Almost every problem in the complex technology of any industrial society is at its core a materials problem. Power generation; lighter, more crash resistant and energy saving components for land; sea and air vehicles, electronic devices miniaturization; communication systems, from telephones to satellites, high strength, corrosion-resistant, fatigue-resistant, creep resistant materials for all types of structures; nuclear energy aspects from the production of the uranium fuel to the fabrication of massive steel structure of the reactor and the radiation shielding which makes it safe and transportation systems, all depend on the development of new engineering materials or the improvement of well-tried ones.

The Metallurgical & Materials Engineering is geared towards the non-renewable resources (metallic and non-metallic or fuel) to provide for the minerals and fuel resources which are being depleted faster than new ones are found; it also involves finding new ways of economically utilizing available materials and extracting metals from low grade sources with minimum disturbance to the environment and with the minimum consumption of energy.