Course Description

Materials were, are and will always be essential for the development of our civilization. So much so that the different stages of human progress are called "Stone Age", "Bronze Age", "Iron Age", and so on. A material is defined, in a general way, as any substance that can be used in practical applications.

Materials Science is closely related to several traditional fields of science and engineering, such as physics, metallurgy, chemistry, electricity and mechanics. In fact, the materials engineer has to be well versed in these areas. What distinguishes Materials Science is the fact that it involves the investigation of all parameters that determine the properties of a material in the course of its life, i.e., in the phases of extraction, production, use and disposal or recycling.

Therefore, Materials Science studies the relationship between the structure of a material and its properties, be they mechanical, chemical, optical, electrical or magnetic. A basic concept for the study of any material is that of microstructure, defined as the arrangement of nuclei, electrons and atomic-scale defects in the material. The microstructure has a profound effect on the properties of any material and thus on its practical applications. The study of the correlation between the microstructure and the macroscopic properties of materials is the main goal of Materials Science.

Recognizing that the performance of engineering systems is limited by the availability of suitable materials, IME Graduate Programs in Materials Science are based on the idea that the complex technological challenges faced by our country can be met through the development of high quality human resources and international level research programs in the materials field. The Program was created in 1969 and has performed significant investigations in the field of Materials Science and Engineering that resulted in a large number of publications in scientific journals, as well as presentations in national and international conferences.

In the last CAPES evaluation, the Master's Program on Materials Science received the score 6.