Master in Advanced Materials Science

Master in Advanced Materials Science is one of 4 English-taught Materials Science programmes at master’s level in the register, offered by 3 institutions. 4 of them list an annual fee for students from outside the EU, EEA and Switzerland; this programme lists EUR 1,453 a year. 4 are at a public university, where EU, EEA and Swiss students pay no tuition within the standard duration plus two semesters. The same programme title is offered at 2 institutions, so compare the content, campus and requirements before you choose.

Advanced Materials Science is an English-language master's degree at TU Graz, run together with the University of Graz as part of NAWI Graz. It takes four semesters and 120 ECTS, and you finish with the Austrian degree Diplom-Ingenieurin or Diplom-Ingenieur (Dipl.-Ing.), which counts as an MSc.

What you study

The programme builds on a bachelor's in natural sciences or technology, such as physics, chemistry, mechanical engineering, chemical and process engineering, environmental systems sciences or electrical engineering. You deepen your physical and chemical knowledge and add engineering skills across several kinds of material:

• structural materials for vehicle construction and aviation
• functional materials used as sensors or actuators
• energy materials for storing or producing energy, or for making processes more efficient
• bio-based and biocompatible materials

You learn how materials are produced, processed, characterised, modelled and applied, and how to apply methods from physics, chemistry and materials science to them. You then pick one focus area:

• Metallic and Ceramic Materials: microstructure and properties, and their use as structural and functional materials.
• Semiconductor Process Engineering and Nanotechnology: semiconductor and nanophysics, lithography, and the steps behind semiconductor devices and micromechanical components.
• Biobased materials: biochemistry and biophysics basics, and biocompatible materials in medical applications.

How the programme is organised

Laboratory exercises carry a lot of weight, with close supervision in each subject. You do material measurements, analyses and synthesis processes yourself. Teaching runs in project teams, where you apply interdisciplinary methods to real problems. Cooperation across faculties is actively supported, and you get insight into research laboratories for battery materials and semiconductor technology, paper and pulp, and high-performance alloys, into Additive Manufacturing with 3D printing in metalworking, and into micro- and nanostructuring at the Austrian Centre for Electron Microscopy and Nanoanalysis. External lecturers from industry and science give regular talks. Students can do company internships and write the master's thesis with international research institutions and globally operating companies. Course content also ties into the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Who it suits

You should want to understand why a material behaves as it does, then change it. The programme suits people who are happy in a lab, who like working in small teams, and who want to move between physics, chemistry and engineering rather than stay in one lane. A graduate quoted on the page points to the many oral exams as practice in presenting arguments and answering questions on the spot, and to small-group work as training in teamwork.

Admission, language and next steps

You need a completed relevant bachelor's degree and proof of English language competence. Graduates of these TU Graz or University of Graz bachelor's programmes are admitted without conditions: Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Process Engineering, Chemistry, Digital Engineering, Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Physics, Mechanical Engineering, Environmental Systems Sciences / Natural Sciences-Technology, and Mechanical Engineering and Business Economics. Other national or international bachelor's and master's graduates should check the exact requirements in the curriculum. You can complete the admission procedure before finishing your bachelor's. TU Graz and NAWI Graz students at the University of Graz are exempt from the admissions procedure and follow separate instructions. There is no central application portal: you apply directly to TU Graz, and its programme page gives the application period. Contact for questions: studynoSpam@tugraz.at.

The master’s programme in Advanced Materials Science offers students an education in materials science with in-depth scientific fundamentals as well as engineering knowledge and skills. Particular emphasis is placed on conveying the educational and training objectives in an interdisciplinary manner and fostering a critical perspective as well as considering materials and their properties comprehensively and from multiple angles.

In collaboration with the Univeristy of Graz

There is no central application portal in Austria: you apply to the institution, here Graz University of Technology. A public university sets the admission requirements and dates for this level, so read them on the programme page. Entrance examination, as the register states it: No. Entry requirements and language tests are set by the institution, so start from the official programme page. Our guides cover tuition fees, the student residence permit and housing.