Advanced Polymer Materials - Online

The programme is a Postgraduate Diploma in Advanced Polymer Materials at Level 9. The target enrolment is for personnel targeting employment or advancement in sectors utilising polymeric materials such as the medical device, automotive and aerospace industries. An understanding of advanced polymers Is vital for the design and manufacture of complex devices, and increasingly, this knowledge is playing a key role in the design for recyclability of such devices.



Polymer technology is a growing industry in Ireland with the number of companies rising to 230 which boasts an annual turnover of 2.1 billion euro. This has driven strong jobs growth of 7.7% in the past couple of years with 7,000 now working across Ireland with major hubs in Athlone, Limerick, Galway, Sligo, Dublin, Cork and Waterford.



The high-tech polymer industry is a driver of innovation in the medtech, ICT, biopharma, agri-food and automotive sectors. As well as being an industry of regional significance, the polymer sector is making a global impact with 77% of sales exported worth 1.62 billion annually. (polymer Technology Ireland – IBEC)



Students will undertake modules through an online learning approach. Course delivery and assessment of students will be achieved through a combination of delivery formats including online “webinar” style lectures/tutorials, as well as online labs. Continuous support will be offered to the students through the Institute’s virtual learning environment, Moodle, where students will have access to lecture and tutorial content and to additional resources that will aid them with their learning. As all lectures are recorded, the student does not have to attend the live lecture. Follow up questions can be emailed to the lecturer or posted to the Forums on Moodle.



Lectures will be delivered online each week and the student will be required to complete lab work over two separate blocks in semesters 1 and 2 to gain hands-on experience with advanced material characterisation and processing data. The flexible approach to the delivery of the programme will allow for greater participation, particularly for those who are employed.

Year 1

Semester 1

Polymer Materials I Topics include; Advanced engineering materials, Recycling



Polymer Processing I Topics Include: Materials performance during Injection Moulding



Polymer Characterisation I Topics include analysis of polymers using Thermal and Mechanical Methods



Polymer Chemistry and Physics I Synthesis of Polymers



Research Methods by Dr. Jeff Buckley



Semester 2:



Polymer Materials II Topics include; Composites, Additive Manufacturing,



Polymer Processing II Topics Include: Materials performance during, Extrusion, Blow Moulding



Polymer Characterisation II Topics include analysis of polymers using Rheological and Spectroscopic Methods



Polymer Chemistry and Physics II Topics Include: Structure property relationships, degradation



Project An applied Industry project to demonstrate job ready skills

Students are expected to have a level 8 award in an engineering / science discipline or a level 8 award in any discipline with 2 years of relevant work experience in a manufacturing environment.



Those that do not have the requisite academic qualifications may gain entry to the programme via Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) in accordance with the institute’s policies.

1 year

What opportunities might it lead to?

Polymer graduates find employment in advanced manufacturing industries across Ireland and internationally. Typical roles include process engineers, New product development engineers, material scientists and Research and development engineers in Medtech, Pharma, Automotive and Aerospace companies.



Graduates will be eligible to progress to a Master of Science in Advanced Polymer Materials via the completion of a supplementary thesis.