The department was set up within the Faculty of Engineering to provide units dealing with Materials for the B.Eng.(Hons) degree and to carry out research in the field of materials engineering. Today it has established itself as a leading department within the Faculty, offering postgraduate degrees and various services to Industry.

The Department of Metallurgy and Materials Engineering (DMME) has among its prime objectives, a strong collaboration with industry. Back in 1996 it has set up Surface Engineering Ltd. which is a joint venture company with the University of Malta and Tecvac UK as its share holders. Since then, the department has never looked back and invested substantially in the purchase of heat treatment and surface engineering plants as well as in quality control and testing equipment.