Study Guide

Α Degree awarded by a Greek public University or by a recognized foreign Institution of equivalent status or by a Technological Education Institute is required.

To obtain their qualification from the interdisciplinary postgraduate program (IPP) "Materials Physics and Technology" (MPyTech)offered under the auspices of the School of Physics, the students have to fulfill the requirements of the 3 semester-long program that corresponds to 90 ECTS (Ministerial Decision no 216772/Z1/8-12-2017, Hellenic Government Gazette no 2763/2018/Β). The IPP applies an internal auditing scheme based on the platform of the quality assurance unit of A.U.Th (<https://qa.auth.gr/en/node/260> ) which complies with international standards.

The workload of each semester amounts to 30 ECTS. The courses have modular structure which facilitates updating of the course content. More specifically during the 1st semester the students take 5 core taught courses which are focused on growth & processing of novel materials, materials structure, thermodynamics and phase diagrams, defects, materials properties and characterization (scientific area & skill development). During the 2nd semester, they have to take 4 obligatory courses (entitled "Industrial materials", "Materials optimization and selection methods", "Materials characterization laboratory" (electron microscopy, spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, electrical characterization and characterization of magnetic materials), the month-long laboratory on training in research methodology during which they get hands-on experience on current research activities and 3 out of the 7 offered elective courses. A number of the elective courses are offered by invited lecturers from other Schools, Universities and Research Institutions from Greece or European Institutions thus supporting the interdisciplinary character to the IPP MPyTech. During the 3rd semester the students work on their Master Thesis (MSc), which is a piece of original research.

The M.Sc. Thesis is defended in the public and is examined and graded by three examiners. The students are encouraged to have international mobility via the ERASMUS program and to present their Thesis results in National or International Conferences.

The IPP MPyTech aims at providing high quality interdisciplinary education and training in novel-materials issues, training in methods related to growth and processing, properties, characterization, selection and optimization of materials, business dexterity, technology administration and transfer.

Special attention is paid on student training on the development of research methodology and acquiring extended experimental experience. Therefore, they are called to complete supervised laboratory courses on materials characterization, the one-month-long project on research methodology and an original M.Sc. Thesis.

The graduates of the M.Sc. program have a solid background in theory, experiment as well as computational skills which are necessary to understand and formulate advanced principles of materials and their applications, concern on environmental and societal issues and sustainable development. They are capable of handling databases, (e.g. HEAL link, Refworks , MSDS (Material safety data sheet), SaxDangerous Properties of Industrial Materials), research oriented computational programs (e.g. MathCad, Mathematica, ATOMS, MATLAB, Digital Micrograph, ImagePro, Electron microscopy Simulations (EMS), Molecular Dynamics, Derive), logistic platforms like Blackboard, CES Edupack (www.grantadesign.com <http://www.grantadesign.com>) etc. They can communicate their work in a second European language as well as record, analyze and report scientific/engineering data.

Upon completion the M.Sc. program the graduates are also able to: 1) apply scientific knowledge in practice, 2) communicate their work to an audience 3) they have analytic and synthetic capabilities and they can research, process, and document information on a new problem, 4) adapt to novel situations, 5) work independently or in groups in international and/or interdisciplinary contexts, 6) generate new research ideas, design and manage projects, 7) prepare scientific reports and contribute towards preparation of new research projects 8) respect diversity, multiculturalism and the natural environment, 9) demonstrate social, professional and moral responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues, 10) reflect critically on themselves and on others, 11) promote free, inductive and deductive thinking.

Finally, the graduates are qualified as skilled scientific personnel for research institutions, industrial labs, the private sector, public service (Ministries, Middle/Secondary Schools, Colleges) in Greece and abroad and to contribute towards social and economic development.

The qualification is a terminal award and allows access to doctoral studies.

A scale of 1 to 10 applies to the marks of each subject in the Hellenic Higher Education.

Άριστα (Arista) Excellent: 8.50-10.00

Λίαν Καλώς (Lian Kalos) Very Good : 6.50- 8.49

Καλώς (Kalos) Good : 6.00-6.49

Ανεπιτυχώς (Anepitychos) Fail: 0-5.99

Minimum passing grade : 6.

3 SEMESTERS, 90 ECTS.

A full academic year is equivalent to 60 ECTS units and each semester to 30 ECTS (European Credit Transfer System) (1ECTS=25-30 student work load hours). Compliance with the ECTS (European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System) regulations started in 2007, when the Greek Legislation was harmonized with the relevant European one (Ministerial Decision no Φ5/89656/β3, art. 1-3, Hellenic Government Gazette no 1466/2007/B). Each course is credited with a number of ECTS (>=2) according to the studentworkload (contact hours, laboratory work, examination etc) and accumulation of credits (ECTS) is accomplished after successful completion of the course.

Full-time