MSc - Advanced Materials Science and Engineering

I chose the MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering at Loughborough University because from a young age I’ve always been passionate about energy and sustainability. Materials focuses on learning the basics of how everything around us works today which attracted me to the course. I highly recommend anyone who is interested in this course to apply as it opens doors to many fields of research and industries.

Being an international student
As an international student, at first, I felt overwhelmed as everything in my life changed. However, as I settled in and got used to a ‘new normal', my decision to move to the UK started to pay off. The advice from my lecturers and the positive atmosphere among other students made my time on my course very pleasant and unforgettable. For any international students worried about moving from their home country, be confident in yourself and your abilities and ask questions. I thoroughly enjoyed my time here and have had an unforgettable positive experience.

The support at Loughborough
Loughborough has a great support system. I came from a more general bachelor’s degree and there were times when I needed more help to understand the topics. I found my lecturers and support staff were very approachable and always helped me as much as they could. For example, my lecturers would either sit down with me and go over any topic I needed more help with or gave me advice so that I could do it on my own. I also found that the outstanding equipment in the laboratories played a big role in setting a learning environment where I could thrive.

My projects
During my MSc I carried out two large projects. One was a team-based project where we got to design a device capable of performing torsion and heating at the same time and that was suitable for scanning electron microscopes. The second project was done individually, and I focused mine on analysing the microstructure of a type of tool steel subjected to different heat treatments to improve new processing techniques within additive manufacturing.

Loughborough University is one of the best engineering universities in the UK. Having completed my undergraduate here in Chemical Engineering, I experienced first-hand the high level of teaching as well as the opportunity to carry out various design projects. I also worked in the Loughborough Materials Characterisation Centre which is an industry-leading laboratory with complex machinery. For these reasons, Loughborough felt like the perfect place to continue my studies in the MSc Advanced Materials Science and Engineering course.

The course is great at ensuring you develop a fundamental foundation of knowledge that is transferrable to a range of sectors including the Aerospace, Construction and Biomedical industries. The modules on the course cover the core concepts of Materials but also offer option modules that meant I could specialise in my fields of interest, nanomaterials and composites.

Teaching and facilities
The teaching at Loughborough is of very high quality and lecturers are specialised in different areas of my respective field. They are always happy to take time out of their day to help me if there was an area of the module I was struggling with. They are all very active online which meant they were easy to reach and helped resolve my issues quickly.

There are numerous laboratories developed for a range of materials such as metals, polymers and ceramics where I could apply what I had learnt in my lectures to a practical setting. There is also an online teaching system where you can find all your lecture notes and watch back lectures at any time which assisted me significantly during the course.

I recommend attending as many classes as possible during semesters because the lecturers tend to give valuable information during classes, and they are more intimate so any issues you may have can be solved during these sessions.