The graduate school is common to the Department of Chemistry and
Chemical Engineering, the Department of Materials and Manufacturing
Technology, the Department of Microtechnology and Nanoscience, and the
Department of Physics.
Directors of Graduate Studies:
Physics: Lena Falk
Chemistry and Chemical Engineering: Lars Nordstierna, Jan Froitzheim
Industrial and Materials Science: Antal Boldizar
Syllabus
(approved by the Pro-Vice-President 17 August 2005, ref. nr. C2005/937)
(revised 8 April 2008)
(revised 18 February 2013)
1 Subject description and goals of the graduate programme
Materials science focuses on the relationships between the chemical
and physical structure of materials, their properties and performance,
and processing parameters. Regardless if the material belongs to the
metallic, ceramic, polymeric or composite class of materials, an
understanding of the structure-processing-property-performance
relationships provides a scientific basis for developing materials for
advanced applications in modern technology. Fundamental and applied
research in this field responds to an ever-increasing demand for
improved and better-characterized structural and functional materials.
The main goal of this educational programme is to provide a fundamental
knowledge, practical skills and a professional experience, at a high
international level, necessary for the individual to become a leader in
materials science in academia or industry. The three pillars of the
programme, based on the research carried out at the participating
departments, are: relevance, quality and uniqueness. The
interdisciplinary approach, guaranteed by the broad spectrum of material
related research at the participating departments, is expected to give
synergetic effects.
Specific goals for our students are:
- Acquire a working knowledge of materials science based on the
foundations of physics, chemistry, biology and the engineering sciences.
- Develop an analytical ability to apply the acquired knowledge in the analysis and interpretation of data and results.
- Acquire written and oral presentation and communication skills.
- To push the frontline of research in a particular area of
specialization, evidenced by scientific publications, conference
contributions and patents.
- Become creative in identifying new promising areas of material science research.
2 Admission / general requirements
A university degree in engineering (Chemistry, Chemistry and
Biotechnology, Physics, Materials and Manufacturing Technology) or a
Master of Science or university degree (minimum 240 credit points) in
physics, chemistry or another discipline closely related to materials
science, is required. A good working knowledge of English is required.
The admission of a student is decided by the Deputy Head of Department
in charge of graduate education at a participating department, and/or
the Head of Department.
3 The structure of the graduate programme
The participating departments carry out research programmes in
practical and theoretical aspects of materials, their utilization and
processing methods, and their electronic, physical, mechanical, and
chemical properties in relation to their structure.
Within this broad
framework, the students will focus their research on well defined
research problems. The students follow an individual study plan under
the guidance of a thesis supervisor, associate supervisors and an
examiner. The programme includes research work, courses and the
completion of a licentiate and a doctoral thesis.
Information for doctoral students at Chalmers is available in
Swedish and in
English.
Rules of procedure for the doctoral programmes at Chalmers is available in
Swedish and in
English.
4 Specialisations
The awarded degree is in Materials Science. Each individual
participating department decides on possible specialisations within this
field. A list of approved specialisations will be established.
5 Courses
Requirements: 30 credit points for a licentiate degree and 60 credit points for a doctoral degree.
Mandatory courses and activities
Doctoral students admitted after September 1, 2012, are required to
take 15 credit points from the area of Generic and Transferable Skills
(GTS) during their post-graduate studies. Nine credit points are
mandatory for the licentiate degree. Of these, 1.5 credit points are
elective from the GTS courses. Six GTS credit points are mandatory
after the licentiate degree in order to obtain the PhD degree. These
credit points are also elective, and courses are selected according to
the student´s need.
Mandatory courses and activities for the licentiate degree:
- GFOK015, General Introduction for Doctoral Students (0 credit points)
- GFOK020, Teaching, Learning and Evaluation (GTS, 3 credit points)
- GFOK025, Research Ethics and Sustainable Development (GTS, 3 credit points)
- GFOK010, Career planning – Your Personal Leadership (GTS, 1.5 credit points)
- One elective GTS course (1.5 credit points)
Mandatory GTS activities for the PhD degree:
- The mandatory courses and activities for the licentiate degree (9 credit points)
- Courses from the GTS packages Interpersonal Skills and Academic Performance (6 credit points)
- Oral popular science presentation, prior to the PhD thesis defence (0 credit points)
- Written popular science presentation, to be published on the back of the PhD thesis (0 credit points)
Doctoral students admitted before September 1, 2012 are required to take the following courses before the licentiate degree:
- GFOK015, General Introduction for Doctoral Students (0 credit points)
- GFOK020, Teaching, Learning and Evaluation (3 credit points)
- GFOK025, Ethics, Science and Society (3 credit points)
Strongly recommended courses
- TIF110, Advanced Analysis Methods (7.5 credit points)
- KOO092, The Synthesis, Properties and Structures of Solid State Materials (7.5 credit points)
- MMK162, Phase Transformations (7.5 credit points)
Courses taken and passed at the master level are accepted as graduate
courses (up to a maximum of 30 credit points). A complete list of
Chalmers courses related to Materials Science is available from the
Directors of Studies.
6 Thesis supervising
The thesis adviser is responsible to see that an individual study
plan, with details of all the planned activities, is established. The
student is responsible for preparing the study plan and keeping it
updated. A review of the individual study plan, and the progress of the
student, is made once a year at a follow-up meeting with the director
of studies at the department. The graduate student, the supervisors and
the examiner should participate in this meeting. The thesis supervisor
and examiner are responsible for upholding high international standards
on the quantity and quality of the research work, and its presentation
in the licentiate and doctoral theses.
7 Licentiate and doctoral thesis
a) Licentiate thesis
The general rules for licentiate theses at Chalmers should be
followed in all matters. The thesis should be written in English. The
content and writing should conform to the rules and requirements for
publishing scientific articles in recognised international journals.
The preferred thesis format consists of an introduction followed by a
compilation of two papers that are either published in, or accepted for
publication in, or in manuscript form (approved by the examiner) for
submission to, an international scientific journal with a peer review
system. The thesis may also be in the form of a monograph. The
examiner decides when the thesis is ready for a public presentation.
The presentation of the thesis shall be in the presence of an external
reviewer and the examiner, and shall take place in a seminar open to the
public. The examiner decides the grade of the thesis (pass or fail).
b) Doctoral thesis
The thesis research is an integral part of the educational process
for achieving depth, fostering originality and advancing knowledge. The
doctoral thesis should manifest these features. The thesis should be
written in English. The general rules for doctoral theses at Chalmers
should be followed in all matters. The content and writing should
conform to the rules and requirements for publishing scientific articles
in recognised international journals. The preferred thesis format
consists of an introduction followed by a compilation of
published/accepted/submitted articles, and manuscripts, accepted by the
examiner. The thesis may also be in the form of a monograph.
8 Examination requirements
a) Licentiate degree
- 30 credit points of graduate courses.
- Approved licentiate thesis.
- Approved presentation of licentiate thesis.
- The course package and research work should be equivalent to a total of 120 credit points.
b) Doctoral degree
- Successful thesis defence carried out in a public seminar.
- The grade pass on the thesis work and the thesis defence,
recommended by the evaluation committee, has been approved by the Head
of Department.
- 60 credit points of graduate courses.
- The total time needed to acquire a doctoral degree should correspond
to four years of full-time work (240 credit points), i.e. the research
work should be equivalent to 180 credit points.