About this programme
Modern materials are the basis of technological innovations in important fields such as energy, health, mobility, and information technology. The Master's programme in Materials Science offers the possibility especially, but not exclusively, for students with a Bachelor's degree in physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, or materials science to expand and deepen their knowledge in the experimental and theoretical aspects of the fields of modern materials science. The particular strength of the Paderborn programme is the specialisation in modern functional materials with a strong background of application. It provides the possibility for an early specialisation in one of the prominent research areas at the University of Paderborn. The Master's programme in Materials Science is located at the interface between the department of chemistry and physics. It is complemented by contents from the fields of mechanical engineering, chemical engineering, and electrical engineering courses. The programme deliberately emphasises the scientific aspects of the synthesis, structure, processing, and functionality of new and renewable materials. The programme consists of lectures in different fields of materials science, which are complemented by additional exercises. Multidisciplinary seminars complement the lectures. The theoretical knowledge acquired in lectures, exercises, and seminars will be applied in lab courses equipped with experiments of current cutting-edge research. The first two semesters (60 ECTS) consist of compulsory courses (lecture, exercises, practical course), which include the fundamental concepts of materials science. These courses are complemented by elective courses, which allow students to deepen their knowledge in four advanced areas: Materials Analysis, Materials Processing, Functional Materials, and Computational Materials Science. In the third semester (30 ECTS), the elective courses will continue, accompanied by a lab course and a research-oriented project-based course in a working group. A seminar on current topics of materials science will prepare students for this. Also, a few courses in general studies can be chosen freely from the university's complete lecture catalogue. For the Master's thesis in the fourth semester (30 ECTS), you will join a research group within one of the four departments and work on a supervised individual research project that will form the basis for your Master's thesis. After completion of the research work, the results will be submitted in a written thesis at the end of the semester. Subsequently, the thesis work will be defended in a concluding colloquium. PDF Download
Course details verified 10 Sep 2026 — intakes, entry requirements and course facts · official source