Bachelor Materials Science

Career profile

Research, development, production, testing and life cycle analysis of high-performance materials are some of the areas in which materials scientists are active. They build a bridge between the microstructure and composition of materials on the one hand, and the macroscopic properties of the products made from the materials on the other. This requires a thorough scientific education as well as an understanding of issues relating to process engineering, economics and ecology. A willingness to collaborate on an interdisciplinary level with experts from all these fields is essential.

Bachelor's degree programm (180 credits)

In the first semesters of the Bachelor’s degree programme, the fundamentals of materials science, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering and programming are taught. The second part of the studies are dedicated to specialising in materials science (synthesis, characterization, properties, processing, selection and design). Besides attending courses and exercise classes, the students also work on engineering projects and receive practical laboratory training. A Bachelor's thesis concludes the programme.

General basic courses:
Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Computer Science
Materials science subjects:
Thermodynamics, Mechanics, Crystallography, Synthesis, Characterisation, Electronic, Optical, Magnetic and Mechanical Properties, Thermal and Transport Processes, Processing, Selection and Design
Exercises, engineering projects and laboratory courses
Bachelor’s thesis

For detailed information go to the pages in German Materialwissenschaft

Master's degree programme (120 credits)

After the thorough training in fundamentals in the Bachelor’s degree programme, the Master’s degree programme gives students the opportunity to specialise in their personal focus area, and to take advantage of the full range of materials science courses at ETH Zurich to expand their understanding. The research project and the industrial internship give students hands-on experience with cutting-edge research and development. The programme is completed with a Master’s thesis, which is carried out independently in one of the numerous research groups.

Core and elective courses
Research project, Industrial internship and Master’s thesis (6 months)
Specialisations according to individually designed curriculum, e.g. Materials Engineering, Materials Modelling, Materials Characterisation, Materials for Energy and Sustainability or Materials for Electronic Devices

Follow this link for all consecutive and specialised Master's degree programmes