Upon receiving a Bachelor of Engineering (Ceramic Engineering, Materials Engineering, Metallurgical Engineering) from the University of New South Wales , our graduates have the skills and expertise to succeed. As well as a solid technical foundation graduates have vital skills in many areas:

The education in the School means graduates are equipped to work in fundamental scientific research, manufacturing and materials processing, management, quality, safety and the environmental impact of materials, commercialisation of materials technologies. Locally and around the world our graduates work in emerging fields of nanotechnology, biomedical materials, electronic materials as well as major established industries. All our engineering degree programs are accredited with the Institute of Engineers Australia.

Some of the more traditional occupations of our graduates are:

Most manufacturing companies are involved with more than one material and the luxury of employing specialist metallurgists, ceramists and polymer scientists is not possible. Materials Science & Engineering graduates from UNSW, with their broad knowledge of the whole range of materials, will always be in demand.

Why did the TWA800 Jumbo crash? Why did the Titanic and One Australia sink? Why has this pipe failed? Materials Scientists are involved in finding the answer. How do structures fail? Is it poor materials choice, poor engineering or other external factors?

Help to reduce our ever growing pollution problems by developing and modifying new polymers which may replace non-biodegradable materials and plastics currently in use.

Work with gold, silver and other precious metals. Be a part of transforming our natural resources, making them more pure and therefore more valuable.

Be in control of tonnes of molten metal. Decide what metals to mix together to produce an alloy that meets the requirements of the customer. Determine how you are going to make the item. Measure the mechanical and physical properties of the resultant alloy and relate this back to the microstructure.

Look out the window - much of what you see is ceramic. The window is ceramic, as well as bricks, concrete, tiles and toilet bowls. All of these require a ceramist to design and manufacture the material to perform its required function. Don't forget bioceramics (eg ceramic hip replacements) or space shuttle tiles, ceramic engines that will be more fuel efficient, ceramic chips in computers, glass used in telecommunication optical fibres or even refractories (without these we wouldn't have any metals).

Composites are the materials of the future: cars, sporting goods, aircraft, bridges and buildings will all be lighter, stiffer, stronger and tougher through the use of composites. Composite technologists develop better fibres, better matrices, better production methods, all in order to obtain a composite with unique properties that cannot be obtained by metals, polymers or ceramics.

For more information, please check out our graduate profiles