The Nanomaterials Certificate Program

An undergraduate Certificate in "Nanomaterials" may be earned by completing the following:

  • Twelve credit hours taken from the list of classes below (see Exceptions).
  • Two of the classes must be MSE 4330 and MSE 4335.
  • A grade of "C" or better must be obtained in order to count toward the certificate.
  • Courses must be taken on a letter-grade basis.
  • At least 3 credit hours must be outside the student's major field (cross-listed courses satisfy this requirement) at least 9 credit hours must be at the 3000 level or higher.

Exceptions:

Non-MSE Majors - A student may not apply any course towards the certificate that is required for his/her major. For example, MSE majors cannot use MSE 2021 as it is specifically required for the MSE major.

MSE Majors - Please note that if an MSE major specifies any of the listed Directed Electives in the three MSE curriculum Concentrations as counting towards his/her 15/16 hour Concentration requirement, then they cannot count those same course hours towards fulfillment of a Certificate’s requirements. However, if a student applies an MSE course towards the five hours of Free Electives in the curriculum and not towards a Concentration, then they can also count those hours towards fulfillment of a Certificate.

Additional requirements include:
  • To declare a certificate, there is no application that is initially done.
  • The semester that you graduate, fill out the Certificate Approval Form and turn it in to the MSE Academic Office (room 294 Love). Once your certificate is approved, your certificate will be mailed to you after graduation.
  • All courses counting toward the certificate must be taken on a letter grade basis and completed with an overall grade point average of at least 2.0.
  • Courses required by name and number in a student's major degree program may not be used to satisfy the certificate course requirements.
  • No more than 6 semester hours of special topics courses may be included in a certificate program. No more than a total of 4 semester hours of Special Problems or Undergraduate Research courses may be included in a certificate program.
  • Non-MSE undergraduate majors are encouraged to participate in this program provided they have the appropriate prerequisites and approval of their major program academic advisor.

Approved Courses

MSE 4330 Fundamentals of Nanomaterials and Nanotechnology (required)

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisite: MSE 2001
  • Introduction to nanotechnology. Description of various nanomaterials, their applications and synthesis methods.

MSE 4335 Soft Nano/Bio Materials (required)

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisite: MSE 2001
  • Introduction soft nanomaterials and nanostructures that have been discovered and synthesized for prospective applications in nanotechnology.

MSE 2001 Principles and Applications of Engineering Materials

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisite: CHEM 1310 or CHEM 1211K
  • The structure-property-processing-performance relationships of engineering materials and described. Materials selection is treated as a part of engineering design.

MSE 2021 Materials Characterization

  • Credits: 3-3-4
  • Prerequisite: MSE 2001
  • The fundamentals of basic microstructural and compositional materials characterization techniques are presented with an emphasis on tools using electromagnetic radiation and electrons as stimuli.

MSE 3015 Electrical, Optical, and Magnetic Properties

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisite: MSE 2001
  • Band theory of solids, semiconductor physics, dielectric, optical, and magnetic phenomena. Superconductivity in various classes of materials.

MSE 4004 Materials in Electronic Applications

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisite: MSE 3015
  • Introduction to the fabrication requirements, property control, and structure-property-processing relationships in materials used in electronic, photonic, and magnetic applications.

MSE 4325 Thin Film Materials Science

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Introduction to principal vapor deposition processes and vacuum technology. The fundamentals of the formation, characterization, and properties of a variety of thin films.
  • Prerequisite: MSE 2001

CHEM 3412 Physical Chemistry II

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisites: CHEM 1311 and PHYS 2212
  • Quantum mechanics, atomic and molecular structure, bonding theory, molecular spectroscopy, statistical mechanics.

CHBE 4050 The Science and Engineering of Microelectronic Fabrication

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisites: CHBE 3110 or CHBE 3130 and CHBE 3200
  • The fabrication of semiconductor devices and their packages, and the materials used in fabricating semiconductor devices and packages.

PHY 3143 Quantum Mechanics I

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisites: ( PHYS 2212 or PHYS 2232 ) and ( MATH 2403 or MATH 2413 ) First of two courses that develop the principles of quantum mechanics. Topics include the state vector concept. Heisenberg and Schrodinger pictures, uncertainty relations, and exact solvable models in one dimension.

PHY 4262 Solid State Physics

  • Credits: 3-0-3
  • Prerequisite: PHYS 3143
  • A first course in the physics of crystalline solids. Core topics include crystal lattices, diffraction, bonding, elastic properties, band theory as well as others.

Other courses related to nanomaterials may also be counted subject to the approval of the Program Director for Nanomaterials Certificate.

Students interested in pursuing this certificate should contact

Dr. Mary Lynn Realff, Associate Chair for Undergraduate Programs marylynn.realff@mse.gatech.edu 404.894.2496