MS in Nanomaterials

MS in Nanomaterials

Students working in lab

The graduate program in nanomaterials from Drexel Engineering prepares professionals for applying deepened skillsets and knowledge that will further your career.

What is a Master’s in Nanomaterials?

A Master of Science in Nanomaterials enhances your academic qualifications and skills to advance your career in this emerging materials science and engineering specialization. 

A graduate program in nanomaterials investigates materials with structure at the nanoscale, looking at the unique optical, electronic, or mechanical properties, which make them exceptionally well-suited to tackle global issues in areas, such as health and energy. The MS in nanomaterials program offers courses centered around two major themes: energy storage and nanobiomaterials. Students have an option to also work on research projects that provides in-depth expertise with a variety of nanomaterials and their applications.

You will gain an understanding of advances in industry, a global viewpoint, and the entrepreneurial and teambuilding skills needed to advance your career in industry or research and the knowledge required for entry into a PhD program in nanomaterials or a related field.

Delivery

  • On-campus
  • Full-time or part-time
  • The nanomaterials master’s program will take 1.5 years to complete on a full-time basis or can be completed on a part time basis in approximately 3-4 years.

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Areas of Specialization

The MS in Nanomaterials allows for a flexible plan of study to further refine for your area of interest. Coursework is offered to provide focus on specializations and enhances research participation. These include:

  • Nanobiomaterials
  • Nanomaterials for energy

Why choose Drexel for your MS in Nanomaterials?

The master’s degree in nanomaterials deepens your understanding of the fundamentals through rigorous analysis and an interdisciplinary viewpoint. Students are encouraged to engage in research that is at the forefront of materials for energy, nanotechnology, biomaterials, electronic materials, soft materials, computational materials science, smart textiles and advanced materials design and processing. You will emerge prepared to take on the demands of industry or to continue study in a doctoral study.

Students in lab

In the 2021 US News and World Report Global Universities ranking for Materials Science, Drexel University is ranked #41 globally, which is 13th highest in the US. In the Nanoscience and Nanotechnology subject area, Drexel is ranked #43 in the world, and #11 in the US.

The MSE Department is also home to the A.J. Drexel Nanomaterials Institute with the co-discovery of the material MXene to its credit. Students have access to Drexel’s state-of-the-art instrumentation facilities for materials characterization including scanning and transmission electron microscopes, battery testing, advanced polymer testing suite and synthetic facilities including nanomaterial reactors, atomic layer deposition, and molecular beam epitaxy.

At Drexel and in the Materials Science and Engineering Department (MSE), students are encouraged to be innovative and imaginative in identifying the problem, analyzing and embarking on the quest for a solution. The focus of our programs is to equip you with the tools for finding sustainable and achievable outcomes to address society’s biggest challenges while making them relevant to your career goals.

Philadelphia

The city of Philadelphia is our campus – a diverse urban environment with a variety of social, cultural and learning opportunities that will enrich your educational experience. Philadelphia is also a draw for talented instructors and researchers, meaning you will engage with some of the best minds in engineering and other disciplines.

Curriculum and Requirements

Core courses 15 credits
Non-core courses 21 credits
Thesis and alternatives 9 credits of MS thesis or 6 credits of thesis proposal (literature review) + 3 credit course or 9 credits of courses
  • The nanomaterials master’s degree requires a total of 45 credits; 15 credits of required core courses and 21 credits of selective courses in bionanomaterials or nanomaterials for energy. Students select four additional core courses from the MSE department.
  • Students pursuing the thesis option are required to undertake a 9 credit thesis on a topic of materials research supervised by a faculty member. Alternatively, MS students can select the non-thesis option, in which case, the thesis is replaced by 9 credits of coursework.
  • Graduate advisors are available to guide your course selection and scheduling of core and elective courses.

Visit the Drexel Catalog for more information and sample study plans for areas of specialization or learn more about our admissions requirements.

Research

All students in the Master of Science in Nanomaterials program are welcome to engage in research as part of their degree or as extra-curricular participation. Full-time master’s degree candidates are encouraged to base their master’s thesis on some aspect of faculty research.

Master’s students are encouraged to engage with leading edge research in engineering new materials for better battery performance, improved water treatment technologies, next-generation electronics, new tissue regeneration and drug delivery for patients, combatting the COVID pandemic, computational materials design, and developing sustainable materials to reduce society’s environmental impact.

Current research in materials science and engineering covers areas such as:

  • Ceramics
  • Composites
  • Computation and theory
  • Electronic materials
  • Energy
  • Health and medicine
  • Materials processing
  • Metals
  • Nanomaterials
  • Polymers
  • Structured materials
  • Sustainability

The MSE department has world-class research facilities, research groups and institutes that pursue novel research and knowledge. These are sponsored by grants from many organizations ranging from the Army Research Laboratory (ARL), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), National Science Foundation (NSF), National Institute of Health (NIH), American Chemical Society (ACS), Pfizer, Inc., to a host of other institutions.

Visit research areas for an overview and activity taking place at the College of Engineering.

Career Opportunities in Nanomaterials

Graduate programs in nanomaterials prepares you for a career path that could include continuing your education in a PhD program or pursuing advanced technical and research positions in industries such as government, aerospace, telecommunications, manufacturing, biomedical, textiles and many others in research or project management roles. It is an emerging field so qualified workers to help organizations succeed are driving up demand.

Overall, employees with graduate degrees can earn up to 28 percent more than bachelor’s degree holders over the course of their career. The outlook for materials engineering jobs is good, with demand for employment expected to grow 3% through 2028, just below average with the overall employment projections for all occupations and are on par with median annual wage for engineers according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. It has been reported that materials engineers with master’s degrees achieve a large boost to salary from achieving a postgraduate degree, with median salaries of 18 percent higher than employment with only a bachelor’s degree.

Faculty

Drexel places a high value on industry connections and experience at every level. Teaching faculty in your program are the world-renowned experts in the field and are leaders in research and teaching.

MSE faculty have garnered many awards and have numerous notable achievements. These include:

  • 16 Professional Society Fellows
  • 10 Early Career Awards
  • Over 21,000 citations in 2019 to journal publications authored by MSE faculty
  • 34 patents filed in 2019

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