INTRODUCTION

The Master of Science in “Mechanics of Materials and Structures” (MMS) of the Universitat de Girona – UdG (Spain) is an official Master’s degree of the European Higher Education Area. The master MMS is aimed at students who wish to develop their knowledge and skills in the field of the mechanical behaviour of materials and structures. The objective of MMS is to link the current knowledge of theories of the behaviour of materials with the most innovative techniques in structural engineering.

PHASES OF THE MASTER

The Master MMS may be taken full-time in one year (October to September). However, physical presence is only required for 6 months (October to March); then the master’s thesis can be performed elsewhere (company, university abroad, etc.). The Master may also be taken part-time over two years for those students who have a job at the same time.

The Master MMS is of 60 ECTS (European Credit) and it is organized in three phases:

Phase 1. From beginning October to end January: 6 mandatory subjects, 4 quarterly plus 2 annual. Each subject has 6 ECTS. These subjects give a common background on Solid Mechanics and Computational Methods to all MMS students. They are:

- The finite element method in structural mechanics
- Solid mechanics
- Fracture mechanics
- Pre and post-process tools for structural finite element analyses
- Applied mechanics of materials and structures
- Seminars on mechanics of materials and structures

Phase 2. From beginning February to end March: optional subjects plus the 2 annual subjects. Each optional subject has 3 ECTS. The Master MMS programs eight optional subjects and the student has to select, at least, four optional subjects. They are:

- Design and analysis of composites with finite elements 
- Manufacturing and experimental techniques for composites
- Advanced structural analysis
- Optimisation in engineering mechanics 
- Mechanical design with finite elements
- Structural dynamics 
- Advanced constitutive modelling 
- Composites for construction

As you can see, the classes are done intensively and in only 6 months all are done.

Phase 3. Master Thesis: 12 ECTS. It can be started at any time during the academic course, but typically it is started once the teaching classes are finished (i.e. end March). The Master Thesis must be finished before mid-September.

With the intention of helping in the selection of the optional subjects (Phase 2), the master is organized in four different Modules. However, it is worth mentioning that the student is free to select any desired optional subject and at the end of the master, no additional specialization diploma is awarded. These Modules are:

• Composites
• Structures
• Solid Mechanics
• Computation Mechanical Design

The syllabus of each Module of the Master in Mechanics of Materials and Structures (Composites, Structures, Solid Mechanics, Computation Mechanical Design) places special emphasis on computational techniques, mechanics of materials, advanced structural design, experimental techniques and mechanical optimisation. The complete description of each subject can be found on UdG webpage and in “Modules” menu.

QUALITY

The MMS holds AQU accreditation of Excellence 2015 and 2020!

The Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency, AQU Catalunya, awarded the MMS master with the AQU Accreditation of Excellence again (May 2020). This is the second award received since the MMS received the same honourable mention in the previous accreditation of November 2015.

The accreditation of Excellence is awarded to less than 5% of all Bachelor and Master Degrees in Catalunya. The associated documents of the Quality of MMS master can be found on UdG webpage, and also on the “The Catalan University Quality Assurance Agency, AQU Catalunya”‘s webpage. Interesting additional information related to the Master MMS’s outputs (Employment indicators; Admission and Enrollment; Performance) can also be found on the AQU’s webpage.

This accreditation follows a quality assessment process that requires all official university qualifications to be in line with the standards and guidelines set by the European Association for Quality Assurance in Higher Education (ENQA). This accreditation analyzes the training program, the effectiveness of the systems for learning, the professional insertion of the graduates, the interaction between teaching and research, and the internationalization of the degree.

DOUBLE DEGREE AGREEMENTS WITH OTHER UNIVERSITIES

The Master MMS holds different Double Degree Agreements with other universities. The current agreements are (you can download the associated document by clicking on each):

• Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana (UPB - Colombia): 
  - MAESTRÍA EN INGENIERÍA DE LA UNIVERSIDAD PONTIFICIA BOLIVARIANA
  - Agreement: UdG - UPB

• Universidad Austral de Chile (UACh - Chile):
  - MAGISTER EN INGENIERÍA MECÁNICA Y MATERIALES 
  - Agreement: UdG - UACh
  - Addendum to the agreement (2023): UdG - UACh

If you are interested in creating a new agreement, please contact the coordinator of MMS Master.