The Department of Materials Engineering was established officially in summer of 2014 and was approved by the Palestinian Ministry of Higher Education, whence first students were admitted into the program. As our region enters a new era of social and economic development in all fields and faces new challenges, notwithstanding the various obstacles. These challenges require sound planning and systematic and organized efforts to exploit the few resources wisely. Here human resources play a basic and vital role in the development process, as a bright component in applying the development plans. Consequently, progress and development of human resource in itself in preparing a trained and qualified cadre is significant to the development of the modern Palestinian society.
Currently, the Materials Engineering Department offers a coherent educational program leading to a Bachelor degree in Materials Science & Engineering (MSE). During his study, the student obtains the knowledge and fundamental understandings in MSE. The latter are based on numerous theoretical and practical courses in the following areas: nature, types, structure and performance of materials; their chemical, mechanical, electronic, electrical, magnetic, optical and thermal properties; their extraction/synthesis, processing, treatment, and behavior in the different applications. Obtaining the Bachelor degree in MSE requires completion of 159 credit hours during the study period estimated at 5 years. In the last year of his study, the student shall conduct a graduation project where s/he applies the acquired knowledge in one of the areas of MSE connected to scientific research and local industries. The student shall apply his university learning in connection to training in the public organization and local industries. Also, engineering principles shall be documented in the Faculty of Engineering and other relevant University labs, since MSE is especially characterized by its cross-disciplinary field between engineering sciences, natural sciences, medical (and life) sciences, applied arts, and anthropology. It is worthy saying that the MSE program shall be equipped with advanced research and teaching labs that will allow the students to characterize the nature of engineering materials, visualize their crystalline structure at the atomic level, the mechanisms of the chemical-physical processes taking place in their extraction/synthesis, processing, and use. The intended laboratories are: materials structure, synthesis and processing lab; materials thermodynamics lab; polymers lab; materials testing and corrosion lab; materials characterization (analysis) lab. In addition to these teaching labs, MSE Department shall acquire some advanced research instruments needed for the faculty research such as scanning electron microscope (SEM/EDX-for imaging and microanalysis), X-ray diffractometer ( for structural and qualitative/quantitative phase analysis), and thermogravimetric analysis (TGA/DTA for materials thermal behavior studies). The MSE program benefits from computer labs currently available and equipped with advanced computers to operate instruments in the different labs and for the use of faculty and students, all equipped with fast internet connections. The computer lab has also several specialized engineering software programs that permit complex design, simulation and control of materials and prediction of their properties and performance.
جامعة النجاح الوطنية
An-Najah National University