Materials with Nuclear Engineering

The undergraduate degree courses in Materials Science and Engineering at Imperial contain a strong core of applied Physics and Chemistry. Teaching focuses on applied science, with a grounding in theory and a great emphasis on practical work. You’ll be expected to take part in challenging experiments with advanced equipment. The degree deals with the fundamentals of matter, both its structure and its properties. You’ll learn how to manipulate existing materials and how to develop new and improved ones. You will also study engineering and business skills to help you take the first steps into industry.

In your first two years you’ll study a range of core topics, including business studies, through lectures, feedback sessions, classwork, seminars, case studies and lab work. Tutorials will be given by staff members who are experts in particular fields and you’ll be encouraged to take part in informal technical discussions, and to integrate subjects from different lecture courses.

With an MEng you’ll benefit from an integrated Master’s programme in Engineering with a longer and enhanced term of study than on a BEng. You’ll develop your skills and work on broader and more involved individual and group projects. The MEng can lead to Chartered Engineer status, a qualification that will help you stand out in the job market. As an MEng student you will have to do a work placement over the summer period, lasting from 12 to 16 weeks. As we have strong links with organisations in Europe, the USA, Australia, New Zealand and East Asia you can even choose to go abroad.

The programme aims/objectives are to: provide a course that ranks as the top course in the UK and
one of the best World-wide. This is done through an integrated programme of study wherein the
specific engineering disciplines are learnt from the first week of the first year; we strongly believe
that this is the most appropriate approach to achieve our aim and as such we have no general
engineering foundation.
We also aim to graduate students of the highest quality, who will not only demonstrate technical
and professional leadership in their fields, but who are adaptable and therefore well-suited to
careers in both the industrial and service sectors. Our students must demonstrate both knowledge
and skills and apply them to problems relevant to modern engineering practice in both general
terms and in discipline specific terms.
Year 1
Term One:
MSE 101 Mathematics and Computing
MSE 102 Materials Chemistry
MSE 104 Structures and Properties of Materials
MSE 105 Materials Physics7
Term Two:
MSE 101 Mathematics and Computing
MSE 102 Materials Chemistry
MSE 103 Mechanical Behaviour
MSE 104 Structures and Properties of Materials
MSE 105 Materials Physics
MSE 106 Materials Engineering (computer aided design)
Examination: Progress Examination on all subjects taught in term one
Term Three:
MSE 102 Materials Chemistry
MSE 105 Materials Physics
MSE 106 Materials Engineering (Technical Drawing)
Examinations:
MSE 101 Mathematics and Computing
MSE 102 Materials Chemistry
MSE 104 Structures and Properties of Materials
MSE 105 Materials Physics

Year 2
Term One:
MSE 201 Mathematics and Computing
MSE 202 Materials Chemistry
MSE 203 Mechanical Behaviour
MSE 204 Microstructure
MSE 205 Electronic Properties of Materials
MSE 206 Materials Engineering (Materials Characterisation)
Term Two:
MSE 201 Mathematics and Computing
MSE 202 Materials Chemistry
MSE 203 Mechanical Behaviour
MSE 204 Microstructure
MSE 205 Electronic Properties of Materials
MSE 206 Materials Engineering (Process Principles)
MSE 206 Materials Engineering (Business for Professional Engineers and Scientists: Project
Management)
Examination: Progress Examination for mathematics
Term Three:
MSE 202 Materials Chemistry
Examinations:
MSE 201 Mathematics and Computing
MSE 202 Materials Chemistry
MSE 203 Mechanical Behaviour
MSE 204 Microstructure
MSE 205 Electronic Properties of Materials
MSE 206 Materials Engineering (Business for Professional Engineers and Scientists)

Year 3
Term One:
MSE 301 Integrated Materials Engineering Portfolio (Core)
MSE 302 Materials Characterisation (Core)
ME3-HNUCN Introduction to Nuclear Energy (Core)
MSE 308 Ceramics and Glasses (Option)
MSE 309 Polymers and Composites (Option)
MSE 312 Nanomaterials 1 (Option)
MSE 315 Biomaterials (Option)
MSE 316 Humanities (Option)
BS 0806 Entrepreneurship (Option)
BS 0815 Managerial Economics (Option)
BS 0820 Innovation Management (Option)
Term Two:
MSE 301 Integrated Materials Engineering Portfolio (Core)
CHE-430 Nuclear Chemical Engineering (Core)
MSE 305 Metals Processing (Option)
MSE 307 Engineering Alloys (Option)
MSE 310 Electronic Structures and Opto-Electronic Properties (Option)
MSE 316 Humanities (Option)
MSE 317 Modelling (Option)
BS 0808 Finance and Financial Management (Option)
BS 0821 Project Management (Option)
Examinations:
BS 0806 Entrepreneurship (Option)
BS 0815 Managerial Economics (Option)
BS 0820 Innovation Management (Option)
Term Three:
Examinations:
NOTE: * indicates modifications for current 3rd year and subsequent years
MSE 401 Comprehensive exam (Core)*
MSE 302 Materials Characterisation (Core)
ME3-HNUCN Introduction to Nuclear Energy (Core)
CHE-430 Nuclear Chemical Engineering (Core)
MSE 305 Metals Processing (Option)
MSE 307 Engineering Alloys (Option)
MSE 308 Ceramics and Glasses (Option)
MSE 309 Polymers and Composites (Option)
MSE 310 Electronic Structures and Opto-Electronic Properties (Option)
MSE 312 Nanomaterials 1 (Option)
MSE 315 Biomaterials (Option)
BS 0808 Finance and Financial Management (Option)
BS 0821 Project Management (Option)

Year 4
Term One:
Industrial Placement (Core)
Individual Research Project (Core)
CHE-429 Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics (Core)
MSE 410 Advanced Thin Films for Manufacturing (Option)
MSE 412 Nanomaterials 2 (Option)
MSE 413 Advanced Structural Ceramics (Option)
MSE 414 Nuclear Materials 1 (Reactor Systems) (Option)
MSE 416 Humanities (Option)
MSE 417 Advanced Biomaterials (Option)
MSE 418 Advanced Tissue Engineering (Option)
BS 0806 Entrepreneurship (Option)
BS 0815 Managerial Economics (Option)
BS 0820 Innovation Management (Option)
AE4-401 Applications of Fluid Dynamics (Option)
BE3-HHCARD Computer Assistive and Rehabilitive Devices (Option)
BE3-MBMX Biomechanics (Option)
EE4.29 Optimisation (Option)
EE4.47 Modelling and Control of Multi-Body Mechanics (Option)
ME3-hDNVC Design-led Innovation and New Venture Creation (Option)
Term Two:
Individual Research Project (Core)
MSE 406 Business for Engineers (Core)11
ME4-mNURP Nuclear Reactor Physics (Core)
MSE 409 High Performance Alloys (Option)
MSE 411 Electroceramics (Option)
MSE 416 Humanities (Option)
MSE 419 Nuclear Materials 2 (Decommissioning, Waste Management and Disposal (Option)
BS 0808 Finance and Financial Management (Option)
BS 0821 Project Management (Option)
BE9-MBMI Brain Machine Interfaces (Option)
BE9-MHNCL Human Neuromechanical Control and Learning (Option)
CHE-431 Transport Processes for Biological Systems (Option)
CO341 Introduction to Bioinformatics (Option)
CO422 Computational Finance (Option)
CO484 Quantum Computing (Option)
EE4.50 Sustainable Electrical Systems (Option)
ESE-UG4.33 Environmental Impact Assessment (Option)
Examinations:
BS 0806 Entrepreneurship (Option)
BS 0815 Managerial Economics (Option)
BS 0820 Innovation Management (Option)
Term Three:
Examinations:
NOTE: * indicates modifications for current 3rd year and subsequent years
MSE 401 Comprehensive exam (Core) [moved to year 3]*
CHE-429 Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics (Core)
ME4-mNURP Nuclear Reactor Physics (Core)
MSE 409 High Performance Alloys (Option)
MSE 410 Advanced This Films for Manufacturing (Option)
MSE 411 Electroceramics (Option)
MSE 412 Nanomaterials 2 (Option)
MSE 413 Advanced Structural Ceramics (Option)
MSE 414 Nuclear Materials 1 (Reactor Systems) (Option)
MSE 416 Humanities (Option)
MSE 417 Advanced Biomaterials (Option)
MSE 418 Advanced Tissue Engineering (Option)
MSE 419 Nuclear Materials 2 (Decommissioning, Waste Management and Disposal (Option)
MSE 416 Humanities (Option)
BS 0806 Entrepreneurship (Option)
BS 0815 Managerial Economics (Option)
BS 0820 Innovation Management (Option)
AE4-401 Applications of Fluid Dynamics (Option)
BE3-HHCARD Computer Assistive and Rehabilitive Devices (Option)
BE3-MBMX Biomechanics (Option)
BE9-MBMI Brain Machine Interfaces (Option)
BE9-MHNCL Human Neuromechanical Control and Learning (Option)
CHE-429 Nuclear Thermal Hydraulics (Option)
CHE-430 Nuclear Chemical Engineering (Option)
CHE-431 Transport Processes for Biological Systems (Option)12
CO341 Introduction to Bioinformatics (Option)
CO422 Computational Finance (Option)
CO484 Quantum Computing (Option)
EE4.29 Optimisation (Option)
EE4.47 Modelling and Control of Multi-Body Mechanics (Option)
EE4.50 Sustainable Electrical Systems (Option)
ESE-UG4.33 Environmental Impact Assessment (Option)
ME4-mNURP Nuclear Reactor Physics (Option)

Minimum A-level grades
• A in Mathematics
• A in Physics
• A in a third A-level (Chemistry and Biology are the most common)

Scottish Advanced Highers: AAA including Maths and Physics

IB: 38 overall with 6 in Maths and Physics at Higher level

Advanced Placements (AP):
• 5 in Calculus BC
• 5 in Physics B or C
• 5 in Chemistry

We also require an English qualification, for example at least a B grade at GCSE, 6.5 at IELTS, or 5 out of 7 at subsidiary level IB.

Third Year Work Placement

An important part of the MEng Course is the work placement, which may be either in the UK or abroad. The placement will give you a greater understanding of the relevance of your academic studies and experience of a working environment. Placement projects vary greatly;  you may become involved in the day-to-day running of a production facility, or work in the marketing division of a firm or even a museum. 

MEng work placements last approximately 12-16 weeks from late May or early June until the end of September. At the end of the placement you are required to write a marked report on your project

Fourth Year Research Project

The Research Project is probably the most important and enjoyable single piece of work that you will do in the course. You will have been allocated a project at the end of Year 3.
Each project will have one supervisor (occasionally, projects may also have a second supervisor) and one assessor.

Third Year Work Placement

An important part of the MEng Course is the work placement, which may be either in the UK or abroad. The placement will give you a greater understanding of the relevance of your academic studies and experience of a working environment. Placement projects vary greatly;  you may become involved in the day-to-day running of a production facility, or work in the marketing division of a firm or even a museum. 

MEng work placements last approximately 12-16 weeks from late May or early June until the end of September. At the end of the placement you are required to write a marked report on your project
 

Fourth Year Research Project

The Research Project is probably the most important and enjoyable single piece of work that you will do in the course. You will have been allocated a project at the end of Year 3.
Each project will have one supervisor (occasionally, projects may also have a second supervisor) and one assessor.