Materials Science

Materials Science is a four-year undergraduate course, with a common syllabus taught at every College. Our students at Trinity achieve excellent results, and often win University and national prizes. Our tutors are all research scientists. Jan Czernuszka has a special interest in the processing and mechanical properties of biomedical and biological materials. Hannah Stern studies the electronic and optical properties of defects in two-dimensional materials and molecular semiconductors. Charlotte Lynch works on modelling nanopores in cell membranes.

Trinity is located within close walking distance of the Department of Materials.

Course Details

Our students have tutorials with College tutors for the first three years of the undergraduate course, before undertaking a research project in the Department in their fourth year. The tutors set practice exams at the start of most terms so that students consolidate their learning and prepare for their university examinations. Optional courses in French and German are available for those wishing to improve their language skills. This allows students the option of working abroad for their fourth-year projects. Some students have recently undertaken research projects at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), in industry, and at research laboratories in Oxford.

More Information

Oxford Department of Materials

Trinity and the Department of Materials (Google Maps)

A group of female students stands in aprons doing a materials experiment.

Teaching Structure

The University Department organises lectures and lab-based practicals; the College organises the small-group teaching (tutorials or classes), so your College tutors play a key role in your course. In the first three years, students typically attend two tutorials a week: Materials ‘problem sheets’ are covered in detail, which allows students to develop a good understanding of the course material. Specialisation in one area of materials science begins in the third year of the course and in the final year students undertake an individual research project (the Part II) . In year three, most of the teaching is in the Department and tutorials are replaced with classes. Students may undertake their Part II projects abroad.

Admissions

Our tutors welcome applications from prospective undergraduate students with strong skills in mathematics, physics and chemistry, and who are prepared for a demanding but rewarding schedule of work. You will need to show that you achieve high academic standards both independently and as part of a group.

We regularly admit some of the strongest DPhil students in various branches of Materials, and we also offer associate college membership to postdoctoral researchers who are working in the groups led by our Tutorial Fellows. For details on the admissions criteria please see the University's main website.

Materials course details and admissions criteria

Oxford Undergraduate Admissions

Academic Study Support

All students have access to non-means-tested grants to support their studies; further funding is available to support research projects and placements, including travel grants. More detail is available on our Student Support pages.

Travel and Academic Funding for Students

Undergraduate Financial Support

A close-up of bicycles parked in Trinity college.

Career Prospects

Many of our graduates in Materials Science go on to pursue further study and research in this field. The skills developed during the degree - the ability to analyse and present complex technical information and to solve high-level problems – are also highly valued by employers in areas like banking, consultancy and environmental work.

A female student smiles into the camera while holding some lab equipment; she is wearing a lab coat and purple safety gloves.

I really enjoyed the things we got to do in the labs, like playing with jelly, casting molten metal, breaking stuff and using cool microscopes.

Sarah

Materials Science

Tutors

Jan Czernuszka

Fellow and Tutor in Materials Science

Organising Tutor

Hannah Stern

Fellow and Tutor in Materials

Organising Tutor

Charlotte Lynch

Lecturer in Materials Science

Benjamin Zelin

Lecturer in Materials