Master of Applied Science (MASc) in Systems Design Engineering - Nanotechnology

The program information below was valid for the fall 2021 term (September 1, 2021 - December 31, 2021). This is the archived version; the most up-to-date program information is available through the current Graduate Studies Academic Calendar.

The Graduate Studies Academic Calendar is updated 3 times per year, at the start of each academic term (January 1, May 1, September 1). Graduate Studies Academic Calendars from previous terms can be found in the archives.

• Admit term(s) 
  • Fall
  • Winter
  • Spring
• Delivery mode 
  • On-campus
• Length of program 
  • The normal duration of this program is 16 months.
• Program type 
  • Collaborative
  • Master's
  • Research
• Registration option(s) 
  • Full-time
• Study option(s) 
  • Thesis

• Minimum requirements 
  • An Honours Bachelor's degree (or equivalent) with at least an overall 75% standing from a recognized university.
• Application materials 
  • Résumé
  • Supplementary information form
  • Transcript(s)
• References 
  • Number of references:  2
  • Type of references: 

    Academic. Applicants who completed their degree five or more years before the application date may submit 1 academic and 1 professional reference.

• English language proficiency (ELP) (if applicable)

Thesis option:

Graduate Academic Integrity Module (Graduate AIM)

Courses 

• Students must complete 4 half credit courses (0.50 unit weight) including NANO 600 Introduction to Nanotechnology, 1 nanotechnology core course, and 2 elective courses from the list of technical electives.
• Note: it is possible that some students may need to take additional courses to meet the specific course requirements of the collaborative program.
• Nanotechnology core courses:
  • NANO 601 Characterization of Nanomaterials
  • NANO 602 Structure and Spectroscopy of Nanoscale Materials
  • NANO 603 Nanocomposites
  • NANO 604 Nanomechanics and Molecular Dynamics Simulations
  • NANO 605/SYDE 683 Design of MEMS & NEMS
  • NANO 606/SYDE 682 Advanced MicroElectroMechanical Systems: Physics, Design & Fabrication
• Core courses are designed to provide the base knowledge and skill set required to prepare students for more specialized courses and to conduct interdisciplinary nanoscale research.
• Students holding a Bachelor of Applied Science (BASc) degree in Nanotechnology Engineering or Master’s degree in Nanotechnology at the University of Waterloo can not take NANO 600. Instead, they can choose 1 course from the list of nanotechnology core courses.
• Technical elective courses:
  • (a) Micro/nano Instruments and Devices
    • BIOL 642 Current topics in Biotechnology
    • CHEM 720 Topic 13 Selected Topics in Analytical Chemistry: Biosensors and Nanotechnology
    • CHEM 750 Topic 17 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Surface Science and Nanotechnology
    • CHEM 750 Topic 23 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Processes at Micro-Nano Scales
    • CHEM 750 Topic 27 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Nanotechniques
    • ME 738 Special Topics in Materials: Materials for Nano and MEMS
    • ME 760 Special Topics in Thermal Engineering
    • ME 780 Special Topics in Mechatronics
  • (b) Nanoelectronics Design and Fabrication
    • CHE 620 Applied Engineering Mathematics
    • CHEM 750 Topic 11 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Bioelectronics
    • CHEM 750 Topic 19 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Carbon Nanotube Electronics
    • ECE 630 Physics and Models of Semiconductor Devices
    • ECE 631 Microelectronic Processing Technology
    • ECE 632 Photovoltaic Energy Conversion
    • ECE 633 Nanoelectronics
    • ECE 634 Organic Electronics
    • ECE 635 Fabrication in the Nanoscale: Principles, Technology, & Applications
    • ECE 636 Advanced Analog Integrated Circuits
    • ECE 637 Digital Integrated Circuits
    • ECE 639 Characteristics & Applications of Amorphous Silicon
    • ECE 672 Optoelectronic Devices
    • ECE 676 Quantum Information Processing Devices
    • ECE 677 Quantum Electronics and Photonics
    • ECE 730 Topic 10 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Advanced Technology for Semiconductor Processing
    • ECE 730 Topic 11 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Physics and Modeling of Semiconductor Devices
    • ECE 730 Topic 19 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Magnetism and Spintronics
    • ECE 730 Topic 26 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: MBE and Quantum Nano Devices
    • ECE 730 Topic 28 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Physics of Nanoscale Devices
    • ECE 730 Topic 29 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Computational Nanoelectronics
    • ECE 770 Topic 18 Special Topics in Antenna and Microwave Theory: Nanoelectronics for QIP
    • ECE 770 Topic 21 Special Topics in Antenna and Microwave Theory: Quantum Optics & Nanophotonics
    • PHYS 713 Molecular Physics
    • PHYS 731 Solid State Physics 1
    • PHYS 747 Optical Electronics
  • (c) Nano-biosystems
    • BIOL 608 Advanced Bacterial Genetics
    • BIOL 614 Applied Bioinformatics and Genomics
    • BIOL 629 Cell Growth and Differentiation
    • BIOL 642 Current Topics in Biotechnology
    • BIOL 678 Current topics in Neurophysiology
    • CHE 622 Statistics in Engineering
    • CHE 660 Principles of Biochemical Engineering
    • CHE 760 Special Topics in Biochemical Engineering
    • CHE 765 Research Topics in Biochemical Engineering
    • CHEM 737 Enzymes
    • ECE 730 Topic 25 Special Topics in Solid State Devices: Microfluidic & Nanobiotech Systems
    • PHYS 751 Clinical Applications of Physics in Medicine
    • PHYS 752 Molecular Biophysics
  • (d) Nanomaterials
    • CHE 610 Theory and Application of Transport Phenomena
    • CHE 612 Interfacial Phenomena
    • CHE 622 Statistics in Engineering
    • CHE 630 Chemical Reactor Analysis
    • CHE 640 Principles of Polymer Science
    • CHE 641 Physical Properties of Polymers (cross-listed with CHEM 771)
    • CHE 740 Special Topics in Polymer Science and Engineering
    • CHE 745 Research Topics in Polymer Science and Engineering
    • CHE 750 Special Topics in Materials Science: Thin Film Fabrications & Mechanical Properties
    • CHE 755 Research Topics in Electrochemical Engineering, Interfacial Engineering & Material Science
    • CHEM 710 Topic 17 Selected Topics in Inorganic Chemistry: Nanostructured Materials and Integrative Chemistry
    • CHEM 713 Chemistry of Inorganic Solid State Materials
    • CHEM 720 Topic 14 Selected Topics in Analytical Chemistry: Nanomaterials for Energy Conversion and Clean Environment
    • CHEM 750 Topic 17 Selected Topics in Physical Chemistry: Surface Science and Nanotechnology
    • CHEM 770 Principles of Polymer Science
    • CHEM 773 Topic 11 Selected Topics in Polymer Chemistry: Synthesis, Self-assembly and Materials Application of Inorganic Polymers
    • CHEM 773 Topic 14 Selected Topics in Polymer Chemistry: Living Polymerization Techniques
    • ME 632 Experimental Methods in Materials Engineering
    • ME 738 Special Topics in Materials: Materials for Nano and MEMS
    • PHYS 701 Quantum Mechanics 1
    • PHYS 704 Statistical Physics 1
    • PHYS 706 Electromagnetic Theory
    • PHYS 773 Special Topics in Physics
• All course selections are arranged by the supervisor(s) in consultation with the student and are subject to the approval of the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
• Note: these requirements are in addition to satisfactory completion of any transitional courses that may be specified at the time of admission.
• Note: the Faculty of Engineering requires that no more than one-half of the courses used for credit toward a graduate degree may be taught by a candidate's supervisor(s). In the case of co-supervision in small research groups, it may be necessary to relax this rule; however, the student's file must contain a statement of formal approval from the Department and endorsement from the Associate Dean for Graduate Studies and Research in the Faculty of Engineering.

Link(s) to courses

• Systems Design Engineering (SYDE) courses
• Nanotechnology (NANO) courses

Nanotechnology Seminar

• This seminar is a forum for student presentation of research results or proposals. Invited speakers from academia and industry will also present results of research from time to time. The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of research in the collaborative program. Each student is required to present at least one research seminar. To receive credit, students are required to attend seminars according to the Department’s Seminar Policy posted on the Department of Systems Design Engineering website.

Master's Seminar

• Students are required to present a research seminar based on their thesis at the Systems Design Engineering Graduate Colloquium. The Department will contact seminar candidates with scheduling information. 

Seminar Attendance

• Students are required to attend an average of four University of Waterloo research seminars per full-time term. It is the student's responsibility to submit their "Seminar Attendance Certificates" attached to their activity report.
• To earn the seminar attendance milestone, the Department records should show that the number of seminars a student has attended is, at least, four times the number of terms the student has been registered as a full-time student in the Department.

Master’s Thesis

• Students must submit a thesis embodying the results of independent research work to the satisfaction of an Examining Committee. The composition of the Examining Committee must be consistent with the committee composition outlined in the Faculty of Engineering minimum requirements section of the Graduate Studies Academic Calendar. The topic of the thesis is arranged by the supervisor(s) and the student.