A minimum of a second-class Bachelor’s degree in a science or engineering discipline from a UK university or an overseas qualification of an equivalent standard.
The transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient society depends on a new generation of advanced materials. From batteries and solar cells to sustainable carbon capture, materials lie at the heart of solutions to the world’s most urgent energy and environmental challenges. This MSc equips you with the knowledge and skills to design, fabricate, understand and deploy materials that enable a more sustainable future.
You explore the fundamental science of materials alongside their real-world applications in energy storage, energy conversion, and environmental protection. You study topics such as the renewable energy landscape including solar energy, batteries and fuel cells, and the impact of nanomaterials in the environment such as gas sensing and nitrogen reduction. The area of carbon dioxide capture from anthropogenic sources is also addressed, together with current advances in the utilisation of capture CO2, while gaining hands‑on experience in characterisation, modelling and materials discovery. You also have the option to explore how artificial intelligence is transforming modern chemistry and materials science, including its role in accelerating materials discovery and design. You will engage with cutting-edge laboratory techniques and develop the ability to translate scientific insight into practical, scalable solutions.
What distinguishes this degree is its integration of disciplines and its focus on impact. You learn not only the physics and chemistry of materials, but also how policy and sustainability frameworks shape their development and deployment. By combining rigorous scientific training with a strong emphasis on sustainability and innovation, this MSc empowers you to become a materials scientist who can lead change – whether in academia, industry or policy – at the interface of energy, environment and technology.
This MSc is for graduates from diverse science and engineering backgrounds seeking to specialise in materials for energy and climate solutions. You’ll develop highly-valued technical and transferable skills, including hands-on expertise in materials synthesis, characterisation and data-driven analysis, with options in modelling and AI. Through research-led projects, you’ll design and manage investigations, critically evaluate evidence, and communicate complex ideas through reports and presentations.
Interdisciplinary collaboration strengthens your project management, teamwork and problem-solving abilities, supported by training in scientific writing and professional skills. With research spanning batteries, fuel cells, solar cells, and catalytic materials, the course aligns with global net zero ambitions and the evolving innovation landscape, equipping graduates with in-depth knowledge, practical experience and environmental awareness for careers in industry, research, consultancy and policy.
Graduates from this MSc pursue careers across a wide range of sectors, with the majority entering highly skilled roles or continuing into postgraduate study, such as PhD programmes. Key employment areas include IT, technology and telecommunications; energy, natural resources and the environment; engineering; scientific research, development and analysis; manufacturing; and policy and government. Graduate Outcomes survey carried out by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA), looking at the destinations of graduates in the 2018–2024 cohorts.