Materials Synthesis and Sustainability - course unit details - MEng Materials Science and Engineering with Textiles Technology - full details (2025 entry)

Duration: 4 years
Year of entry: 2025
UCAS course code: F205 / Institution code: M20

Key features:
Scholarships available
Accredited course

Typical A-level offer: AAA including specific subjects
Typical contextual A-level offer: AAB including specific subjects
Refugee/care-experienced offer: ABB including specific subjects
Typical International Baccalaureate offer: 36 points overall with 6,6,6 at HL, including specific requirements

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Fees and funding

Fees

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2025 will be £9,535 per annum (subject to Parliamentary approval). Tuition fees for international students will be £38,000 per annum. For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

Policy on additional costs

All students should normally be able to complete their programme of study without incurring additional study costs over and above the tuition fee for that programme. Any unavoidable additional compulsory costs totalling more than 1% of the annual home undergraduate fee per annum, regardless of whether the programme in question is undergraduate or postgraduate taught, will be made clear to you at the point of application. Further information can be found in the University's Policy on additional costs incurred by students on undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes (PDF document, 91KB).

Scholarships/sponsorships

The University of Manchester is committed to attracting and supporting the very best students. We have a focus on nurturing talent and ability and we want to make sure that you have the opportunity to study here, regardless of your financial circumstances.

For information about scholarships and bursaries please see our undergraduate fees pages and check the Department's funding pages .

Course unit details:
Materials Synthesis and Sustainability

Course unit fact file
Unit code	MATS23201
Credit rating	10
Unit level	Level 5
Teaching period(s)	Semester 1
Available as a free choice unit?	No

Overview

This unit introduces the fundamental concepts required to understand materials synthesis and the issue of sustainability in processing and recycling.

Aims

The unit aims to:

Introduce thermodynamic concepts related to materials recycling, metal-ore reduction/oxidation/extraction, and ceramic materials production, with a focus on the energy cycle, sustainability and emissions footprint.
Introduce fundamental concepts in polymer science and a selection of commercially-important polymerisation methods.
Introduce the concept of redox reactions, the electro-chemical series, half cells, in relationship to metal extraction, batteries and fuel cells.

Learning outcomes

A greater depth of the learning outcomes are covered in the following sections:

Knowledge and understanding
Intellectual skills
Practical skills
Transferable skills and personal qualities

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures & online learning resources, group tutorials (problem sessions), assessed coursework, recommended textbooks, web resources, past exam papers, electronic supporting information (Blackboard), peer-assisted study sessions (PASS). Formative feedback will be available during synchronous sessions and model solutions to problems.

Non-assessed question sheets will be set and form the basis of a group tutorials in which the answers will be discussed. Mock /past exam papers are also available.

Knowledge and understanding

Compare and contrast metal extraction methods from ores and oxides, with metal recycling and re-use.
Explain the theory of redox reactions, electro-chemical half-cells, and demonstrate their application in electro-metallurgy, batteries and fuel cells.
Describe and discuss fundamental concepts in polymer science and important uses, sources and recycling of polymers.
Discuss and explain the principles and theory underlying important polymerisation methods.
Possess the knowledge structure of ceramic materials properties and production processes.

Intellectual skills

Draw the structures of common monomers, polymers and chemical reaction schemes for the preparation of polymers and perform calculations realting to the polymer synthesis reactions.
Differentiate the concepts related to recycling, extraction and energy balance.
Discuss the issues related to energy production and storage by fuel cells and batteries.
Evaluate the environmental impact of recycling.
Develop an awareness of the sustainability of resources.

Practical skills

Develop an awareness of the practical aspects related to perforimng polymerisations and techniques to monitor and analyse the extent of reaction.
Develop an awareness of the practical aspects related to perforimng simple electrochemical experiments such as: measuring cell potential, measure the current generated by a battery, prepare a simple reference electrode.

Transferable skills and personal qualities

Convert word problems into equations and numerical answers.
Illustrate complex scientific phenomena graphically.
Compose simple technical reports on laboratory tests.

Assessment methods

Method	Weight
Written exam	70%
Written assignment (inc essay)	30%

Feedback methods

Summative Assessment

Exam: Marks available on student portal.

Coursework: Marked work returned to students within 15 working days of latest due date.

Study hours

Scheduled activity hours
Lectures	22

Independent study hours
Independent study	78

Teaching staff

Staff member	Role
Lee Fielding	Unit coordinator

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MEng Materials Science and Engineering with Textiles Technology