As mentioned above, Loughborough has a highly respected materials department, ranking as one of the best in the UK on all ranking tables I reviewed. In addition to this, they offer a part time distance learning course which gave me the possibility to continue working full time whilst studying. Upon visiting the campus, I was very impressed by the facilities available - they were far superior to any I had experienced previously. I also spoke to my brother who had studied a materials engineering undergraduate degree at Loughborough and was complimentary of the lecturers, tutors and general course aids.

I studied my undergraduate degree, a BSc in Physics, at Aberystwyth University. I had always intended to study a master’s in my lifetime but wanted a break from academia for a short period after my undergraduate degree. Instead, I went into the world of work where I started a job as a Graduate Development Metallurgist with Arconic. After working for a year, I decided that acquiring a master’s degree in materials science would help further my professional career through knowledge and qualifications.

The teaching quality I have experienced has been at a consistently high standard. The content has included difficult concepts yet delivered at a reasonable pace in an understandable manner. The layout and labelling of the teaching notes on LEARN is well suited for those trying to learn from a distance. In addition to this, I’ve felt the teaching has adapted well to the COVID-19 situation.

As I mentioned previously, I was very impressed by the facilities available to materials students - they are first class. I was particularly impressed by the xenon plasma focused ion beam (PFIB), one of only nine such instruments available in the UK. Outside of the materials department there are endless sports facilities everywhere, which I am very jealous that the on-campus students get to use regularly!