1. Engineering degree in mechanical engineering or a degree in a related field. All degrees must be equivalent to at least 180 higher education credits.

2. At least 22.5 credits in mathematics.

3. The equivalent of in Swedish secondary school English B or equivalent.

4. Passed courses:

• MT640A Materials Engineering, 7,5 hp

• MT641A Phase Transformations, 7,5 hp

• MT643A Continuum Mechanics, 7,5 hp

• MT644A Constitutive Modelling, 7,5 hp

The course objective is for the student to gain more specialised knowledge, understanding and skills required to work on problems within the field of materials mechanics, applying both physical and computational models, as well as appropriate mathematical, numerical methods. This comprises the development of skills for independent planning, execution and presentation of a project aimed at contributing towards current research in the field.

The course is comprised of three parts:

• problem definition and project planning;

• execution of the degree project with an oral and written presentation; and

• acting as an opponent for another student’s degree report.

Once the course is completed, the student shall demonstrate:

• specialised knowledge of the research process and how to plan it;

• knowledge and understanding of materials science and underlying mathematical models and tools, including both an overview of the field and specialised knowledge within certain areas of the field, as well as insight into relevant research; and

• specialised knowledge and understanding of how to apply mathematical and numerical methods to solve problems within the field of materials science.

Once the course is completed, the student shall:

• demonstrate the ability to independently and creatively identify, formulate and handle complex problems;

• demonstrate the ability to plan and execute advanced assignments within specific time frames;

• demonstrate the ability to actively seek and find relevant information on a specific research problem;

• demonstrate the ability to choose a suitable research method for a specific scientific problem and provide arguments as to its suitability;

• demonstrate the ability to present the results of advanced project work, both orally and in writing, in both national and international settings and in a scientific manner; and

• demonstrate the ability to formulate physical problems in mathematical terms and solve the resulting equations using appropriate mathematical software.

Once the course is completed, the student shall:

• demonstrate the ability to judge and analyse relevant research issues of importance within materials science;

• demonstrate the ability to critically analyse a scientific report and identify its main strengths and weaknesses;

• demonstrate the ability to identify their personal needs for further knowledge and to take responsibility for their continued learning;

• demonstrate specialised ability to work systematically and to critically judge results from modelling using mathematical software;

• demonstrate the ability, within materials science, to make judgements in relation to relevant scientific, social and ethical factors, and demonstrate awareness of ethical issues in research and development work;

• demonstrate an insight into the opportunities and limitations of science, the role these play in society and the individuals’ responsibility for how this is applied; and

• demonstrate specialised ability to critically judge the limits of validity for various computational and physical models within materials science.

Supervision (15 hours), seminars (15 hours) and independent study.

Requirements for pass (grade A-E): Passed problem formulation and project plan (2 credits), passed degree project, written and oral presentation (25 credits) and passed opponentship (3 credits)

The final grade is based on degree project, written and oral presentation.

Reference literature:

• Gustavii, Björn (2016). How to write and illustrate a scientific paper. Third edition. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

• Lindsay, David (2013). Scientific Writing = Thinking in Words. CSIRO Publishing

Individual literature is selected by the student in consultation with their supervisor.

The University provides students who are taking or have completed a course with the opportunity to share their experiences of and opinions about the course in the form of a course evaluation that is arranged by the University. The University compiles the course evaluations and notifies the results and any decisions regarding actions brought about by the course evaluations. The results shall be kept available for the students. (HF 1:14).

When a course is no longer given, or the contents have been radically changed, the student has the right to re-take the examination, which will be given twice during a one year period, according to the syllabus which was valid at the time of registration.

The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.