The program offers the M.S. degree in NanoEngineering under both the Thesis (Plan I) and the Comprehensive Examination (Plan II). The requirements for the M.S. degree are as follows:
- All students must complete a total of thirty-six units:
- Including five Mandatory Core Courses (NANO 201, 202, 203, 205, 206),
- One course from any focus area selected from an approved list of graduate courses (listed below) with the consent of a faculty advisor,
- And an additional 12 units (3 courses) of Nano/Ceng, or JSOE engineering graduate level courses (or up to 12 units of upper division courses).
- In addition, students must enroll in NANO 200 every quarter, (note, Nano 200 units do Not count in the degree units). See “Courses” for descriptions.
- Any courses that are not JSOE engineering, sciences, or math, graduate or upper division level courses, must be approved by the Graduate Affairs Committee, prior to enrollment.
- Students either complete a thesis (Plan I) or pass a comprehensive examination (Plan II) as described in the “Graduate Studies” section of this catalog.
- Students must meet MS requirements established by the university, and the department requirements.
The three focus areas and related courses are:
Focus 1 – Biomedical Nanotechnology: NANO 210, 241, 242, 243, 244, 247A, 247B, 247C, 262.
Focus 2 – Molecular & Nanomaterials: NANO 204, 227, 230, 234, 239, 241, 242, 250, 251A, 251B, 252, 253, 263, 264, 265.
Focus 3 – Nanotechnologies for Energy and the Environment: NANO 212, 241, 245, 255, 257, 258, 259, 260, 261, 266.
Students who transfer with some graduate credit or an M.S. from another institution will have their records reviewed by a faculty advisor, and an appropriate individual course of study may be approved. The M.S. program is intended to extend and broaden an undergraduate education with fundamental knowledge in different fields. The degree may be terminal, or obtained on the way to the Ph.D. The degree is offered under both the Thesis Plan I and the Comprehensive Examination Plan II.
M.S. Time Limit Policy: Full-time M.S. students are permitted seven quarters in which to complete all requirements. While there is no written time limit for part-time students, the department has the right to intervene and set individual deadlines if it becomes necessary.
Course requirements: All M.S. students must complete a total of thirty-six units, which include a core of five courses (twenty units).
No more than a total of eight units of NANO 296 and 298 may be applied toward the course work requirement. Units in seminars (NANO 200 and 279) may not be applied toward the degree requirement.
Thesis Plan I: Completion of thesis research (NANO 299) fulfills twelve (12) units toward the total graduation requirement. The balance is made up of the five (5) core courses, twenty (20) units, and one additional elective course, four (4) units, subject to the restrictions described above.
Students must notify Graduate Advising, by week 2 of the quarter, if they plan to advance to MS candidacy, or at least 4 weeks prior to the Thesis defense date, if they have advanced to MS candidacy, and will be defending their MS thesis, by entering their information into the MS Thesis Plan Form.
The MS Thesis Committee must be constituted and approved before a student can defend their thesis. The thesis committee should have 3 members. The thesis faculty advisor should be the committee chair, and 2 members must be from Nano/Ceng (committee chair and another member).
Comprehensive Examination Plan II: This plan involves course work only and culminates in a written comprehensive examination based on topics selected from the core courses. In addition to the five (5) core courses (twenty (20) units), one must choose an additional four electives (sixteen (16) units) subject to the restrictions of NANO 279, 296, and 298 described above. A student should consult their academic advisor to choose an appropriate course schedule.
The NANO comprehensive examination this year will take place on Friday 4/14/23.
Continuing MS Comp Exam students who need to advance prior to requesting the MS degree, should notify Graduate Advising by week 2 of the advancement quarter, or who have advanced and are requesting the MS degree, should notify Graduate Advising 4-5 weeks before the end of the completion quarter, by entering their information into the MS Comprehensive Exam Plan Form.
Class schedule for the year 2022 - 2023 is as follows:
(Subject to change, see Schedule of Classes for the most current course offerings.)
Change of Degree: Upon completion of the requirements for the M.S. degree, students admitted as M.S. only or M.S. candidates are not automatically eligible for admission to the Ph.D. Program. ‘M.S.-only’ and ‘M.S.’ candidates who subsequently wish to pursue a doctorate must submit an application for a change in status to their examining committee. The application, if approved by the committee, must be signed by a faculty member who expects to serve as the student’s Ph.D. advisor, and provide financial support. The student must also submit a general petition for graduate students to effect the change of status. If the student elects the comprehensive examination plan for the M.S. degree, the examining committee may recommend that the comprehensive examination replace the preliminary qualifying examination expected of Ph.D. students, but must be passed at the 70% grade.