Frequently Asked Questions

The one-year, non-thesis M.S. Engr. at the Nano-scale degree is ideal for those who are in need of a Master’s degree, but do not have the time to invest in the traditional route, such as those already in the workforce or those who wish to enter the workforce quickly. The hands-on nature of the required courses means you get experience within the labs, even though there is a reduced research requirement for the program. Rather than a traditional thesis requirement for a Master’s degree, this program requires the completion of a scholary paper.

Students will pay the application fee, and current graduate tuition rate of Penn State.

No, there are no assistantships available for the M.S. Eng. at the Nano-scale students.

A bachelor’s degree in science or most engineering fields. All applicants must follow Penn State’s Graduate School admissions requirements.

Yes. A proficiency in ordinary differential equations and linear algebra are suggested.

No, the M.S. Eng. at the Nano-scale program begins in the fall semester. Students should complete all the requirements for the program by the end of the following summer.

Yes. While the M.S. Eng. at the Nano-scale does not require the traditional thesis, participants are still required to complete 3 credits of individual studies, which culminates in a scholarly paper. These credits may be completed with any advisor whose work is relevant to nanotechnology, with prior approval.

The M.S. Eng. at the Nano-scale utilizes two types of cleanrooms for its instruction. The main cleanroom you will be utilizing is the CNEU teaching cleanroom. This lab is set up to train you in basic gowning procedures, safety protocols, and usage of typical equipment found in a cleanroom. The Nanofabrication facilities at the Millennium Science Complex is used to introduce students to the more delicate instrumentation they may come across in state-of-the-art cleanrooms in industry.

The equipment used for machining at the atomic level falls into three categories: tools that deposit films (e-beam evaporation, sputtering, atomic layer deposition), tools that remove films (etching), and patterning tools that lay out where the deposition and removal will occur (lithography, photolithography). You will also use characterization tools, such as FESEM, UV VIS, AFM, Profilometer and Ellipsometer.

There is a broad spectrum of industries that are using nanotechnology fabrication and characterization. Medicine, electronics, manufacturing, and agriculture are only a few of the fields currently using nanotechnology to either improve current technologies or to advance current understanding.