Hello,

I hope it is okay to post this here.

I am a final year engineering undergraduate, and I am considering doing a Masters in Nanotechnology in September.

So, I am wondering what people on here think about someones prospects with a degree like this. I am asking because I am getting mixed messages from my current lecturers. Some think it is a good idea, other, including one in particular, thinks I am stupid to even consider it.

So, to this end, I am hoping to get some input from other engineers etc., so if you have any thoughts, I would love to hear them.

Thanks in advance.

Seán

 

Go to any of the web sites of the major companies,
If you know what you are doing and can produce
the world is at your feet. If you have a lot book learning
and not able to apply it ,Its worthless In the job market.

 

I'm just a high school kid, but I would assume that is you're interested in nano-tech, go for it!
If not, don't, because I'm pretty sure something like that is going to suck unless you love it.

Why are your prof's telling you not to?

 

One of the problems I suspect is not too many people have heard of it. I haven't. What kind of background does it take?

 

Hello,

Well, my background is just your normal electronics degree. You don't need to do anything extra at an undergrad level to do a nanotechnology masters. Some undergrad courses will maybe bring elements of nanotechnology, but mine doesn't.

As for the degree itself, it is the study of things on the scale of about -9 meters, and smaller really. There are a few different paths in it. One of which has to deal with drugs i.e. drugs that can make their way to the a problem within a person and do what they need to do at that point, or there is a side which deals with human sensors which can maybe detect the early signs of a heart attack and warm your doctore etc.

Another electronics end bas to do with sensors in cars -- for example sensors in tires to sense problems eary and warn someone of potential problems. Also, abother big area is in integrated circuits, and memory devices.

And Magnet 18, I think my lecturer is against it somewhat because of the limited scope of jobs here in Ireland. I guess really the only place to get a job here in the Nanotech industry would be Intel.

 

My question is about the nanotech degree itself. I suspect that a lot of people haven't heard of it. The electronics portion is a no brainier, but I suspect that aspect is covered by other titles. I am a major scifi buff, as well as science, I do a lot of reading. Nanotech also includes aspects of chemistry, and more importantly, mechanical motions. At the nano scale this is not chemistry or electronics, though it can have aspects of both.

The field is so new that it will take a while, but a degree in nanotech is so general a lot of people will view it with suspicion. As it is, it has already split off into quite a few specialties. Which specialty are you covering?

 

My apologies, I got the rond end of the stick with your question

The degree has a number of courses (as well as a research element of course) which cover nanoscience and quantum principles, micro- & nano fabrication, as well as some optional courses along the lines of digital signal processing, biomaterials and tissue engineering.

I would be quite interested is the biomedical side or nanomaterials.

I am not sure if the industry is going to grow the way the university says they will ...at the end of the day, they are trying to sell their course. Also, they are not going to focus on the bad sides of this particular industry, so I am just hoping to get input from people who know more about it than me!

Thanks, and again, sorry for misinterpreting your question.

Seán

 

With miniture cameras going thru the body,new research sounds
like a good field for the future.

 

Ultimately, do you want to be a technician or a director?

John

 

Well, I would like to go as far as I can!

I really want to get into research and that side of things.

Seán

 

It you are in biomedical and you want to direct research in a US medical center, you will probably need a doctorate in medicine or a Ph.D. Be aware that there are two types of Masters degrees. One is where you start and finish with the goal to get a Masters. The other is a terminal Masters, which is usually someone who started toward a doctorate and for any number of reasons decided to drop out. The reasons may be completely justified, but there is a little stigma attached as some people simple fail out of graduate school and are give the degree as sort of a consolation prize.

As research techs, Masters degrees are completely satisfactory and desired vs. only Bachelors degrees. One route I have seen taken successfully is to get a Masters degree, work awhile, then get a Ph.D. or medical doctor degree. You will find a lot of physician researchers with Masters degrees as well as Ph.D.'s who took that route.

John