PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (MaSE)

The programmes in Materials Science and Engineering (MaSE) offered by the School of MEWES at NM-AIST aims to develop and strengthen human resources and institutional capacity in impact-oriented training and research in materials science to best utilize the African natural resources. The programs will provide technical competence and critical thinking necessary to utilize modern materials science and engineering to help solve Africa’s problems from infrastructure to health care to wealth creation through mineral processing.

Fields of concentration may include bioengineering, polymer science, metallurgy, ceramics, electronic, energy, structural materials, and photonic materials. The hands-on project-based curriculum also will include courses in synthesis/processing, properties/structures, design and materials selection heat and mass transfer, electrochemistry and corrosion, biomaterials, composites and computation materials science.

Entry Requirements

(a) By Coursework and Dissertation

Candidates to be admitted into the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (PhD MaSE) must have obtained :

  1. Possession of a Master’s degree from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5 or candidates to be admitted into the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering must have obtained a good Master’s degree of at least the equivalent of B+ from recognized institutions in the appropriate field of Natural Sciences, Agriculture, and Engineering. Specifically, the appropriate fields will include Physics, Chemistry, Agricultural, Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Electrical-mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering or related degrees.
  2. Applicants holding unclassified degrees (e.g. M.D, BVM & DDS) should have at least an overall of “C” grade and an average of “B” grade in the relevant subject or field of his/her specialization.

(b) By Research and Thesis

Candidates to be admitted into the PhD in Materials Science and Engineering (PhD MaSE) by Research and Thesis must have obtained :

  1. Possession of a Bachelor’s degree from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning with a GPA of at least 3.5/5.0 and
  2. Possession of Master’s degree from an accredited university or similar institution of higher learning with a minimum GPA of 3.5/5.0
  3. Demonstrate research experience by either producing evidence of at least TWO publications in accredited peer-reviewed journals, being the FIRST author in ONE publication and FIRST or SECOND author in the second publication, or produce evidence of a patent/prototype emanating from his/her research/innovation work and/or a funded research project with a PhD training component.
  4. Submit along with application documents, a concise TWO-page concept note of what he/she wishes to research on as part of study in order to demonstrate his/her ability to organize thoughts in writing, logically and creatively. The candidate shall be required to defend the concept note before a panel appointed by the host School/Department.

Areas of Specialization

  1. Materials Science and Engineering

Programme Duration

Full Time

  1. Years: Three (3) Years
  2. Semesters: Six (4)

Part Time

  1. Years: Four (4) Years
  2. Semesters: 

Mode of Delivery

Blended mode or hybrid mode whereby a portion of the traditional face-to-face instruction is mixed with web-based online instruction.

Programme Outline for PhD in Materials Science and Engineering by Coursework and Dissertation

Common Core Courses

  1. BuSH 6009: Organizational Development and Leadership
  2. BuSH 6010: Economics of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Programme Core

  1. MEWE 6101: Research Methods and Communication
  2. MEWE 6102: Outreach and Internship

Specialty Courses

  1. MaSE 7201: Advanced Thermodynamics and Phase Equilibria
  2. MaSE 7202: Advanced Materials Characterization
  3. MaSE 7203: Advanced Composites Materials
  4. MaSE 7204: Applied Nanotechnology
  5. MaSE 7205: Modern Physical Chemistry
  6. MaSE 7206: Modern Ceramics
  7. MaSE 7207: Fracture Mechanics and Failure Analysis
  8. MaSE 7208: Thermoelectrics
  9. MaSE 7209: Modelling and Simulation in Materials Science
  10. MEWE 7401: Graduate Seminar
  11. MaSE 7400: Dissertation

Programme Outline for PhD in Materials Science and Engineering by Research and Thesis

Candidates pursuing master degree by research and thesis at NM-AIST shall be required to take all common courses, present graduate seminars, develop research proposals and undertake research work before preparation of thesis.

Common Core Courses

  1. BuSH 6009: Organizational Development and Leadership
  2. BuSH 6010: Economics of Innovation and Entrepreneurship

Programme Core

  1. MEWE 6101: Research Methods and Communication
  2. MEWE6102: Outreach and Internship
  3. MEWE 7402: Graduate Seminar and Conference
  4. MaSE 7400: Dissertation

Programme expected learning outcomes 

­­­­­­­­­­­By the end of the Programme, graduates  will be able to:

  1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of principles, theories, concepts and facts of materials science and engineering;
  2. Acquire necessary fundamental knowledge of advanced material science and are able to apply this knowledge to the proper use of variety of materials;
  3. Develop skills in engineering fundamentals;
  4. Become fully aware of multi-disciplinary nature of the materials science and engineering master’s program;
  5. Acquire knowledge about all classes of materials and their structure, properties, processing, applications and performance;
  6. Understand legal, economical, social, and managerial considerations of the materials science and engineering discipline;
  7. Acquire a well-rounded education preparing them to contribute effectively as individual professional and as a team member in academia industry and government;
  8. Acquire practical skills through experience obtained in laboratories, workshops, individual and group research work and working computer software; and
  9. Competently integrate engineering and materials design concepts with societal issues including economics, ethics, quality and human values.
  10. Apply materials and engineering tools to analyze problems.
  11. Be able to convert materials into different products through creativity and innovation.
  12. Demonstrate the ability to solve materials selection and design problems by integrating knowledge from the program’s constituent courses;
  13. Properly use experimental, statistical, and computational methods, along with critical thinking skills to address and design problems.
  14. Communicate effectively orally, and in writing the concepts and results of investigation to both technical and non-technical audiences. Develop general transferable skills that are applicable to a wide range of situations including information technology, information retrieving and communication.
  15. Communicate, debate and defend, clearly and systematically, findings and generated insights, and provide rational underpinning of these in oral and written presentations to a variety of audiences, making use of appropriate information and communication technologies.

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