Materials Science and Engineering, Nanotechnology Emphasis, B.S.

In addition to adhering to General Education and School of Engineering Requirements , the following requirements must be met to receive the B.S. in Materials Science and Engineering with an emphasis in Nanotechnology at UC Merced.

Engineering Fundamentals [18 Units Specified]

The following fundamentals courses are required:

ENGR 057: Statics and Dynamics [4 units]
ENGR 120: Fluid Mechanics [4 units]
ENGR 130: Thermodynamics [3 units]
ENGR 151: Strength of Materials [4 units]
ENGR 155: Engineering Economic Analysis [3 units]

Materials Science and Engineering Core [26 Units Specified]

The MSE core consists of courses designed to give all students a common foundation of core knowledge and skills specific to the discipline:

Lower Division Courses

ENGR 045: Introduction to Materials [4 units]

Upper Division Courses

MSE 109: Materials Thermodynamics [4 units]
MSE 111: Materials Kinetics and Processing [4 units]
MSE 112: Materials Selection and Performance [3 units]
MSE 113: Materials Characterization [4 units]
MSE 120: Materials Capstone Design [3 units]
PHYS 141: Condensed Matter Physics [4 units]

Additional Degree Requirements [9 Units Specified]

CHEM 002: General Chemistry I [4 units]
ENGR 191: Professional Seminar [1 unit]
PHYS 010: Introductory Physics III [4 units]

Nanotechnology Emphasis

Nanotechnology is shaping – and will continue to shape – the needs of future workforces. To prepare our graduates for current and future industrial needs, it is pertinent to have an education program that clearly shows students how nanotechnology connects and interacts with each traditional field. Also, aspects of nanotechnology that are not covered by traditional disciplines need to be taught. We therefore offer a Nanotechnology Emphasis that fills this educational gap and is complementary to our other programs. In addition to teaching nanoscale synthesis, characterization and fabrication, as well as simulation, other salient aspects of this Emphasis include:

enabling students to learn the knowledge and skills that bridge basic research and applications-specific device development;
enabling students to integrate knowledge from different fields, and thus to stay abreast of the exciting scientific breakthroughs and discoveries that are advancing the field of nanotechnology every day.

Core Courses

Complete the following three courses in addition to the MSE core courses:

MSE 118: Introduction to Nanotechnology and Nanoscience [3 units]
MSE 126: Nanodevice Fabrication: Bridging Research and Education [4 units]
ENGR 170: Introduction to Electron Microscopy [3 units]

Elective Courses

Complete one of the following elective courses:

MSE 114: Polymeric Materials [4 units]
MSE 121: Mechanical Behavior of Materials [4 units]
MSE 119: Materials Simulations [3 units]
MSE 195: Upper Division Undergraduate Research [1-5 units] *
Another technical elective offered in the School of Engineering, subject to approval by the MSE Faculty and the satisfaction of any prerequisites on a case-by-case basis.
*A maximum of 4 units of MSE 195 can apply to this requirement.

Nanotechnology Emphasis Program Learning Outcomes

Upon completion (as assessed through homework assignments, lab reports, quizzes and examinations), graduates will be able to:

demonstrate fundamental understanding of nanomaterials, nanoscale devices and systems, and instrumentation for nanotechnology;
demonstrate the basic hands-on ability to make nanomaterials such as nanoparticles and 1D nanostructures;
demonstrate knowledge of how to characterize nanomaterials;
demonstrate the ability to apply basic knowledge from different fields in the context of nanotechnology;
view nanotechnology from inter- and multi-disciplinary perspectives.

Additional Degree Recommendations

Three units of Service Learning (upper division or lower division) can be used to meet a lower division General Education requirement.

ENGR 097: Engineering Service Learning [1-2 units]
ENGR 197: Engineering Service Learning [1-2 units]

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