BSc Materials Science and Engineering

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• Materials

AAB including two from Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. If you are not taking A-level Mathematics, Grade 7/A at GCSE/IGCSE Mathematics is required.

If you do not have the required grades or subjects you may want to consider our integrated foundation year.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore there will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A-level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offers you will receive.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Your application will be considered against the standard selection process of your chosen course if you either:

a) sat your examinations early; or

b) followed an accelerated curriculum and spent three years studying A-levels where the examinations were taken over two years.

If you are studying an advanced curriculum where the examinations are spread over three years, consideration for an offer will be at the discretion of the admissions tutor for that subject.

ABB including two from Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. If you are not taking A-level Mathematics, Grade 7/A at GCSE/IGCSE Mathematics is required. Find out more about contextual admissions .

If you do not have the required grades or subjects you may want to consider our integrated foundation year.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore there will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A-level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offers you will receive.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

Contextual offers are available for applicants who:

• live in the UK and will be under the age of 21 on 1 September of the year they will start their course; and
• live in an area of disadvantage or with low progression into higher education; and
• have attended a UK school or college for their GCSEs or A-levels (or equivalent qualifications) that has performed below the national average over multiple years.

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

BBB including 2 from Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry. If you are not taking A-level Mathematics, Grade 7/A at GCSE/IGCSE Mathematics is required.

Practical skills are a crucial part of science education and therefore will be a requirement to pass the practical element of any science A Level taken. Where applicants are applying for science and related degrees, this is likely to be made explicit in the offer you will receive.

Applicants taking A Levels are normally expected to offer three full A Levels. If you’re taking more than three A Levels, these won’t be included in your offer. We will only make offers consisting of three A Levels.

Please check for specific GCSE/IGCSE subject entry requirements below

UK refugee/care-experienced offers are available for applicants who:

• have been looked after in care for more than three months; or
• have been granted refugee status by the UK government or have been issued a UK visa under one of the Ukrainian schemes (Homes for Ukraine, Ukraine Family Scheme or Ukraine Extension Scheme).

See our contextual admissions page for full details and to check your eligibility.

35 points overall with 6,6,5 at Higher Level, including two subjects from Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.

We will accept Mathematics: analysis and approaches only at HL as one of the HL subject specific requirements.

Applicants must demonstrate a broad general education including acceptable levels of literacy and numeracy, equivalent to at least Grade C/4 in GCSE/IGCSE English Language, Mathematics and Science.

GCSE/IGCSE English Literature will not be accepted in lieu of GCSE/IGCSE English Language.

We accept a range of qualifications from different countries. For these and general requirements see accepted entry qualifications from your country .

Detailed information on our international entry criteria is available on the Department of Materials website.

All applicants to the University (from the UK and Overseas) are required to show evidence of English Language proficiency. The minimum English Language requirement for this course is either:

• GCSE/IGCSE English Language grade C/4, or;
• IELTS 6.5 overall with 6.5 in writing and no sub-skill below 6.0 or;
• TOEFL iBT 90 overall with 22 in writing and no sub-skill below 20. We do not accept TOEFL iBT Special Home Edition, or;
• An acceptable equivalent qualification .

Where specified, we also require grade 1 or 2 in the Oral Exam component of the IGCSE English Language (first or second language) qualification.

Please note that if you hold English as a second language IGCSE qualification, we may also require you to offer one of our acceptable equivalent English Language qualifications or achieve a higher grade in your IGCSE than the one stated above. Please contact us for clarification.

If you need to improve your English language skills to meet the entry requirements for your academic course, the University Centre for Academic English (UCAE) summer pre-sessional courses can help. Check if your academic course offers the option of taking a pre-sessional course on the UCAE page.

The UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) requires that every student requiring a visa to study in the UK must show evidence of a minimum level of English Language (common European Framework (CEFR B2 level) to be granted a Student Route visa (previously known as a Tier 4 visa) to study at undergraduate or postgraduate level.

In addition, our academic Departments may require applicants to demonstrate English proficiency above the B2 level. Further information about our English Language policy, including a list of some of the English Language qualifications we accept, can be found  here .

Some English language test results are only valid for two years. Your English language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

Fees for entry in 2026 have not yet been set. For entry in 2025 the tuition fees were £9,535 per annum for home students, and are expected to increase slightly for 2026 entry.

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).

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 visit our undergraduate student finance pages and our the Department funding pages.

If you are a student who has followed a non-standard educational route, e.g. you have been educated at home; your application will be considered against the standard entry criteria of the course for which you are applying. You will be required to demonstrate that you meet the specified academic entry requirements of the course.

We will also require a reference from somebody who knows you well enough, in an official capacity, to write about you and your suitability for higher education. Please refer to UCAS for further information: UCAS reference guidelines.

If you are a home-schooled student and would like further information or advice please contact the Admissions Team for the academic department for your chosen course.

Mature applicants who are returning to studies after a break from formal education will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

If you require further clarification about the acceptability of the qualifications you hold please contact the Admissions Team directly. Further information for mature students .

Applications are considered on the basis of the UCAS form. Candidates may be interviewed (usually online). Strong examination results and interview performance are the main factor in admitting students to our courses. We consider other information to ensure we admit students with the most outstanding potential.

This is assessed within a structured framework and includes prior and predicted grades. Your referee should give realistic grade predictions for all qualifications that you are currently studying at the top of their reference.

If you attend a non-UK school or college that does not provide predicted grades your referee should explain this policy within their reference. All applicants should be aware that information provided in the personal statement may be used as the basis for further discussion during your interview with an academic member of staff.

Further information and advice on writing your personal statement and the UCAS application process can be found on the UCAS website .

All students who apply to us through UCAS, and who live on the UK mainland and meet our application criteria, are currently invited to a Virtual Visit event which will include an interview as part of the application process. These are held from November through to March and will consist of a presentation by the Admissions Tutor and a Q&A session with current staff and students. The interview will be informal and no specific preparation needs to be done for it. Parents / guardians are encouraged to attend the Virtual Visit Day. There will also be opportunities for offer holders to visit on campus.

Applications for deferred entry are considered equally to other applications up to the point of confirmation.

Deferred entry is granted on the discretion of admissions staff and is normally granted for one year only and two years at the maximum in exceptional circumstances. Some English Language test results, such as IELTS or TOEFL, are only valid for two years from the test date. Your English Language test report must be valid on the start date of the course.

We normally also guarantee a place in the current year should the applicant's gap year plans change, subject to availability of places.

If you have re-sat individual modules to improve your grades, we will consider your application according to the standard selection process. If you are planning to re-sit the final Year 13 examinations, or have already done so, the University will consider your application, but we may require further information in order to make an informed judgment on your application.

We are happy to consider applicants who are taking their examinations in more than one sitting, provided they are taken over the standard two-year period.

If you applied in the previous year and your application was not successful you may apply again. Your application will be considered against the standard course entry criteria for that year of entry. In your new application you should demonstrate how your application has improved. We may draw upon all information from your previous applications or any previous registrations at the University as a student when assessing your suitability for your chosen course. If you are applying for a place for the same year of entry through UCAS Extra, you should provide additional evidence of your suitability for the course. If you are applying through Clearing you are required to meet the Clearing requirements. In both UCAS Extra and clearing the places will be subject to availability.

Year one provides an overview of the full range of engineering materials used today and the key principles of Materials Science and Engineering that will be used throughout the course.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

Year two builds on the foundations established in the first year by focusing more on the processing, design, selection and application of different materials types in real industrial situations.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

In year three, alongside core units, you will have the opportunity to specialize through a choice of options. A key part of year three is an extensive final-year project. During this project, you will choose a topic of particular interest to undertake in-depth research. Working within one of the established research groups in the Department, this enables you to develop further practical and analytical skills, as well as gain real experience of Materials Research. In the past, such projects have led to students presenting their work at international scientific conferences as well as winning prestigious national awards.

The course unit details given below are subject to change, and are the latest example of the curriculum available on this course of study.

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 visit our undergraduate student finance pages and our Department funding pages.