Doctor of Philosophy | Materials Science and Engineering

PhD

Provided by

Programme Type

Full-time, Part-time

​MSE Graduate Studies

msegraduate@ntu.edu.sg
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MSE offers higher degree programmes by research on a part-time and full-time basis which has a minimum and maximum periods of candidature.

#1 in Asia and #2 in the world for Materials Science, according to the 2025 QS World University Rankings by Subject.

The student will work under the supervision of a faculty member whose research interests are in the area proposed by the student. MSE carries out research in a variety of materials-related fields. The major research areas are: 

Applicants from Local Universities
Applicants from autonomous universities in Singapore must have a relevant Bachelor’s degree with at least Honours (Distinction) or better. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and International English Language Testing System (IELTS) need not be provided.
 
Applicants from Overseas Universities (based on the first degree)
Applicants from overseas universities must have a relevant Bachelor’s degree with at least 2nd Upper Honours or better.
 
Applicants from universities in China must have an average grade of 80 or above for the relevant Bachelor’s degree.
 
Applicants from universities in India must have 1st Class Honours for the relevant Bachelor’s degree.
 
All applicants from overseas universities must provide TOEFL scores. IELTS may be used in place of TOEFL.
 
TOEFL requirements (validity of 2 years from date of application):
Minimum TOEFL score must be equivalent to or more than:

  • 600 for paper-based test
  • 250 for computer-based test
  • 100 for internet-based test
IELTS requirements (validity of 2 years from date of application):
Minimum IELTS score must be equivalent to or more than 6.5.
 
The TOEFL/IELTS requirements may be waived if the applicant can prove that English was used as the medium of instruction during tertiary studies. The documentary proof is usually in a form of a letter or certificate.
Official original test scores are not required during the application stage. However, if successfully accepted, the applicant must produce original hardcopy documents during matriculation in NTU.
 
We emphasize that the selection process is competitive. Meeting all prior requirements does not guarantee selection. All applicants will be holistically evaluated based on the submitted research proposal, research and work experience, and other relevant experiences. 
 
If you have any enquiries, please send them to Ms. Serena Tan at msegraduate@ntu.edu.sg
Exemption from courses may be granted by Associate Chair (Graduate) if the candidate is deemed to have already done sufficient coursework in the relevant area in a Master's degree programme at a recognised university.

Programme Duration

​ 

​Full-Time ​ 

​Part-Time ​ 

​Programme

​Minimum 

​Maximum 

​Minimum 

​Maximum 

​Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) 

​2 years 

5 years​ 

​3 years 

​5 years 

 

1. Coursework Requirements: Coursework Requirements:

In addition to pursuing independent research, candidates are required to satisfy the following requirements. 

The coursework requirement for PhD programme is: 

  • Ph.D. - 12 Academic Units, with:
    • an average grade of B or CGPA of 3.50 (for non-NPGS/PGA recipients); OR
    • an average grade of B+ or CGPA of 4.00 (for NPGS/PGA recipients)

For NPGS scholar, please refer to the terms and conditions in your letter of offer, letter of award for Nanyang President's Graduate Scholarship.

For more information about graduate courses and coursework requirements, please proceed to Postgraduate Courses.

2. Ph.D. Qualifying Examination (QE):

PhD students have to undergo QE between the 12th and 18th month of the candidature. Students must pass both parts below to confirm their Ph.D. candidature:

(i) Graduate coursework with required CGPA, and

(ii) Completion of a report and an oral presentation

PhD students who are granted elective course exemptions may sit for the PhD QE from the 6th month of candidature.

 

3. Thesis & Oral Examination

At the end of the programme, Ph.D. are required to write and submit a thesis, which will be examined by internal and external examiners. After which, students have to conduct an oral examination.

All Ph.D. students must have at least one accepted first author or co-first author publication at the point of their Ph.D. thesis submission. Patents cannot be used to fulfil this publication requirement.

The following courses are offered to Doctor of Philosophy (MSE) students (subject to change without prior notice):

  • MS6002 - Nanofabrication Engineering
  • MS6003 - Failure Analysis of Engineering Materials (Civil & Mechanical)
  • MS6004 - Failure Analysis of Engineering Materials (Forensic Investigations)
  • MS6005 - Failure Analysis: Fundamentals
  • MS6006 - Failure Analysis in Semiconductor Packaging
  • MS6011 - Advanced Metallic Materials
  • MS6015 - Polymeric Materials Circularity & AI
  • MS6016 - Nanobiomaterials
  • MS6018 - Failure Analysis in Aerospace Engineering
  • MS6019 - Failure Analysis in Marine Engineering
  • MS6020 - Fundamentals of Intellectual Property in Materials Science & Engineering
  • MS6021 - Application of Patents & Registered Design in Engineering Related Industries
  • MS6022 - Appreciating IP in Research & Development
  • MS6023 - Diffraction, Imaging and Spectroscopy Techniques
  • MS6025 - Polymer Combustion & Flammability
  • MS7001 - Materials Laboratory Techniques ​
  • MS7014 - Mechanical Properties of Polymers, Biomaterials & Composites
  • MS7025 - Biological & Bio-Inspired Materials
  • MS7052 - Surfaces & Colloids​
  • MS7056 - Optical Materials
  • MS7072 - Principles & Applications of Solid State NMR
  • MS7075 - Bridging Sustainability & Materials Science: A New Paradigm
  • MS7120 - Inorganic Materials
  • MS7130 - Organic Materials
  • MS7140 - Properties of Materials
  • MS7210 - Processing of Inorganic Materials
  • MS7220 - Processing of Organic Materials
  • MS7310 - Chemical Analysis of Materials​
  • MS7320 - Physical Analysis of Materials​
  • MS7340 - Crystal Chemistry of Materials​
  • MS7410 - Nanomaterials
  • MS7420 - ​Biomaterials
  • MS7450 - Advanced Topics in Biomaterials
  • MS7470 - Nanostructured Materials for Healthcare
  • MS7480 - Polymer Properties & Design
  • MS7490 - Polymers in Medicine: Macro/Micro/Nano
  • MS8001 - Graduate Communication Course

Please click here to view more detailed information of the postgraduate courses.

Our graduates are always in high demand by the industry due to their interdisciplinary training and relevant research competencies. Many of our graduate students go on to secure employment during their final year of candidature in multinational organizations and overseas universities/research institutions such as Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), University of Queensland, BASF, Hewlett Packard, Ciba Vision, Advanced Micro Devices and GlobalFoundries.