M.Tech. Materials Science & Engineering

Last Updated on July 29, 2023 by Vishnu Nambiar

Hi readers! Here, we will deal with a Master of Technology course related to Material Science. In this post, we will have an in-depth analysis of M.Tech. Materials Science and Engineering course.

  M.Tech. stands for Master of Technology. This is a PG level academic program. PG stands for Postgraduate level.   There’s another PG level program available across India known as M.E. in Materials Science and Engineering. M.E. stands for Master of Engineering.   Though M.E. and M.Tech. names are slightly different from each other, they share the same course content. If you are interested in the field of Materials Science, you may go for any of these academic programs.   Here’s an overview of the course –

• Name of the course: M.Tech. in Materials Science and Engineering
• Type of course: Master of Technology
• Field: Materials Science
• Eligibility Criteria: Completed relevant B.E. or B.Tech. course
• Duration: 2 years

What’s Materials Science all about? What’s the scope and potential associated with this domain? What’s it like to specialize in this field?   You will find answers to these questions in the next section. Let us start –

Materials Science: An Introduction

Materials Science is a multidisciplinary field. It primarily deals with the study of materials, discovery of new materials, study of properties of matter and applications of materials in different areas.   As I mentioned before, it is a multidisciplinary field. It involves elements of many other branches of science and technology. Material Scientists rely on numerous other branches of science and technology for their studies and research.   Some of the notable domains which Material Scientists rely on are –

• Physics
• Chemistry
• Engineering

What are the main tasks performed by Material Scientists, you may ask. Here are some of the primary tasks performed by them –

• Studying the design of materials
• Studying properties of materials
• Discovering new materials
• Finding areas of application of materials
• Developing materials with desired properties

Materials Science has been around us for quite some time. In ancient times, this branch of science was used for creating weapons made of metals and alloys.   With time, Materials Science has undergone huge changes! At present, Material Scientists are working on cutting-edge stuff such as nanotechnology, biotechnology and semiconductors.   Materials Science consists of elements of physics, chemistry and engineering. This is the main reason why the curriculum covers topics such as –

• Atomic Structure
• Chemical Bonding
• Thermodynamics
• Synthesis and Processing
• Alloys
• Semiconductors
• And more…

Why is Materials Science so important, you may ask. The main reason is that it influences other branches of science and technology directly or indirectly.   Let us take electronics as an example. Before the arrival of semiconductors, producing electronic devices on a mass scale was very costly. Apart from that, the size of Integrated Circuits used to be very large!   But thanks to Materials Science, we managed to develop semiconductors. Semiconductors changed the face of electronics and computation forever! Thanks to semiconductors, we now can create small ICs. Mass-producing these ICs is relatively easy and cheap!   In short, it can be said that Materials Science played an indirect role in the resurgence of electronics and computation. Similarly, Materials Science plays a huge role in space exploration.   In order to survive in space, the components of the spacecraft must possess certain qualities and properties. Materials Science enables us to study the properties of materials. Moreover, it also enables us to create materials, which possess the desired properties and qualities.   Directly and indirectly, Materials Science influences other fields such as –

• Healthcare
• Manufacturing
• Electronics
• Computing
• Energy
• Transportation
• Construction
• And more…

Come, let us take a closer look at the course details. Here they are –

Course Details

Type of course

It is a Master of Technology course. Technically, it is a PG level course.

Duration

The academic program is 2 years long. Each academic year is divided into two semesters. Each semester is six months long. The entire academic program consists of four semesters.

Eligibility Criteria

Minimum educational qualification required to pursue this course is – Completed relevant B.E./B.Tech. program OR Equivalent qualification.

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  Minimum aggregate marks criteria may also apply. If yes, it could be anywhere around 45-55% aggregate marks.

Colleges

There are two types of Engineering Colleges offering this course in India –

• Government Engineering Colleges
• Self Financed Engineering Colleges

Government Colleges can further be classified into two types – State Govt Colleges and Central Govt Colleges. Government Colleges are known to charge lower fees than their Self Financed counterparts.   Some of the popular colleges are –

• IITs
• NITs
• Nirma University
• BITS

Fees

Tuition fees charged for the program may vary from one College to another. It depends upon the following factors –

• Type of College (Govt or SF)
• Rating and reputation of the College
• Scholarship status of the student

On an average, tuition fees could be anywhere between 80-150K INR per semester. Government Colleges are known to charge relatively lower fees that their Self Financed counterparts.

Syllabus

Here are some of the important subjects present in M.Tech. Materials Science and Engineering curriculum –

• Materials Processing
• Chemistry
• Thermodynamics
• Kinetics
• Modeling of Materials
• Materials Characterization
• Phase Transformation
• Laboratory Work
• Metallurgy
• Biomaterials
• Nanotechnology
• Project Work

Admission Process

Reputed institutes rely on merit based admission process. Such institutes make use of relevant entrance test to select deserving candidates. Some institutes are also known to conduct their own qualifying test in order to select deserving candidates.

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Career Prospects

Materials Science influences (directly and indirectly) many sectors, businesses, domains and branches of technology. Due to this factor, this sector also generated numerous job opportunities.   After completing this course, one will have access to jobs across many sectors and domains. One will get a chance to job different types of job profiles.

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  Some of the prime recruiters are –

• Manufacturing Firms
• Metal Processing Firms
• Electronics Firms
• Electrical Firms
• R&D Firms

Salary

Starting salary depends upon different factors. Some such notable factors are –

• Job location
• Profile of the employer
• His/her academic performance
• His/her skills and aptitude
• Job profile

On an average, starting salary could be anywhere between 40-80K INR per month. In case of Government job, the salary will be based on designated pay scale and grade.