Joint-Degree Master Science and Technology of Materials
Innovative applications and fields of work in science, technology, and medicine, including their industrial use, require novel materials whose range of performance stands out from previous material concepts. Examples of objectives and challenges in existing key technologies include increasing the energy efficiency of materials (mechanical engineering, energy and environmental technology, as well as IT), the sustainable extraction of bio-based raw materials (bioeconomy), or the design of bioactive surfaces, for example, for medical implants (medical technology). To address these challenges, there is an increasing use of synergies between different scientific and technical disciplines. Since mastering current challenges in every field of technology is only possible with good knowledge, selection, and characterization of suitable materials, there is a continuous demand for well-trained materials scientists and engineers.
The Joint-Degree Master’s program in Science and Technology of Materials is offered as a joint degree between the Paris Lodron University of Salzburg (PLUS) and the Technical University of Munich (TUM). It is an interdisciplinary study program focusing on the production, characterization (description of material and function), and knowledge-based further development (processing) of structural and functional materials in laboratories and nature. Concerning the desired material functions, chemical, physical, and in many cases, biological factors determine a material’s properties, stability, and environmental compatibility. Current challenges in material development still lie both in improving material properties and in realizing more meaningful constructions aimed at reducing the ratio of material quantity to technical effect. The gain in functionality compared to the absolute quantities of materials produced thus comes to the forefront.
The overarching goal of the program is to train scientists and engineers to meet the above-mentioned challenges and their application in material production and characterization, material development, construction, simulation, and production. Additionally, the program builds on the growing awareness of the importance of material cycles and resource efficiency. Approaches to achieving these goals are to be conveyed in this program in an interdisciplinary manner.
General Information
- Total scope of 120 ECTS credits over 4 semesters
- Academic degree: Master of Science (MSc)
- Prerequisite: Completion of a relevant bachelor’s degree, a bachelor’s program from a university of applied sciences, or another equivalent degree from a recognized domestic or foreign post-secondary educational institution.
- If the equivalence of the bachelor’s degree is not present in all areas, additional achievements up to 45 ECTS credits may be required to achieve full equivalence.
- One ECTS credit corresponds to 25 working hours at PLUS and 30 working hours at TUM, describing the average workload required in compliance with EU standards. The workload of an academic year corresponds to 1500 to 1800 actual hours, equivalent to an allocation of 60 ECTS credits.
- Students with disabilities and/or chronic illnesses should not experience any disadvantages in their studies. The principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the Federal Equal Treatment Act, and the principle of compensation for disadvantages apply.
