MPhil Programme in Advanced Materials for the Energy Transition

Entry requirements

Applicants for this course should have achieved a UK Good II.i Honours Degree in science or technology disciplines.

If your degree is not from the UK, please check International Qualifications to find the equivalent in your country.

Months of entry

September

Course content

This 11-month MPhil in Advanced Materials for the Energy Transition is to take students with undergraduate degrees in a scientific or engineering discipline (Physics, Chemistry, Material Sciences, Engineering, Chemical Engineering) and train them in materials growth, characterisation, device design, and related techniques and toolsets to understand, develop, and deploy the next generation of energy-efficient materials-based technologies to replace fossil fuels. This will help to meet the UK’s goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. The diverse topics addressed in the course will prepare students for long-term careers in a rapidly growing zero-carbon energy sector where broad knowledge of flexible and agile energy materials and systems is required to deliver a secure and sustainable global energy landscape.

The course mission is “to train students to become leaders in academia and industry to address grand challenges in the science and application of energy materials to decarbonise society”.

The course offers a multidisciplinary approach to energy materials, such that graduates are well placed to work in a diverse range of energy-related areas that are in high demand from employers.

Throughout the year the students will have lectures, practicals, and research projects delivered under the guidance of experts across all relevant research areas at the University of Cambridge, as well as leaders from the energy industry.

The course encompasses different educational and societal objectives, and responds to the growing:

• demand for highly trained scientists to design and develop the new generation of energy-efficient technologies,
• societal demand to replace fuel-based technologies by zero-carbon technologies, and
• importance of interdisciplinary expertise to better respond to the complexity of challenges faced by modern societies.

The objectives of the course are to provide students with:

• deep knowledge in all scientific areas for the growth and characterization of new materials,
• knowledge and practical experience in device design to develop new technologies, and
• awareness of the wide range of industrial applications of these new technologies.

Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course, students will have:

1. A thorough and multi-disciplinary knowledge in state-of-the-art energy materials science and technology.
2. A good understanding of the industrial and business relevance of the subject matter of the course.
3. Demonstrated abilities for the critical evaluation of new energy materials science and technology.
4. Demonstrated originality in tackling and solving problems and autonomy in the planning and implementation of research.

Information for international students

IELTS (Academic)

Element Score

Listening 7.0

Writing 7.0

Reading 7.0

Speaking 7.0

Total 7.0

TOEFL Internet Score

Element Score

Listening 25

Writing 25

Reading 25

Speaking 25

Total 100

CAE

Score: Grade A & B (overall score of 193, with no element lower than 185 plus a Language Centre assessment)

Fees and funding

It is the responsibility of all applicants to secure funding for their studies. There is limited funding for scholarships managed by the Department of Material Science and Metallurgy and MPhil participating Departments and applicants will be considered for these awards automatically if they enter the Postgraduate Funding Competition.

Note that the funding deadline for this is in December, with the exception of the Gates Cambridge US round which is in October. Other funding opportunities offered by Colleges will have a variety of different deadlines which will be listed on their web pages.