Nanomaterials MS

Major: Nanomaterials
Degree Awarded: Master of Science (MS)
Calendar Type: Quarter
Minimum Required Credits: 45.0 
Co-op Option: Available for full-time, on-campus master's-level students
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 15.1601
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 17-2199

About the Program

The Department of Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) provides an excellent opportunity for students to gain an advanced understanding of nanomaterials in this Master of Science degree program. Students attend classes and carry out research within faculty research groups to solve problems related to energy, health, and other applications using novel approaches in the area of nanomaterials. The program is designed to expand interdisciplinary knowledge and integrate critical thinking and research within the student's academic experience. 

Additional Information

For more information, contact:

Jamie Banks
Operations Project Manager, A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute
jeb23@drexel.edu


 

Admission Requirements

Application Deadlines

  • US Students
    • Jun. 1 (Fall Term)
    • Oct. 15 (Winter Term)
    • Jan. 15 (Spring Term)
  • International Students:
    • June 1 (Fall Term only)
    • Consideration for a term other than fall requires special permission from the academic department prior to application.

Applications are accepted at any time. Funding options will be decided on an individual basis.

Requirements

For details regarding the items below please review the Admission Application Instructions.

  • Graduate Admission Application
    • Applicants may only apply to one program.
    • All documents submitted by you or on your behalf in support of this application for admission to Drexel University become the property of the University, and will under no circumstances be released to you or any other party.
    • An application fee of $65 USD is required.
  • Transcripts
    • Provide official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended.
    • International students: If you have already graduated from your previous institution at the time of your application, please email your graduation certificate(s) attached as PDF or Microsoft Word documents to enroll@drexel.edu.
  • Standardized Test Scores
    • GRE test scores may be required.

Degree Requirements

Core Courses
Select 15.0 credits from the list below. Other graduate courses related to Nanomaterials or Nanotechnology can be counted as Core Courses if approved by the graduate advisor. Any 500 or 600 level course from the following departments with approval from Nanomaterials graduate advisor: CHEM, PHYS, BIO, SCTS, ENSS, ENVS, FASH, ENTP, CS, CI, DSCI, MATE, CAEE, ECE, MEM, CHE, EGMT, BMES.15.0
Nanoscale Fields
Introduction to Materials Engineering
Thermodynamics of Solids
Introduction to Solid State Materials
Experimental Technique in Materials
Nanostructured Carbon Materials
Fundamentals of Nanomanufacturing
Nanoscience
Academic Track: The remaining credits are completed within an academic track. Choose one of the below two options (Nanobiomaterials or Nanomaterials for Energy) or create a track (Emerging Applications of Nanomaterials) with approval of graduate advisor. Any 500 or 600 level course from the following departments with approval from Nanomaterials graduate advisor: CHEM, PHYS, BIO, SCTS, ENSS, ENVS, FASH, ENTP, CS, CI, DSCI, MATE, CAEE, ECE, MEM, CHE, EGMT, BMES.21.0-23.0
Nanobiomaterials Track *
Biochemistry I
Nano and Molecular Mechanics of Biological Materials
Tissue Engineering I
Tissue Engineering II
Biomaterials I
Biomaterials II
Structure and Properties of Polymers
Nanostructured Polymeric Materials
Biomedical Materials I
Research
Nanomaterials for Energy Track
Quantum Chemistry Of Molecules I
Topics in Analytical Chemistry
Electrochemical Engineering
Nanoelectronics
Nanomaterials and Nanoengineering
Kinetics
Nuclear Fuel Cycle & Materials
Nanostructured Polymeric Materials
Ceramics
Materials for High Temperature and Energy
Materials for Energy Storage
Research
Emerging Applications of Nanomaterials Track: Students may create a track focused on emerging interdisciplinary topic in nanomaterials. The track must be approved by the graduate advisor. In keeping with the interdisciplinary nature of the MS degree, the track must contain courses from at least two different departments. Any 500 or 600 level course from the following departments with approval from Nanomaterials graduate advisor: CHEM, PHYS, BIO, SCTS, ENSS, ENVS, FASH, ENTP, CS, CI, DSCI, MATE, CAEE, ECE, MEM, CHE, EGMT, BMES.
Research
Research credits can be applied to any track (up to 12.0 credits)
Thesis or Non-Thesis Option **9.0
Thesis
Master's Thesis
Non-Thesis
Choose 9.0 credits from courses listed in the academic tracks above with advisor approval.
Total Credits45.0-47.0
*

Students selecting the Nanobiomaterials track will complete 45.0-47.0 credits.

**

Master's Thesis students take MATE 898 [WI] for 9.0 credits while Non-Thesis Master's students select 9.0 credits from courses listed within each concentration. Additionally, Non-Thesis Master's students may request approval from the graduate advisor to take special topics courses.

Writing-Intensive Course Requirements

In order to graduate, all students must pass three writing-intensive courses after their freshman year. Two writing-intensive courses must be in a student's major. The third can be in any discipline. Students are advised to take one writing-intensive class each year, beginning with the sophomore year, and to avoid “clustering” these courses near the end of their matriculation. Transfer students need to meet with an academic advisor to review the number of writing-intensive courses required to graduate.

A "WI" next to a course in this catalog may indicate that this course can fulfill a writing-intensive requirement. For the most up-to-date list of writing-intensive courses being offered, students should check the Writing Intensive Course List at the University Writing Program. Students scheduling their courses can also conduct a search for courses with the attribute "WI" to bring up a list of all writing-intensive courses available that term.

Sample Plan of Study

Nanomaterials for Energy Track (Thesis Option)

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits
ET 6813.0CHEM 5553.0MATE 5073.0
Core Courses6.0Core Courses6.0MATE 5723.0
  MATE 5823.0
 9 9 9
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCredits 
ECEE 8213.0MATE 5443.0 
MATE 898*3.0MATE 898*6.0 
Core Course3.0  
 9 9 
Total Credits 45
*

Students enrolled in the Non-Thesis Master's program take electives in place of MATE 898 [WI] .

Nanobiomaterials Track (Thesis Option)

First Year
FallCreditsWinterCreditsSpringCredits
BMES 6604.0BMES 6614.0BMES 5413.0
Core Courses6.0MATE 6613.0MATE 5443.0
 Core Course3.0MATE 8983.0
 10 10 9
Second Year
FallCreditsWinterCredits 
BIO 5003.0MATE 898*3.0 
MATE 5013.0Core Courses6.0 
MATE 898*3.0  
 9 9 
Total Credits 47
*

Students enrolled in the Non-Thesis Master's program take electives in place of MATE 898 [WI] .

Facilities

Nanobiomaterials and Cell Engineering Laboratory
This laboratory contains a fume hood with vacuum/gas dual manifold, vacuum pump and rotary evaporator for general organic/polymer synthesis; gel electrophoresis and electroblotting for protein characterization; bath sonicator, glass homogenizer and mini-extruder for nanoparticle preparation; centrifuge; ultrapure water conditioning system; precision balance; pH meter and shaker.

Ceramics Processing Laboratory
This laboratory contains a photo-resist spinner, impedance analyzer, Zeta potential meter, spectrafluorometer, piezoelectric d33 meter, wire-bonder, and laser displacement meter.

Layered Solids Laboratory
This laboratory contains a vacuum hot-press; a hot isostatic press (HIP) for materials consolidation and synthesis; laser scattering particle size analyzer; creep testers, Ar-filled glove-box, high-speed saw, and assorted high temperature furnaces; metallographic preparation facilities; high temperature closed-loop servo-hydraulic testing machines.

Mechanical Testing Laboratory
This laboratory contains mechanical and closed-loop servo-hydraulic testing machines, hardness testers, Charpy and Izod impact testers, equipment for fatigue testing, metallographic preparation facilities and a rolling mill with twin 6" diameter rolls.

Macromolecular Materials Laboratory
This laboratory contains a hybrid rheometer, inert environment glove box, size exclusion chromatography with multi-angle laser light scattering, HPLC  and RI detector  & MALS, centrifuge, rotovapor, and vacuum oven used for developing innovative synthetic platforms to generate functional soft materials with complex macromolecular architectures. 

Mesoscale Materials Laboratory
This laboratory contains instrumentation for growth, characterization, device fabrication, and design and simulation of electronic, dielectric, ferroelectric and photonic materials.  Resources include physical and chemical vapor deposition and thermal and plasma processing of thin films, including oxides and metals, and semiconductor nanowire growth.  Facilities include pulsed laser deposition, atomic layer deposition, chemical vapor deposition, sublimation growth, and resistive thermal evaporation.  Variable-temperature high-vacuum probe station and optical cryostats including high magnetic field, fixed and tunable-wavelength laser sources, several monochromators for luminescence and Raman scattering spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy with electron beam lithography, and a scanning probe microscope.

Nanomaterials Laboratory
This laboratory contains instrumentation for synthesizing, testing and manipulation of nanomaterials carbon and two dimensional carbides under microscope, high-temperature autoclaves, Sievert’s apparatus; glove-boxes; high-temperature vacuum and other furnaces for the synthesis of nano-carbon coatings and nanotubes; tube furnaces for synthesis of carbides and nitrides; potentiostat/galvanostat for electrochemical testings; ultraviolet-visible (UV-VIS) spectrophotometry; Raman spectrometers; Differential scanning calorimeter (DSC) and thermogravimetric analyzer (TGA) up to 1500 °C with mass spectrometer, Zeta potential analyzer; attrition mill, bath and probe sonicators, centrifuges; electro-spinning system for producing nano-fibers.

Functional Inorganic Materials Synthesis Laboratory
This laboratory contains gas cabinets and CVD furnaces for the synthesis of inorganic and hybrid materials for energy and environmental applications, including photocatalytic mixed anion materials, oxides and nitrides.

Films and Heterostructures Laboratory
This laboratory contains an oxide molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) thin film deposition system; physical properties measurement system (PPMS) for electronic transport and magnetometry measurements from 2 – 400K, up to 9 T fields; 2 tube furnaces.

Powder Processing Laboratory
This laboratory contains vee blenders, ball-mills, sieve shaker + sieves for powder classification, several furnaces (including one with controlled atmosphere capability); and a 60-ton Baldwin cold press for powder compaction.

Soft Matter Research and Polymer Processing Laboratories
These laboratories contain computerized thermal analysis facilities including differential scanning calorimeters (DSC), dynamic mechanical analyzer (DMA) and thermo-gravimetric analyzer (TGA); tabletop tensile tester; strip biaxial tensile tester; vacuum evaporator; spin coater; centrifuge; optical microscope with hot stage; liquid crystal tester; microbalance; ultrasonic cleaner; laser holographic fabrication system; polymer injection molder and single screw extruder.

Natural Polymers and Photonics Laboratory
This laboratory contains a spectroscopic ellipsometer for film characterization; high purity liquid chromatography (HPLC) system; refractometer; electro-spinning and touch-spinning systems for producing nano-fibers.

X-ray Tomography Laboratory
This laboratory contains a high resolution X-ray micro-tomography instrument and a cluster of computers for 3D microstructure reconstruction; mechanical stage, a positioning stage and a cryostage for in-situ testing.

Materials Characterization Core (MCC)
The Department of Materials Science & Engineering relies on the Materials Characterization Core facilities within the University for materials characterization and micro- and nano-fabrication. These facilities contain a number of state-of-the-art materials characterization instruments, including high resolution and variable pressure field-emission scanning electron microscopes (SEMs) with Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) for elemental analysis, Orientation Image Microscopy (OIM) for texture analysis, various in-situ and in-operando stages (cryo mat, heating, tensile, 3- and 4-point bending, and electrochemistry); two Transmission Electron Microscopes (TEM) with STEM capability and TEM sample preparation equipment; a dual-beam focused ion beam (FIB) system for nano-characterization and nano fabrication; a Nanoindenter; an X-ray Photoelectron Spectrometer (XPS)/Electron Spectroscopy for Chemical Analysis (ESCA) system; X-Ray Diffractometers (XRD); and an X-ray microscope (NanoCT) with an in-situ tensile/compression temperature controlled stage.

More details of these instruments, information on how to access them, and instrument usage rates can be found at Drexel University’s Materials Characterization Core webpage.

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