BSc Materials Science and Engineering

This unit provides the foundation in phase transformations required to understand microstructural development in metallic, ceramic, and polymeric systems.

The unit aims to: 

• Provide a fundamental understanding and quantitative description of the important phase transformation mechanisms in metallic, ceramic, and polymeric systems. 
• Provide an understanding of the importance of phase transformations in determining microstructure and an ability to classify phase transformations by type.  
• Provide a quantitative understanding of diffusion, nucleation, growth, and overall transformation kinetic theory.
• Provide a foundation in solidification theory including quantitative descriptions.

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

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

Lectures, laboratories, recommended textbooks, web resources, past exam papers, electronic supporting information (Canvas), peer-assisted study sessions (PASS).

This unit is delivered using a blended learning approach, which integrates technology and digital media with traditional classroom activities. A variety of learning and teaching processes will be used including: lectures, discussions, group activities and independent study. Canvas will be used to present online study materials, including videos, lecture notes, guided reading, articles and other information. Canvas will also be used for the submission of assessments.  

• Understand the important classes of phase transformations in materials (metallic, ceramic, polymeric).
• Understand the importance of phase transformations and their relation to microstructure.
• Understand the mechanisms of diffusion in materials.
• Understand Ficks 1st and 2nd laws of diffusion.
• Understand nucleation theory, including solid-state nucleation (homogeneous and heterogeneous).
• Understand the difference between 1st and 2nd order phase transformations and give examples of both.
• Understand growth mechanisms during phase transformations.
• Understand and describe non-diffusional phase transformation mechanisms in materials.
• Understand how solidification occurs in materials, including a quantitative ability to predict conditions for interface instability.
• Understand overall phase transformation kinetics for diffusional and diffusion-less transformations.

• Use Fick’s 1st and 2nd laws to solve diffusion problems.
• Use nucleation theory to predict nucleation rates for phase transformations.
• Predict the conditions for interface stability during solidification.
• Create and interpret a time-temperature-transformation (TTT) diagram.

• Use image analysis to quantify a microstructure.
• Use the MATLAB computer language to run a simple model and interpret the results.

• Familiarization with the MATLAB computer language.
• Experience and familiarization with image analysis techniques.

Written and verbal

Tuition fees for home students commencing their studies in September 2027 will be £10,050 per annum. Tuition fees for international students will be £41,900 per annum.

For general information please see the undergraduate finance pages.

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).

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