AMIR, a Master programme in tune with the challenges of materials past and future

The AMIR Master programme originated from a desire to go beyond the ‘Material Recycling and Recovery for Transportation’ vocational Bachelor degree, which was created a few years ago in response to requests from industry. “In a way, one could say the AMIR Master programme is a spin-off of this Bachelor degree!”, explains Angéline Poulon, associate professor of chemistry at the University of Bordeaux, who served as the academic director of the vocational Bachelor programme. The international dimension came next, as a response to concerns about student employability in the field, and it was later confirmed by accreditation from EIT Raw Materials in 2021 and Erasmus Mundus in 2022, thanks to the drive of professor Guido Sonnemann, general coordinator of the AMIR Master programme.

Tailor-made courses

From the very start of the selection process, AMIR students must choose a track that best matches their expectations and defend their choice in an interview with the programme coordinators from each of the universities selected for their first year. Whilst some modules are common to all students in the first year, the choice of institution will determine each student’s specialisation, particularly in the second year, which includes a long internship in the second semester.

This early specialisation does not prevent a wide variety of profiles and career paths, on the contrary. There are students continuing their studies, but also professionals who come to train (or retrain) in the latest developments. All of them have different academic backgrounds: chemists, physicists, (bio)engineers…, which may require them to refresh their knowledge in certain areas. This strengthens the group dynamic and cooperation among students of very diverse nationalities. This synergy is a key component of their success. “We have a great mix of students”, confirms Anthony Maho, who emphasises the importance of the recruitment stage

This stage constitutes a very important first contact for the heads of programmes, who get to know their future students: “I am often pleasantly surprised by the maturity of the applicants – the majority of whom are international students. Some of them have already founded a start-up, or are interested by the module on entrepreneurship that we offer here in Bordeaux”, explains Angéline Poulon.

Students are eligible for European grants, either Erasmus Mundus (around 25,000 euros for the two years), or EIT Raw Materials (around 15,000 euros for the whole programme).

Upcoming developments

Whilst the AMIR Master programme is now widely recognised, competition amongst international Master programmes in the field of materials is increasing, and several possible developments are emerging for the coming years. These include, for instance, the introduction of a second year of the Master programme at the University of Bordeaux covering the issues related to urban mining and circular economy, as well as those concerning materials for energy and their storage. There is also a desire to enhance teaching on the issues of “Critical materials and other challenges”, through Erasmus Mundus funding for which the renewal application was submitted in early 2026.

Finally, work is underway with the university’s continuing education unit to offer training in urban mining and circular economy to professionals currently in employment or undergoing retraining. This will allow the AMIR Master programme to stay relevant in the face of the challenges posed by materials and their recycling, all while remaining grounded in the social and environmental issues that made this Master programme so successful.