Program Requirements

The Master of Science (Advanced) in Materials Science requires completion of 96 units, of which:

A minimum of 24 units must come from completion of 8000-level courses.

The 96 units must include:

12 units from completion of the following compulsory courses:

BIOL8291 Research Presentation Skills (6 units)

CHEM8700 Research Proposal (6 units)

A minimum of 12 units and a maximum of 24 units from completion of the following foundational courses:

CHEM6208 Computational Chemistry (6 units)

CHEM6210 Structural Elucidation in Chemistry (6 units)

CHEM6213 Soft Matter (6 units)

CHEM6214 Chemical Physics (6 units)

12 units from completion of Science and Society Courses from the following list:

ENVS6013 Society and Environmental Change (6 units)

SCNC8000 Science Internship (6 units)

SCOM6001 Foundations of Science Communication and Engagement (6 units)

SCOM6007 From Creativity to Impact: Science Communication Project Design (6 units)

SCOM6012 Communicating Science Online (6 units)

SCOM6015 Public Speaking About Science (6 units)

SCOM6016 Science, Journalism and Society (6 units)

SCOM6027 Science Politics (6 units)

SCOM6029 Science Communication and Planetary Crises (6 units)

SCOM6031 Science, Risk, and Misinformation (6 units)

SCOM6032 Making Modern Science (6 units)

SCOM6501 Science Communication Strategy and Leadership (6 units)

A maximum of 12 units from completion of Mathematics courses from the following list:

MATH6103 Scientific and Industrial Modelling (6 units)

MATH6405 Applied Mathematics I: Ordinary Differential Equations and Vector Calculus (6 units)

MATH6406 Partial Differential Equations, Fourier Analysis and Complex Analysis (6 units)

A minimum of 12 and a maximum of 24 units from completion of courses from and of the following thematic lists:

Functional and Molecular Materials:

CHEM6123 Molecular Materials (6 units)

CHEM6202 Hard Matter (6 units)

CHEM6203 Chemical Structure and Reactivity 2 (6 units)

CHEM6204 Chemical Structure and Reactivity 1 (6 units)

CHEM6206 Catalysis in Chemistry (6 units)

CHEM6323 Advanced Inorganic Chemistry (6 units)

CHEM8032 Modern Materials Applications (6 units)

Biomaterials:

BIOL6243 Bioinformatics and its Applications (6 units)

CHEM6211 Chemical Biology 1 (6 units)

CHEM6228 Chemical Biology 2 (6 units)

CHEM6324 Advanced Protein Technologies: Laboratory course (6 units)

CHEM6327 Current Topics in Chemical and Synthetic Biology (6 units)

MATH6100 Bioinformatics and Biological Modelling (6 units)

MATH6208 Advanced Mathematical Bioinformatics (6 units)

Materials Physics:

CHEM6202 Hard Matter (6 units)

CHEM8032 Modern Materials Applications (6 units)

PHYS6013 Quantum Mechanics (6 units)

PHYS6020 Thermal and Statistical Physics (6 units)

PHYS6032 Solid State Physics (6 units)

PHYS6105 Physics of Matter (6 units)

PHYS6502 Photonic Sensing Systems (6 units)

36 units from completion of the following research component:

CHEM8033 Advanced Project in Chemistry (36 units, which must be taken twice over two consecutive semesters 12 + 24 units)

A maximum of 12 units from completion of 6000- or 8000-level courses from the following subject areas:

ENGN Engineering

CHEM Chemistry

MATH Mathematics

PHYS Physics

Note: Students must achieve a minimum 70% Weighted Average Mark in the first 48 units of courses attempted and have the approval of an identified supervisor for the research project in order to remain enrolled in the Master of Science (Advanced) in Materials Science and progress to the research project. A condition of supervisor approval is that the research project is feasible, and it should be noted that the majority of research projects will require on-campus attendance.

Master Research

The program requires 24 units of research project, carried out on an individual basis with an academic supervisor at the ANU and assessed through a written thesis of approximately 50 pages and a final oral presentation.

Master Research Training

The program requires 24 units of research project, carried out on an individual basis with an academic supervisor at the ANU and assessed through a written thesis of approximately 50 pages and a final oral presentation.

Capstone Courses

Study Options

Admission Requirements

Applicants must present a Bachelor degree or international equivalent

• with a grade point average of at least 5.5/7.0
• with at least 8 courses in a cognate discipline with minimum grade point average of 5.5/7.0 in these subjects.
• with the equivalent of an ANU minor in Chemistry and a minimum of 2 courses of undergraduate Maths and a minimum of 2 courses of undergraduate Physics

The GPA for a Bachelor program will be calculated from (i) a completed Bachelor degree using all grades and/or (ii) a completed Bachelor degree using all grades other than those from the last semester (or equivalent study period) of the Bachelor degree. The higher of the two calculations will be used as the basis for admission.

• Students whose cognate discipline is not Chemistry, will need to have at least the equivalent of an ANU minor in Chemistry.
• Students interested in undertaking courses from the Physics course list will need to have completed Physics tertiary studies equivalent to a minor in Physics which should include tertiary knowledge of Mathematics to the minimum level of first year tertiary maths or equivalent.

Ranking and English language proficiency: At a minimum, all applicants must meet program-specific academic/non-academic requirements, and English language requirements. Admission to most ANU programs is on a competitive basis. Therefore, meeting all admission requirements does not automatically guarantee entry. In line with the University's admissions policy and strategic plan, an assessment for admission may include competitively ranking applicants on the basis of specific academic achievement, English language proficiency and diversity factors. Applicants will first be ranked on a GPA ('GPA1') that is calculated using all but the last semester (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes. If required, ranking may further be confirmed on the basis of:

• a GPA ('GPA2') calculated on the penultimate and antepenultimate semesters (or equivalent) of the Bachelor degree used for admission purposes; and/or
• demonstrating higher-level English language proficiency

Prior to enrolment in this ANU program, all students who gain entry will have their Bachelor degree reassessed, to confirm minimum requirements were met.

Further information: English language admission requirements and post-admission support

Diversity factors: As Australia’s national university, ANU is global representative of Australian research and education. ANU endeavours to recruit and maintain a diverse and deliberate student cohort representative not only of Australia, but the world. In order to achieve these outcomes, competitive ranking of applicants may be adjusted to ensure access to ANU is a reality for brilliant students from countries across the globe.

Assessment of qualifications: Unless otherwise indicated, ANU will accept all Australian Qualifications Framework (AQF) qualifications or international equivalents that meet or exceed the published admission requirements of our programs, provided all other admission requirements are also met.

Where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will base assessment on the qualification that best meets the admission requirements for the program. Find out more about the Australian Qualifications Framework: www.aqf.edu.au.

Unless otherwise indicated, where an applicant has more than one completed tertiary qualification, ANU will calculate the GPA for each qualification separately. ANU will base assessment on the best GPA of all completed tertiary qualifications of the same level or higher.

ANU uses a 7-point Grade Point Average (GPA) scale. All qualifications submitted for admission at ANU will be converted to this common scale, which will determine if an applicant meets our published admission requirements. Find out more about how a 7-point GPA is calculated for Australian universities: www.uac.edu.au/future-applicants/admission-criteria/tertiary-qualifications.

Credit Granted

Applicants with a Bachelor Degree or Graduate Certificate in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 24 units (one semester) of credit. Applicants with a Graduate Diploma or Bachelor degree with Honours in a cognate discipline may be eligible for up to 48 units (one year) of credit.

Cognate Disciplines

Chemistry, Physics, Chemical Engineering and Materials Engineering

Pathways

Vertical Double Degree pathway UGRD-PGRD:

This program is part of the Vertical Double Degree pathway structure offered by the College of Science & Medicine. The Vertical Double Degree pathway presents students with the opportunity to complete a 3-year single undergraduate degree offered by the ANU College of Science & Medicine with a cognate 2-year Masters degree in 4 years (full-time) instead of 5 years (full-time). Not all undergraduate and Masters programs are offered as a Vertical Double Degree pathway. For more information on applicable combinations, benefits and how to apply, eligibility and conditions please visit https://science.anu.edu.au/vertical-double-degrees or https://health.anu.edu.au/vertical-double-degrees

Fee Information

All students are required to pay the Services and amenities fee (SA Fee)

The annual indicative fee provides an estimate of the program tuition fees for international students and domestic students (where applicable). The annual indicative fee for a program is based on the standard full-time enrolment load of 48 units per year (unless the program duration is less than 48 units). Fees for courses vary by discipline meaning that the fees for a program can vary depending on the courses selected. Course fees are reviewed on an annual basis and typically will increase from year to year. The tuition fees payable are dependent on the year of commencement and the courses selected and are subject to increase during the period of study.

For further information on Fees and Payment please see: https://www.anu.edu.au/students/program-administration/fees-payments

Scholarships

ANU offers a wide range of scholarships to students to assist with the cost of their studies.

Eligibility to apply for ANU scholarships varies depending on the specifics of the scholarship and can be categorised by the type of student you are.  Specific scholarship application process information is included in the relevant scholarship listing.

For further information see the Scholarships website.

Employment Opportunities

Drawing on world leading expertise from materials scientists across our chemistry, physics and engineering research schools, the Master of Science (Advanced) in Materials Science will provide you with the techniques and skills that are in high demand. It will prepare you for a bright future in industry, government or education across areas including green energy technologies, polymer technologies, biomedical engineering, materials engineering, and chemical engineering.

This Advanced program incorporates a research project supervised by an academic and a thesis, and is a gateway to further research, such as a PhD program at ANU or internationally. 

Learning Outcomes

1. Advance and apply knowledge in the area of materials science through the design and execution of a substantial research project;
2. Synthesise, interpret and critically evaluate current literature of relevance to materials science;
3. Integrate data from interdisciplinary materials science technologies and independently apply this to new problems;
4. Refine and master theoretical and/or practical skills through the independent conduct of a significant research project relevant to materials science;
5. Critique the ethical and social dimensions of materials science in society;
6. Articulate material science knowledge to specialist and non-specialist audiences.

Research Strengths

The program requires 24 units of research project, carried out on an individual basis with an academic supervisor at the ANU and assessed through a written thesis of approximately 50 pages and a final oral presentation.

Inherent Requirements

Information on inherent requirements is currently not available for this program.

Other Requirements

• Students whose cognate discipline is not Chemistry, will need to have at least the equivalent of an ANU minor in Chemistry.
• Students interested in undertaking courses from the Physics course list will need to have completed Physics tertiary studies equivalent to a minor in Physics which should include tertiary knowledge of Mathematics to the minimum level of first year tertiary maths or equivalent.

Further Information

• Students whose cognate discipline is not Chemistry, will need to have at least the equivalent of an ANU minor in Chemistry.
• Students interested in undertaking courses from the Physics course list will need to have completed Physics tertiary studies equivalent to a minor in Physics which will include tertiary knowledge of Mathematics to the level of first year tertiary maths or equivalent.

Progression hurdle:

This program has a progression hurdle that must be satisfied in order to progress to the research project: Students must achieve a minimum 70% average mark in the first 48 units of coursework and have the approval of the supervisor for the research project. A condition of supervisor approval is that the research project is feasible and it should be noted that the majority of research projects will require on campus attendance.

Course offered by the College of Science:

An indicative list of courses offered by the College of Science can be found under current students page on the College website via this link.