PURPOSE: To provide a composite sintered material made up of ceramics and metal, improved in bond strength and sintering density.

CONSTITUTION: Between a ceramic powder layer and metallic powder layer, there is provided with an intermediate powder layer with its composition, over the entire range, changed successively from a composition similar to that of the ceramics to a second composition similar to that of the metal, thus preparing a powder assembly. A pulse voltage is then applied on this assembly to produce electric discharge among the powder particles followed by heating through current injection to effect sintering, thus obtaining the objective composite sintered material.