Materials Science and Engineering, BEng (Hons)

You will mostly study a set series of 10-credit modules, culminating in a final year 30-credit research project.

Becky explains her modules in Year 1 Materials Science and Engineering

The entry requirements for the BEng Materials Science and Engineering degree are:

ABB-BBB at A level

Recommended subjects include:
Chemistry
Mathematics
Physics
Further Mathematics
Design Technology
IT/Computing
Biology

Variable offers made dependent on subjects studied and all applications are considered on an individual basis, with GCSE grades, AS Level subjects and grades, work experience, references and personal statement taken into account.

Or 32 in IB 4 at HL or 5 at SL English Language.

Students studying for BTEC qualifications in relevant subjects require D*D*D* - D*D*D to include B at A Level Mathematics. If they are not taking A Level Mathematics, they must achieve a minimum D in ‘Mathematics for Technicians’ and D in ‘Further Mathematics for Technicians’ modules of the BTEC. Students are also required to have minimum two A grades at GCSE, to include a minimum grade B in Mathematics and two other Science subjects.

Find out the entry requirements for an international student.

Students with industrial experience and qualifications will be considered on a case-by-case basis. If you have studied access or vocational qualifications, you are advised to apply for the Integrated Foundation Year.

If you are applying for Level Two (second year) entry, in order to be considered, you will need to have already covered the topics offered in Swansea at Level One (first year) in a certified qualification, with a high overall score.

The College of Engineering uses a variety of teaching methods including; taught/lecture-based, small group work, laboratory-based, project/assignment-based, use of Blackboard. Increasingly lectures are exploring the use of lecture recording, blended learning and flipped learning.  

Although it varies, in Year 1 - semester 1, you can expect to have 24 hours of lectures per week and 12 hours of tutorial office hours that you can attend, making us one of the most engaging departments in Engineering between staff and students. In semester 2, you will do a lot of group lab work, and some opportunities to undertake individual lab work in Year 2. You are also expected to do approximately 3 hours per week of independent study to achieve your best on the course.

Full details of the methods used within each module can be found within the module descriptors in the subject specific handbooks. 

This course offers some modules taught through the medium of Welsh or bilingually for students who consider themselves to be fluent Welsh speakers. For more details on the provision available see the Welsh Provision expander below.

There are opportunities for Welsh speakers to study this subject through the medium of Welsh and our dedicated academy, Academi Hywel Teifi, is here to support you throughout your time at Swansea University. We offer you:

• An interview through the medium of Welsh when applying for a place.
• The option to receive your personal correspondence in Welsh, English or bilingually - we will then communicate with you in your language of choice.
• Access to generous Welsh-language study scholarships or bursaries.
• Access to modules taught wholly or partly in Welsh.
• The option to write and submit your coursework or exams through the medium of Welsh (even if you have chosen to study in English), and your work will be marked in Welsh.
• A Welsh-speaking academic tutor.
• One-to-one support to improve your academic Welsh language skills.
• An opportunity to gain an additional free qualification that serves as evidence of your Welsh language ability for future employers.

To see further details about the level of provision delivered in Welsh on this particular degree scheme, please see the Welsh-language course page for further information.

Since 2011, there has been a 40% increase in the number of students studying through the medium of Welsh at Swansea University and our TEF* data over the last two years shows that Welsh-medium students are high achievers in regards to employability (*Swansea University TEF return 2017 and 2018).

The BEng Materials Engineering course at Swansea University is accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3) on behalf of the Engineering Council for the purposes of partially meeting the educational requirement for Further Learning for Engineering Council registration as a Chartered Engineer.

Accreditation is a mark of assurance that the degree meets the standards set by the Engineering Council in the UK Standard for Professional Engineering Competence (UK-SPEC). Study on an accredited degree will provide you with some of the underpinning knowledge, understanding and skills needed as a Chartered Engineer. Some employers recruit preferentially from accredited degrees, and an accredited degree is likely to be recognised by many countries that are signatories to international accords.

The following academic staff will be teaching on your Materials Science and Engineering degree:

• Dr Enrico Andreoli
• Dr Soran Birosca
• Dr Matt Carnie
• Dr Cecile Charbonneau
• Dr Amit Das
• Dr Mark Evans
• Professor Richard Johnston
• Dr Rob Lancaster
• Professor Neil McMurray
• Dr David Penney
• Dr Karen Perkins
• Dr Cameron Pleydell-Pearce
• Dr Leo Prakash
• Professor James Sullivan
• Professor Trystan Watson
• Dr Mark Whittaker
• Professor Geraint Williams

Annual tuition fees for entry in the academic year 2020/21 are as follows:

Fees for full time Undergraduate UK/EU students may be increased in subsequent years of study by an inflationary amount determined by Welsh Government.

Fees for full time Undergraduate International students will increase by 3% for each subsequent year of study.

During a sandwich year (e.g. year in industry, year abroad or placement year) a lower fee will apply. For more information visit our tuition fees page.

You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Current students: You can find further information of your fee costs on our tuition fees page.

You may be eligible for funding to help support your study.

To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's scholarships and bursaries page.

Academi Hywel Teifi at Swansea University and the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol offer a number of generous scholarships and bursaries for students who wish to study through the medium of Welsh or bilingually. For further information about the opportunities available to you, visit the Academi Hywel Teifi Scholarships and Bursaries page.

Materials Science and Engineering Scholarships

The Materials Engineering department offer a variety of scholarships throughout their degree programmes. These include entrance scholarships of up to £1500 for students with high A level grades (or equivalent), travel scholarships of £1000 for those on the year abroad schemes and high performance scholarships are given to students at the end of each year.

To find out more details on these scholarship opportunities please email engineering@swansea.ac.uk.

How to Apply

Application is not necessary, bursaries are awarded automatically by the Portfolio Director and Admissions Tutor following enrolment.

Students will receive formal notification of their scholarship award before the start of term.

You may face additional costs while at university, including (but are not limited to):

• Parking and travel to and from campus
• Printing, photocopying, stationery and equipment costs (e.g. USB sticks)
• Purchase of books or texts
• Printing and binding
• Gowns for graduation ceremonies

The tuition fees for the BEng Materials Science and Engineering degree do not cover costs incurred personally by the student such as the purchase of books or stationery, printing or photocopying costs.

Recommended textbooks for this course are available in the library. All software needed for the course is available on the Engineering network, for use within our PC rooms at Swansea University.

Free wireless internet access is available across the whole of the University campus and halls of residence.

Swansea Employability Academy (SEA) will support you at each stage of your career journey helping you build a bright future.

Our career support services include:

• Employability workshops, employers’ talks, bespoke events and careers fairs
• Individual advice and guidance from professionally qualified Careers Advisers
• Help with finding jobs, internships, work placements and volunteering opportunities
• Access to information resources on a wide range of career management topics
• Advice and guidance on postgraduate study and funding
• Funding to support student internship opportunities and Student Society/Club events.

We also provide help and advice for Swansea University Alumni up to two years after you graduate.

Here in the College of Engineering, we are very proud of the excellent career prospects of our Engineering graduates.

We are continually striving to improve the employability of our students, by cultivating strong relationships with graduate employers and by ensuring our students are as prepared as they can be for the world of work. Find out more about our Careers & Employability service within the College of Engineering here.

As well as subject specific support by college teaching staff and your personal academic mentor, the Centre for Academic Success provides courses, workshops and one-to-one support in areas such as:

• Academic writing
• Maths and statistics
• Critical thinking
• Time management
• Digital skills
• Presentation skills
• Note taking
• Revision, memory and exam techniques
• English language skills (if English is not your first language).

In addition, if you have a Specific Learning Difficulty (SpLD), disability, mental health or medical condition, the Centre for Academic Success have Specialist Tutors to support your learning, working alongside the Disability Office and Wellbeing Service to support all your needs and requirements whilst studying at Swansea University.

Providing the best student experience possible is of the utmost importance to us at the College of Engineering, and we have well-established systems and support staff in place in order to facilitate this. We have regular Maths, Chemistry and Software Cafes for students to develop their skills within these areas. Find out more about the student support we offer here.

Your degree programme may already give you an option to study or work abroad but in addition to this you can also consider an international summer programme.

These programmes are open to all our undergraduate students and include culture and study tours, volunteering programmes and internships across destinations such as China, Zambia, South Korea, Japan, Europe and Canada. Programmes are typically 2 – 6 weeks long and funding is available. See our Summer Programmes for further information.

Apply now – UK, EU and international students.

For further guidance please visit our how to apply pages.

My role specialises in failure analysis, particularly for the petrochemical, oil and gas, and power generation industries. I manage the operational activities of the consultancy business, business development and the investigative metallurgical work. This includes failure analysis, quality problems and product liability issues for a variety of industries, particularly in power generation, petrochemical and process plant for an international client base.

I also manage the consultancy business’ research and development programmes; an ongoing project is an Innovate UK funded study to develop a novel integrity model for stainless steels in high temperature nuclear applications in partnership with EDF Energy. This project follows on from a previous Innovate funded project and the master’s I completed with Swansea University on the thermal degradation of austenitic stainless steels.