The course consists of 15 lectures, 2 h each.  Usually, it is accompanied by appropriate Lab sessions, 3-4 hours each. 

Lecture 1: Experiments at non-ambient conditions: low and high temperatures & pressures.
Lecture 2: X-rays & sources. Interaction of X-rays with condensed matter. X-ray equipment: monochromators, detectors, goniometers & relevant experimental set-ups.
Lecture 3: Fundamentals of applied crystallography: symmetry operations, space groups, Bravais lattices. Geometrical principles of X-ray diffraction: Bragg law, Ewald sphere, atomic scattering and structure factors.
Lecture 4: Kinematic and dynamic theories of X-ray diffraction: intensity and shape of the X-ray diffraction peaks.
Lecture 5: Determination the structure of materials by investigating monocrystals: methods of Laue, rotating crystal, Weisenberg, monocrystalline diffractometry. Direct and Patterson methods.
Lecture 6:  Determination the structure of materials by investigating polycrystals: Debye and Scherrer methods. Qualitative and quantitative phase analysis, indexing of powder patterns, microcrystallite size and strain determination, Rietveld refinement.
Lecture 7: Special applications of X-ray diffraction: small-angle scattering; X-ray topography; texture determination; disordered materials characterization. 
Lecture 8: Interaction of electrons with condensed matter. Electron diffraction.
Lecture 9: Principles of electron microscopy. Scanning, transmission and tunelling microscopy. Basic applications.
Lecture 10: Interaction of neutrons with condensed matter. Neutron diffraction. Elastic and inelastic scattering of neutrons - applications.
Lecture 11. Magnetism of solids. Producing & measuring of high magnetic fields.
Lecture 12. Investigation of ac and dc magnetic susceptibility. Experimental set-ups. Applications.
Lecture 13. Investigation of magnetic anisotropy and magnetostriction. Applications.
Lecture 14. Magnetic resonance methods (I) - Electron paramagnetic (EPR) and nuclear magnetic (NMR) resonance. Applications.
Lecture 15. Magnetic resonance methods (II) - Moessbauer spectroscopy, ferro and antiferro resonance. Applications.