Structure
Overview of Programme Structure
The structure of MAP is comparable with a building constructed on strong Fundamentals, extending over several floors of Basics and Focal Subject courses, giving insights into the world of research by miniprojects, into scientific skills and into soft skills. The four holding columns are four key areas of modern materials and processes. The building is completed by the demonstration of the acquired knowledge and skills in the Master thesis as the roof.
Furthermore students can choose whether they complete additional qualifications in research or industry.
Programme Structure
Based on continued dialogue with our students, lecturers and external advisers on potential further improvements of our programme, we have devised an adjusted programme structure that will be applicable for all students starting MAP in fall 2017.
The new programme structure combines the renowned core attributes of MAP with a streamlined and optimized module structure. A new element in the MAP curriculum is the opportunity to graduate with “additional qualifications” (“Zusatzstudien”). These optional courses provide students with certified additional competence and skill sets with a focus on scientific research or for a career in business and industry.
Information on the Programme Regulations (“Fachprüfungsordnung”) valid from winter semester 2017 / 2018 as well as on the MAP Curriculum (“Studienverlaufsplan”) is provided in the section Programme Regulations of this website.
MAP is designed as a 4 semester Master programme with the following general structure. The content of the individual semesters is described in detail below:
Additional qualifications (“Zusatzstudien”) are defined combinations of lectures, soft skills, practical courses and an internship that are tailored to provide enhanced competences with a focus on research qualifications or business and industry qualifications. Each of these two blocks consists of courses with a total of 30 ECTS points and successful participation will be certified on the graduation documents. The participation in additional qualifications is optional.
Programm accreditation
The MAP Elite Masters Programme is one of the first accredited degree courses at the Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg.
1st Semester Courses
Fundamentals (20 ECTS)
The Fundamentals lectures aim to bring all students up to the same level of knowledge and competence in the foundations of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering. The courses are specially designed for the interdisciplinary nature of MAP and ensure that all participating students share the same foundations of knowledge, regardless of their scientific background. In a short discussion with the programme chairs during the orientation period preceding the first semester, a personalized selection of Fundamentals classes is made based on the students’ previous studies. In general, those students who have a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering take the Chemical and Biological Engineering Fundamentals and vice versa. Classes are examined in a written exam of 90 minutes.
Lab Course (2.5 ECTS)
Associated with the choice of Fundamentals is a practical course. In the mandatory safety instruction, the students learn to identify potential hazards and work safely in a laboratory environment. The students apply the knowledge gained in the different MAP modules, learn how to operate state-of-the-art scientific equipment, perform experiments, analyse, discuss and summarize their results in a written report.
Basics (10 ECTS)
The Basics classes are attended by all MAP students and introduce the important topics of the four Focal Subjects. The classes are each examined at the end of the semester with a written exam of 120 minutes.
2nd Semester Courses
Basics (10 ECTS)
The Basics classes continue in the second semester. The classes are again each examined at the end of the semester with a written exam of 120 minutes.
Focal Subjects (15 ECTS)
The MAP programme is built around four Focal Subjects. These are key areas at the intersection of materials and processes with broad impact on a wide range of existing and emerging applications. Starting from the second semester, students focus on two of the four focal subjects. Assessments take place in the form of oral exams of 45 minutes per exam.
Soft Skills (2,5 ECTS)
MAP soft skills courses strengthen, amongst others, the interpersonal, communication, business and management skills of our students. Field trips provide the opportunity to make contact and gain direct insights into the daily business of organizations operating in the fields of research and industry.
3rd Semester Courses
Focal Subjects (15 ECTS)
Further lectures in the students’ chosen Focal Subjects. Assessments take place in the form of oral exams of 45 minutes per exam.
Miniproject (10 ECTS)
The miniproject is an independent research project that is carried out by the student in a research group of a lecturer involved in MAP or one of the constituent departments at FAU. Under guidance of a supervisor, the student conducts a scientific study on a current research topic within the chosen research group. This study includes a review of current literature on the chosen topic, the planning and execution of experiments and simulations to expand existing knowledge and the critical interpretation and discussion of the results of the study in a (graded) written project report. Miniprojects are highly popular among students and a trademark of the MAP programme. It offers an early possibility to get involved in cutting-edge science at FAU. The best miniprojects have led to scientific publications authored by the MAP students.
Literature Review (2,5 ECTS)
In a series of lectures, the students learn the basic principles of finding and managing scientific literature, scientific writing as well as effective scientific communication with posters. They then put these concepts into practice by writing a short literature review one the current state-of-the-art on a subject related to one of the MAP focal topics. This has proven to be a valuable training exercise for scientific writing and some MAP review articles have even been published!
Soft Skills (2,5 ECTS)
MAP soft skills courses strengthen, amongst others, the interpersonal, communication, economic and management skills of our students. Field trips provide the opportunity to make contact and gain direct insights into the daily business of organizations operating in the fields of research and industry.
Master's Thesis
Master’s Thesis (30 ECTS)
The 6-month Master’s project is carried out at a participating institute of MAP, or, in occasional cases, at an institute within the immediate MAP environment. It is an independent research project performed by the student under supervision and guidance of a supervisor. The project combines all aspects of the acquired skill sets. It involves a survey of scientific literature to understand the state-of-the-art of the research field, independent planning, conducting of experiments as well as the analysing and interpretation of the obtained data. The research project is summarized in the Master Thesis, a complete scientific document written by the student. The results are also presented in a short talk within the chosen institute.
Additional Qualifications (“Zusatzstudien”) in Research and Industry
Additional Qualifications (“Zusatzstudien”) (30 ECTS)
MAP students have the opportunity to gain additional certified qualifications (“Zusatzstudien”) with a focus on research qualifications or qualifications for a career in business and industry.
Additional Research Qualifications
2nd Semester Courses
Free specialization “Wahlmodul” (5 ECTS)
Students may choose one course freely according to their own interest from all courses offered at the Faculty of Sciences (Naturwissenschaftliche Fakultät) and the Faculty of Engineering (Technische Fakultät) of the FAU and the partner universities involved in MAP (Würzburg, Bayreuth). This module gives the students a free choice to expand their scientific knowledge and obtain competences in an additional field of Science and Technology.
Soft Skills (5 ECTS)
MAP soft skills courses strengthen, amongst others, the interpersonal, communication and management skills of our students. Changing seminars include e.g. inverted classroom and a course organized by Fraunhofer IISB.
3rd Semester Courses (öffnet in neuem Tab)
Miniproject 2 (10 ECTS)
The second miniproject builds up on the lessons learned in the first miniproject: Students can further hone their research skills and gain first-hand practical experience in a second scientific topic of their free choice.
Internship Research (10 ECTS)
This module aims to develop students’ research-related knowledge and transferable work skills and capabilities via a 12-week internship, which may be conducted in research and development departments in industry or research-related institutions in Germany or abroad. Students are required to organize the internship independently. However, the MAP office and professors involved in MAP are always happy to provide support and advice.
Additional Qualifications for Business and Industry
2nd Semester Courses
Free Specialization “Wahlmodul” (5 ECTS)
Students may choose one course freely according to their own interest from all courses offered at the Faculty of Engineering (Technische Fakultät) or the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law (Rechts- und Wirtschaftswissenschaftliche Fakultät) of the FAU and the partner universities involved in MAP (Würzburg, Bayreuth). This module is especially integrated into the additional qualification towards a career in business and industry to provide an opportunity to acquire important competences and knowledge in fields not traditionally touched in an engineering programme (such as patent law or business management). Depending on their own preferences, students may also choose to deepen their knowledge in a field of technology.
Soft Skills (5 ECTS)
MAP soft skills courses strengthen, amongst others, the interpersonal, communication, business and management skills of our students. The changing seminars include courses on management and the elaboration of a business plan as well as a course organised by Fraunhofer IISB.
3rd Semester Courses
Miniproject 2 (10 ECTS)
The second miniproject builds up on the lessons learned in the first miniproject: Students can apply their skill set from the first miniproject to more applied research topics.
Internship Industry (10 ECTS)
This module aims to develop students’ industry-related knowledge and transferable work skills and capabilities via a 12-week internship in an industrial environment in Germany or abroad. Students are required to organize the internship independently. However, the MAP office and professors involved in MAP are always happy to provide support and advice.
Fundamentals
Fundamentals
The Fundamentals classes (about 7.5 hours per week) aim to bring all students up to the same level of knowledge and competence in the foundations of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering. During a short discussion with the programme chairs during the orientation period preceding the first semester, a personalized selection of Fundamentals classes is made based on the students’ previous studies. In general, those students who have a Bachelor’s degree in Materials Science and Engineering take the Chemical and Biological Engineering Fundamentals and vice versa. Fundamentals classes are examined in various ways although at the end the mark is converted into a pass/fail which is shown on the MAP transcript.
Associated with the choice of Fundamentals is a practical course wherein students carry out 6 different lab experiments and write up a report.
Basics
Basics
Basics lectures (about 6 hours per week) are lectures that broadly introduce the four Focal Subjects. These lectures are mandatory for all students, regardless of the choice of Focal Subjects. With these lectures, we aim to provide a fundamental understanding of scientific concepts, special topics and characterization methods that of general importance for the different Focal Subjects. MAP students therefore obtain a broad education and general knowledge in all subject areas before specialising further in the courses provided in the Focal Subjects.
Focal Subjects
Focal Subjects
The MAP programme is built around four Focal Subjects. These are key areas spanning materials and processes, the intense study of which promises students with broad opportunities to carry out influential activities in academia and industry following graduation.
Advanced Processes
This focal topic links basic and trendsetting insights into the processing of advanced materials and chemicals with methods and experiences of modern process technology.
Thereby one acquires skills to break new ground in process engineering according to the principle “Innovation by Synergy”.
Biomaterials and Bioprocessing
One learns to understand design principles and mechanical optimization strategies of selected biomaterials. In addition one obtains an overview of experimental research methods and possibilities to transfer design principles from nature.
This includes everything from cell cultivating to “Organ Repair” in which, for example, tissue is cultivated within biocompatible matrix structures.
Computational Materials Science and Process Simulation
Those who specialize in this focal subject will acquire the theoretical and practical knowledge required to successfully model and simulate materials and processes from the atomic scale up to individual components or devices. Numerical methods are first sketched in regular lectures and then used in computer labs to solve practical problems.
The students learn to work with state-of-the-art simulation packages, including computational fluid dynamics, finite-element and atomistic simulation codes.
Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology
Based on the fundamentals in nanoscale material production, this focal subject covers the whole process chain of nanodisperse system processing.
Special focus is on the challenge to build a bridge from atomic, molecular interactions to large-scale technical realization.
Miniprojects
Miniprojects
The second and third semester also see the students enter the research labs for the first time. Selecting projects from both chosen focal topics or a single project combining both, students spend a total of around 250 hours on these projects. Since Winter Semester 2013/14 the miniprojects, which should be written up in the form of a short scientific paper, are graded.
Below, the titles of examples of past projects are provided. They give an impression of the opportunities with regards to practical experiences that are available to MAP students.
Focal subject Advanced Processes
- EMIM-Acetate as Alternative Service Liquid in Liquid Ring Vacuum Pumps (Philipp Becker)
- Hydrogenation and Hydroformylation of Ionic liquids (Benjamin Doffek)
- Numerical generation of regular cylinder structures as catalyst supports in heterogeneous catalysis (Sayali Zarekar)
Focal subject Biomaterials and Bioprocessing
- Cultivation of Lactobacillus sanfranciscensis DSM 20451 (Philipp Becker)
- The effect of reaction parameters on silver nanoparticle fabrication (Sena Nusret Güldal)
Focal subject Computational Materials Science and Process Simulation
- Fracture simulations of micro-cantilever beams using Finite element modelling (Sarfraz Ahmad)
- Atomistic Simulations of Grain Boundary Fracture behaviour in Copper Bicrystals (Mamun Al Siraj)
- Measurement and Calculation of Partition Coefficients using the apriori prediction model COSMO-RS (Paul Ritter)
- Atomistic Simulations of Plasticity at the Nanoscale (Wolfram Nöhring)
Focal subject Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology
- Nanoindentation as a tool for strain measurements in TiAl alloys experiments and Finite Element simulation (Seema Rani Sen)
- Preparation and Characterisation of ZnO nanoparticles’ films for Dye Sensitized Solar Cells (Rameez Ahmad)
- Investigation and analyse of real Isc on organic solar cells with EQE measurements (Mostafa Arghavani)
- Gold coated bacteria cellulose networks for biomedical applications (Ronak Bahrami)
- Characterization of ZnO nano-particles as interfacial layer for organics solar cell application (Pratik Das)
- Experimental Evaluation and FEM Simulation of Nanophased Polymer Foams under Shear Loading (Seyed Amir Fathi)
- Characterization of silver nanowires electrode material as an ITO replacement in organic solar cells (Moses Richter)
Academic Board
Academic Board
The site “Contact Details” provides detailed information on the chairs and focal subject heads.
Curriculum and Regulations
Curriculum and Regulations
The site Programme Regulations provides detailed information on the programme curriculum and on the programme regulations (Prüfungsordnung).