Materials Chemistry has emerged as an important sub-discipline within Chemistry. It cross-cuts the traditional Organic/Inorganic/Physical boundaries of Chemistry and overlaps many disciplines from Engineering to the Biosciences. Materials chemists now have a leading role in areas such as microelectronics, polymer science, catalysis and nanotechnology. They also make an important contribution to areas of more traditional chemistry such as the pharmaceutical sector where understanding the 'physical properties' of intermediates and products is now recognised as essential in optimising the synthesis and properties of pharmaceutically active ingredients in medicines. On completion of the course, you should have developed a depth of comprehension and critique in the core elements of your subject area, including: Critical analysis and management of data; Judging the relationship between theory and methodology; Assessment of the appropriate methods of data collection/analysis to address the research question; Assessment of relevance of previous studies; Critical thinking.