Advisors: See Faculty of Science, academic advisors.
The Honours Materials and Nanosciences program is an interdisciplinary plan offered jointly by the Department of Chemistry and the Department of Physics and Astronomy. Both materials science and nanoscience have been very active research areas during the past few decades, and are now having a major impact in diverse fields, ranging from manufacturing to materials technology to nanomedicine to renewable energy to information technology. This program is aimed at students interested in learning about and working in these high-tech fields and complements the Nanotechnology Engineering plan offered through the Faculty of Engineering. It is designed for students who are motivated by, and interested in the fundamental building blocks of materials and devices, both at the macroscopic and nanometer scales.
The Honours Materials and Nanosciences program meets admission requirements for graduate programs in chemistry, and would be particularly suitable for admission into nanoscience and nanotechnology graduate programs. It is also intended for students who wish to find employment in industries associated with such fields as alternative energy sources, information technology, emerging materials, and biomedical therapies and diagnostics.
The Honours Materials and Nanosciences program takes the form of a core of required courses plus appropriate electives. The electives allow students to strengthen complementary areas of interest.
Continuing in the Honours Materials and Nanosciences program requires a cumulative overall average of 60% and a cumulative overall Science average of 60%.
Successful completion of this program requires:
22.0 units that include:
- 4.5 MNS units: MNS 101, MNS 102, MNS 201L, MNS 211, MNS 221, MNS 321, MNS 322, MNS 331, and MNS 410 or MNS 431
- 2.75 CHEM units: CHEM 120, CHEM 120L, CHEM 123, CHEM 123L, CHEM 209, CHEM 266L, and CHEM 356
- 3.0 PHYS units: PHYS 121, PHYS 121L, PHYS 122, PHYS 132L, PHYS 232L, PHYS 242, and PHYS 342
- 2.5 MATH units: MATH 114, MATH 127, MATH 128, MATH 227, and MATH 228
- 8.75 elective units distributed as follows:
- a minimum of 0.25 unit from CHEM 237L and CHEM 250L (Refer to Note 1)
- 0.5 unit from CHEM 233 or CHEM 237 (Refer to Note 2)
- 0.5 unit from CHEM 264 or CHEM 266 (Refer to Note 3)
- 0.5 unit from CHEM 254 or PHYS 358 (Refer to Note 4)
- a minimum of 0.5 unit from PHYS 280 and PHYS 335
- 2.0 program elective units, 300-level or higher
- 1.0 program elective unit, 400-level
- 2.0 program elective units, any level
- 1.5 units from any 0.25 or 0.5 unit courses
- 0.5 ENGL unit: ENGL 193/SPCOM 193
Additional Program Requirement:
Students should enrol in MNS 10 every fall and winter term.
Notes
- Students should take CHEM 237L in Year Three winter or CHEM 250L in Year Three fall.
- Students wishing to take CHEM 233 and CHEM 237L must obtain permission from the instructor of CHEM 237L to override the prerequisite of CHEM 237.
- Students wishing to take CHEM 264 instead of CHEM 266 must obtain permission from the instructor of CHEM 266L to override the prerequisite of CHEM 266.
- Students should take CHEM 254 in Year Two winter or PHYS 358 in Year Three fall.
Recommended Course Sequence
Year One
Fall
CHEM 120/CHEM 120L Physical and Chemical Properties of Matter/Chemical Reaction Laboratory 1
MATH 114 Linear Algebra for Science
MATH 127 Calculus 1 for the Sciences
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 101 Materials and Nanosciences in the Modern World
PHYS 121/PHYS 121L Mechanics/Mechanics Laboratory
Winter
CHEM 123/CHEM 123L Chemical Reactions, Equilibria and Kinetics/Chemical Reaction Laboratory 2
MATH 128 Calculus 2 for the Sciences
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 102 Techniques for Materials and Nanosciences
PHYS 122/PHYS 132L Waves, Electricity and Magnetism/Waves, Electricity and Magnetism Laboratory
One of ENGL 193/SPCOM 193 Communication in the Sciences
Year Two
Fall
CHEM 209 Introductory Spectroscopy and Structure
CHEM 266 Basic Organic Chemistry 1
or CHEM 264 Organic Chemistry 1 - (Refer to Note 3)
CHEM 266L Organic Chemistry Laboratory
MATH 227 Calculus 3 for Honours Physics
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 211 Chemistry and the Solid State
PHYS 232L Measurement Laboratory
One elective (0.5 unit)
Winter
MATH 228 Differential Equations for Physics and Chemistry
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 201L Materials and Nanosciences Laboratory
MNS 221 Physics and the Solid State
PHYS 242 Electricity and Magnetism 1
One elective (0.5 unit) - (Refer to Note 4)
Year Three
Fall
CHEM 250L Physical Chemistry Laboratory 1 - (Refer to Note 1)
CHEM 356 Introductory Quantum Mechanics
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 321 Electrical and Optical Properties of Materials
Three electives (1.5 units) - (Refer to Note 4)
Winter
CHEM 237 Introductory Biochemistry
or CHEM 233 Fundamentals of Biochemistry - (Refer to Note 2)
CHEM 237L Introductory Biochemistry Laboratory - (Refer to Note 1)
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 322 Polymer Materials
MNS 331 Biomaterials
PHYS 280 Introduction to Biophysics
or PHYS 335 Condensed Matter Physics
One elective (0.5 unit)
Year Four
Fall
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
PHYS 342 Electricity and Magnetism 2
Four electives (2.0 units)
Winter
MNS 10 Materials and Nanosciences Seminar
MNS 410 Special Topics in Solid-State Materials
or MNS 431 Special Topics in Nano-Biomaterials
Four electives (2.0 units)
List of Program Electives
CHEM 212 Structure and Bonding
CHEM 220 Intro Analytical Chemistry
CHEM 220L Analytical Chemistry Lab 1
CHEM 221 Multi-Component Analysis
CHEM 267 Basic Organic Chemistry 2
CHEM 310 Transition Element Compounds and Inorganic Materials
CHEM 333 Metabolism 1
CHEM 340 Introduction to Computational Chemistry
CHEM 350 Chemical Kinetics
CHEM 357 Physical Biochemistry
CHEM 400 Special Topics in Chemistry (excluding Special Topics: Polymer Properties and Polymerization)
CHEM 430 Special Topics in Biochemistry
CHEM 494A Research Project and CHEM 494B Research Project
PHYS 225 Modelling Life Physics
PHYS 236 Computational Physics 1
PHYS 256 Geometrical and Physical Optics
PHYS 334 Quantum Physics 2
PHYS 359 Statistical Mechanics
PHYS 360A Modern Physics Laboratory 1
PHYS 360B Modern Physics Laboratory 2
PHYS 364 Mathematical Physics 1
PHYS 365 Mathematical Physics 2
PHYS 380 Molecular and Cellular Biophysics
PHYS 391 Electronics
PHYS 392 Scientific Measurement and Control
PHYS 396 Biophysics of Imaging
PHYS 434 Quantum Physics 3
PHYS 435 Current Topics in Condensed Matter Physics
PHYS 437A Research Project and PHYS 437B Research Project (continued)
PHYS 461 Nanophysics