AAAAA/B at Higher level and our standard minimum entrance

requirement at Advanced Higher level is AA or AAB with the AA in any two of Maths, Physics or

Chemistry.

International Baccalaureate: A minimum of 40 points including core is required, and our standard

minimum entrance requirement also includes 766 in specified subjects at Higher level, with the 7 at

HL in any one of Maths, Physics or Chemistry. It is essential that at least two from Physics,

Mathematics or Chemistry are offered at Higher level. If Mathematics is not offered at Higher Level

it is essential that it be offered at Standard level, and it is strongly recommended that if one of

Physics or Chemistry is not offered to Higher level it should be offered at Standard level.

Applications are welcomed from those studying for qualifications other than those listed above.

6 English language requirements

The language of instruction for the University is English and candidates will be expected to be of a

high enough standard in written and spoken English to complete all aspects of the course. For more

details seehttp://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate_courses/courses/courses_and_entrance_requirements

/

7 MEM Candidates

For MEM candidates, a good match with selection criteria in Economics and Management is also

required.

Other relevant information

The selectors assess each candidate against the above criteria on the basis of the following information, andtaking into account the educational background of students and the level of existing knowledge and

experience. There is no fixed weighting to the above criteria.

UCAS application, including references and personal statement.

Examination results and predictions.

Two interviews, one with the candidates college of choice (or the assigned first college for Open

Applicants), and a second with another college.

Candidates will also have the opportunity to present any special factors that may have adversely

affected their attainment so far.


18/18

The Department of Materials welcomes and makes

every reasonable eort to accommodate students

with disabilities.

We strongly encourage disabled students who are

considering making an application to study on one of

our degree courses to contact us at the address below

at their earliest convenience, to discuss particular needs

and the ways that we might be able to accommodate

these needs. However, due to the nature of the course

there may be some disabilities where we cannot make

appropriate accommodation.

Copies of this brochure can also be provided, for those

who require it, in electronic format or braille.

For further information on our materials courses please contact

The Schools Liason Secretary,

Dept. of Materials Science

Oxford University

Parks Road

Oxford OX1 3PH

telephone: 01865 273 651

e-mail: [email protected]

Other useful contact details

Schools Liaison Ocer, Dept. of MaterialsMrs Jayne Shaw, 01865 273 710, [email protected]

Director of Studies, Dept. of Materials

Dr Adrian O. Taylor, 01865 283 227, [email protected]

For application forms, a prospectus or further information please

contact

Oxford University Undergraduate Admissions Oce,

University Oces

Wellington Square

Oxford OX1 2JD

telephone: 01865 288 000

e-mail: [email protected]

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