Materials Science
Explore the world of metals, polymers, ceramics, composites and semiconductors. From levitating trains to electronic paper, there are some exciting developments underway in the world of Materials Science that you could be a part of!
Materials Science focuses on understanding the intrinsic structure of a material and the control of its structure through processing. It studies the relationship of the engineering properties of the three main classes of materials (metals, polymers and ceramics) as well as composites and semiconductors.
Materials Scientists are in high demand internationally – particularly within the thriving polymer/plastics, metals, ceramics and composites industries. Your detailed understanding of material properties will help you to make important decisions on how to develop new materials and which materials should be used for specific products or applications.
The wider Waikato region contains the highest density of materials-based companies in New Zealand, so as a University of Waikato Materials Science graduate you could also have a number of local employment opportunities available to you. You'll also gain the skills and knowledge to contribute to creating an engineering-based knowledge economy in New Zealand.
As a Materials Science student at the University of Waikato, you will benefit from teaching that is research-led, provided by experts from across the materials spectrum who are internationally renowned for their research in light metals and composites.
Facilities
The University of Waikato is home to a suite of well-equipped laboratories. You will have access to some of the latest scanning electron microscopy and advanced characterisation equipment – used to analyse and assess the structure of materials.
Key information
| Study Location: | Hamilton |
|---|---|
| Area of Study: |
Study Materials Science in these qualifications
Study Materials Science as a specialisation of
Career opportunities
- Materials Scientist
- Materials Consultant
- Materials Selection Consultant
- Materials Production Scientist/Consultant
- Materials Failure Analyst
- Life Cycle Analysis Scientist/Consultant
- Sustainable Development Scientist/Consultant
- Corrosion Consultant
- Failure Analysis Consultant
- Metallurgical Manufacturing Scientist/Consultant
- Ceramic Manufacturing Scientist/Consultant
- Composites Manufacturing Scientist/Consultant
- Wood Manufacturing Scientist/Consultant
- Sustainable Materials Scientist/Consultant
- Research Scientist
Papers
Available Materials Science papers
100 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEMY101 | Structure and Spectroscopy - Tūramaramatia i ngā Hanganga | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) & 24C (Hamilton) |
| A theoretical and practical course covering aspects of analytical and inorganic chemistry. This course is required for the chemistry major. He pepa tirotiro i nga tuahua o te wetewete i te matauranga matuwaro me tona kore paraumu, he pepa matua o roto o te tohu matuora. | |||
| ENGEN112 | Materials Science and Engineering | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) & 24A (Tauranga) |
| Introduction to engineering materials (metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, semiconductors and biomaterials) and their atomic structure and mechanical properties. Includes; elastic and plastic deformation, fracture mechanisms, failure in service, iron-carbon phase diagram, redox reactions in corrosion, production of polymers, ce... | |||
| ENGEN180 | Foundations of Engineering | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) & 24B (Tauranga) |
| Introduction to the engineering design process and computer aided design, fundamental principles of engineering analysis, open ended problem solving, engineering economics and the skills of a successful engineer. Includes a design-build-test experience. | |||
200 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEMY201 | Organic Chemistry | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers aspects of organic chemistry including reaction mechanisms with carbanion and radical intermediates; mechanisms of reactions of carbonyl groups and multiple electrophilic substitutions of aromatic rings, also an introduction to carbohydrate chemistry is provided. | |||
| CHEMY203 | Inorganic Chemistry | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers aspects of inorganic chemistry including structure and reactivity of the main-group elements; point-group symmetry; molecular orbital, crystal field theories; transition metal coordination complexes. | |||
| CHEMY204 | Analytical Chemistry | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers aspects of analytical chemistry including characterisation using nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR); qualitative and quantitative analysis of mixtures using gas chromatography (GC) and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The use of statistical methods in analytical chemistry will also be covered. | |||
| ENGME280 | Design and Manufacturing 1 | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| The paper focuses on the principles of fundamental manufacturing processes and engineering design methods. Practical aspects of selected major manufacturing processes via workshop and practical sessions give students the opportunities to build up their practical skills and apply their theoretical knowledge to solving practical prob... | |||
| ENGMP211 | Materials 1 | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper will provide a foundation for understanding the relationship between material structure, processing and behaviour to support engineering of materials and engineering with materials. | |||
300 Level
| Code | Paper Title | Points | Occurrence / Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| CHEMY301 | Advanced Organic Chemistry | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers advanced aspects of organic chemistry including pericyclic reactions, natural product chemistry, medicinal chemistry and organic synthesis including retrosynthetic analysis. | |||
| CHEMY303 | Advanced Inorganic Chemistry | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers advanced aspects of inorganic chemistry including heavy transition elements; f-elements; organometallic chemistry of main group and transition metals; bioinorganic chemistry; solid state chemistry. | |||
| CHEMY304 | Advanced Analytical Chemistry | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| This paper covers advanced aspects of analytical chemistry including mass spectrometry, inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS), Mossbauer and Raman spectroscopy, quality control and assurance, sampling techniques and method validation. | |||
| ENGMP311 | Materials 2 | 15.0 | 24B (Hamilton) |
| It will develop understanding of the relationship between material structure, processing and behaviour to support engineering of materials and engineering with materials. | |||
| ENGMP312 | Materials Manufacture | 15.0 | 24A (Hamilton) |
| This paper deepens the understanding of students on the relationships between processing conditions, microstructure and properties of materials manufactured via major materials processing technologies including solidification methods, ceramic processing, metallic powder consolidation, and fabrication of composite materials. The pap... | |||
Scholarships and Prizes
Selected scholarships for Materials Science students.
New to Waikato? The International Excellence Scholarship is worth up to $10,000.
Looking for more scholarships?
Contacts
School of Science
Phone: 0800 924 528 or +64 7 838 4625
Email: [email protected]
Website: sci.waikato.ac.nz
Facebook: facebook.com/WaikatoScience