冶金学（Metallurgy）属于材料科学，是研究从矿石中提取金属，并用各种加工方法制成具有一定性能的金属材料的学科。冶金学也研究金属、金属互化物或其混合物（称为合金）的物理及化学特性。冶金学也是一门金属的技术，有关金属制造的科学，也和金属零件的工程特性有关。金属的制造包括从矿石中提炼金属，以及金属混合物（或金属和其他元素的混合物）以制造合金。冶金学和金属加工的工艺不同，不过金属加工和冶金学有关，正如随着技术的发展，医学和医学科学有关一样。

冶金学可以分为钢铁冶金学（有时也称为黑色冶金学）及非铁金属冶金学（有时也称为有色金属冶金学）。钢铁冶金学是有关铁的合金及其制造，而非铁金属冶金学是以不含铁的合金及其制造为主，世界上的金属生产中，铁、钴、镍及其有关合金的黑色金属占了95%

Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. Metallurgy is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to the production of metals, and the engineering of metal components for usage in products for consumers and manufacturers. The production of metals involves the processing of ores to extract the metal they contain, and the mixture of metals, sometimes with other elements, to produce alloys. Metallurgy is distinguished from the craft of metalworking, although metalworking relies on metallurgy, as medicine relies on medical science, for technical advancement.