DEPARTMENT OF MATERIALS UNDERGRADUATE BROCHURE

Subject Content and Assessment

The following table gives an outline of the subject content and assessment methods for both MS and MEM degree programmes and indicates the main differences between these two programmes.

Year 1

The first year consists of core materials science with no economics or management teaching. 5 to 6 hours laboratory work (including writing-up laboratory reports) per week is required.

First year examinations do not count directly towards the final degree classification, but must be passed to progress into the second year. A pass in all examined subjects is required and a good pass on the first attempt is expected for those students wishing to continue to the MEM course in second year. Retakes are possible in September; but will bar you from MEM.

Year 2

Core modules in materials science are taken. Topics introduced in first year are developed in more detail. Laboratory classes continue, but now require 6 to 9 hours per week.

Voluntary industrial placements, lasting 6 to 8 weeks, are encouraged in the long summer vacation.

• Materials Science only - Entrepreneurship course
• Materials Economics and Management only - Core paper in economics, fewer laboratory classes

Year 3

Team Design Project
Students work in teams on a design project in the first two weeks of Michaelmas term (first term). The teams choose one from a selection of projects each requiring an element of design, marketing, cost of manufacturing and selection of appropriate materials. The students write a detailed report of their findings, and make a formal presentation of their results. The style is modelled on research and development in industry with a presentation to potential financial backers.

• Materials Science only - Materials papers: choice from sets of options, choice of Materials Characterisation or Materials Modelling module
• Materials Economics and Management only - Core papers in economics and management, laboratory classes

Year 4

Materials Science only:

• No compulsory lectures, but some option topics may be chosen where this is helpful for the research project.
• Research Project
  This year is a research year in which you are assigned to a research group to work as part of a leading research team on a topic of your selection from the range offered. You will have your own important work to do: work that may lead to the publication of a scientific paper with your name on it.

Materials Economics and Management only -

• Management Project
  At the end of the third year, MEM students carry out a 6-month, industrially-based, management project in a UK company; providing the opportunity to put their management expertise into practice.
• Materials paper: choice from sets of options
• Either an economics paper or a management paper - choice from options

Materials Science (MS) Course Content

Year 1

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Structure of materials
  - Properties of materials
  - Transforming materials
  - Maths for materials and earth sciences
• Continual assessment:
  - Practical work
  - Crystallography classes
  - Engineering drawing classes
• Additional elements:
  - IT skills
  - Industrial visits
  - Foreign language (optional)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations (preliminary).
Four written papers (plus continual assessment components equivalent to a fifth paper)

Year 2

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Structure and transformation of materials
  - Electronic properties of materials
  - Mechanical properties
  - Engineering applications of materials
  - Foreign language (optional)
  - Supplementary subject (optional)
• Continual assessment:
  - Practical work
  - Industrial visits
• Report assessed
  - Entrepreneurship course (assessed by business plan)
• Additional elements
  - Industrial talks
  - Communication skills
  - Mathematics
  - Experimental error analysis

Year 3

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Option papers in Materials (2 out of 3 modules chosen in each of first two terms)
• Continual assessment:
  - Team design project: presentation and report assessed
  - choice of Materials Characterisation or Materials Modelling module
  - Industrial visits

ASSESSMENT

• Final University examinations, Part I
  Six written papers (plus continual assessment components equivalent to a further 2 papers)

Year 4

COURSES

• Research project (full time)
• Additional elements: (all except * are optional)
  - Presentation skills
  - Project management skills*
  - Industrial visits
  - Information skills*
  - Career events
  - Writing skills and IPR
  - Foreign language
  - Workshop skills

ASSESSMENT

• Final University examinations, Part II
  Part II project dissertation submitted and assessed.
  Oral examination of project dissertation

Disclaimer: this course structure is correct at the time of going to print (Sept 2007), but changes may be introduced. Please see the current Oxford University Undergraduate Prospectus and our web-sites for the latest information.

Materials Economics and Management (MEM) Course Content

Year 1

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Structure of materials
  - Properties of materials
  - Transforming materials
  - Maths for materials and earth sciences
• Continual assessment:
  - Practical work
  - Crystallography classes
  - Engineering drawing classes
• Additional elements:
  - IT skills
  - Industrial visits
  - Foreign language (optional)

ASSESSMENT

First University examinations (preliminary).
Four written papers (plus, continual assessment components equivalent to a fifth paper)

Year 2

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Structure and transformation of materials
  - Mechanical properties
  - Engineering applications of materials
  - Electronic properties of materials
  - Introductory Economics
• Continual assessment:
  - Practical work
  - Industrial visits
• Additional elements
  - Industrial talks
  - Communication skills
  - Mathematics
  - Experimental error analysis

ASSESSMENT

One written paper (Introductory economics)

Year 3

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Microeconomics
  - Introduction to Management
• Continual assessment:
  - Team design project: presentation and report assessed
  - Industrial visits
  - Practical work
• Additional elements:
  - Essay writing skills
  - Preparatory workshops for management

ASSESSMENT

• Final University examinations, Part I
  Six written papers (plus continual assessment components equivalent to a further 1.2 papers)

Year 4

COURSES

• Directly examined:
  - Option paper in Materials (2 out of 3 modules chosen in 2nd term)
  - Economics or mangement option paper selected from a range including: Finance and Accounting; Marketing and Strategic Management; Macroeconomics; Economic decisions within the firm.
• Continual assessment:
  - Six month management project (report assessed)
• Additional elements:
  - Industrial visits - Careers events

ASSESSMENT

• Final University examinations, Part II
  Two written papers.
  Report on management project

Disclaimer: this course structure is correct at the time of going to print (Sept 2007), but changes may be introduced.
Please see the current Oxford University Undergraduate Prospectus and our web-sites for the latest information.