The development of many technologies that make our existence so comfortable has been intimately associated with the accessibility of suitable materials. Consequently the development of the materials base of a nation is the foremost task towards its technological advancement. The discipline that is concerned with the development of material base of a nation or society is Materials Engineering, which for the sake of emphasis, is also referred to as Metallurgical and Materials Engineering. The need for Nigeria as a nation to develop her material base, led to the establishment of many metallurgical and materials project particularly the iron and steel, subsection, by the federal government. In order to provide manpower for these projects, the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Department of the Federal University of Technology, Akure was established in 1982 by the Federal Government of Nigeria. The philosophy therefore is to develop the material base of the nation, by making available locally relevant manpower for such development, and basically in the following very broad areas;
- Physical and Mechanical Metallurgy
- Extractive Metallurgy.
- Mineral Processing
- Corrosion Engineering.
The objectives of the programme are to:

1. expose the students to sound foundational sciences of Engineering and Engineering technology.
2. encourage close association of the programme with industries an relevant research establishment in the country and outside the country.
3. impart to the students the ability to investigate, analyze and provide solutions to problems arising from metallurgical and materials engineering processes.
4. develop in the students an overall sound knowledge of metallurgical and materials engineering and as such produce engineers that are capable of participating effectively in the main areas of the metallurgical and materials industry.