The Nanotechnology Engineering Academic Curriculum
The curriculum in Nanotechnology Engineering consists of a set of core courses complemented by eight technical elective courses.
The normal recommended curriculum shown below typically involves a course load (excluding seminars) of five to six lecture courses per term. Permission from the associate director of nanotechnology engineering (students), will be required for departures from the normal load in any given term. Permission to carry more than the regular load in any given term will normally be approved only for students who have attained an 80% or higher average in the preceding term.
The sequence of co-op work terms for Nanotechnology Engineering students comprises of two four-month work terms following the 1B and 2A terms, and two eight-month work terms following the 2B and 3B terms. The Co-operative Education Program Regulations apply.
The promotion criteria used to determine progression through the Nanotechnology Engineering plan is described in the Engineering Examinations and Promotions section of this Calendar.
The term-by-term academic component of the curriculum is as follows:
Term 1A (Fall)
- MATH 117 Calculus 1 for Engineering
- NE 100 Introduction to Nanotechnology Engineering
- NE 109 Societal and Environmental Impacts of Nanotechnology
- NE 111 Introduction to Programming for Engineers
- NE 112 Linear Algebra for Nanotechnology Engineers
- NE 121 Chemical Principles
Term 1B (Winter)
- MATH 119 Calculus 2 for Engineering
- NE 110 Introduction to Nanomaterials Health Risks
- NE 113 Introduction to Computational Methods
- NE 125 Introduction to Materials Science and Engineering
- NE 131 Physics for Nanotechnology Engineering
- NE 140 Linear Circuits
Term 2A (Fall)
Term 2B (Spring)
- NE 217 Advanced Calculus and Numerical Methods 2
- NE 225 Structure and Properties of Nanomaterials
- NE 226 Characterization of Materials
- NE 226L Laboratory Characterization Methods
- NE 242 Semiconductor Physics and Devices
- NE 281 Biology for Nanotechnology Engineers
Term 3A (Spring)
- MSCI 261 Engineering Economics: Financial Management for Engineers
- NE 318 Continuum Mechanics for Nanotechnology Engineering
- NE 320L Characterization of Materials Laboratory
- NE 332 Quantum Mechanics
- NE 333 Macromolecular Science
- NE 343 Microfabrication and Thin-film Technology
Term 3B (Fall)
- NE 307 Introduction to Nanosystems Design
- NE 330L Macromolecular Science Laboratory
- NE 334 Statistical Thermodynamics
- NE 336 Micro and Nanosystem Computer-aided Design
- NE 340L Microfabrication and Thin-film Technology Laboratory
- NE 352 Surfaces and Interfaces
- Two Technical Electives
Term 4A (Fall)
Term 4B (Winter)
- NE 409 Nanosystems Design Project and Symposium
- Complementary Studies Elective
- Three Technical Electives
- Two senior laboratory course electives selected from:
- NE 455A Nano-electronics Laboratory 2
- NE 455B Nano-instrumentation Laboratory 2
- NE 455C Nanobiosystems Laboratory 2
- NE 455D Nanostructured Materials Laboratory 2
Undergraduate Communication Requirement
Strong communication skills are essential to academic, professional, and personal success. To satisfy the Undergraduate Communication Requirement, Nanotechnology Engineering students must successfully complete a foundational course on communication. This course is scheduled into the 2A term, must be completed prior to enrolling in the 3A term, and can be selected from the following list below. These courses cannot be taken online.
Complementary Studies Electives
In addition to the Undergraduate Communication Requirement, Nanotechnology Engineering students are required to take four complementary studies electives (CSEs), to develop non-technical knowledge and skills. Two of the CSEs are NE 109 and MSCI 261, which are taken as core courses in 1A and 3A, respectively. One CSE must be from List C. Students are free to choose the remaining CSE from Lists A, C, or D.
Professional Development Courses
Professional development (PD) courses are required; see Work Terms for details. In addition to the two core PD courses, Nanotechnology Engineering students are required to take PD 11 Processes for Technical Report Writing. This course counts as one of the three elective PD courses.
Technical Electives
The Nanotechnology Engineering plan may be divided broadly into four areas of concentration, identified herein as micro and nano-instrumentation, nano-electronics, nanobiosystems, and nanomaterials. A set of eight technical elective course choices is provided in the curriculum to enable students to focus upon at least two of these areas of concentration. Students may choose up to four courses from outside the Nanotechnology Engineering plan to complement their studies. Approved technical electives are listed below. For a list of courses available in a specific term, consult the nanotechnology engineering undergraduate co-ordinator. The associate director (program) has the right, where the number of students enrolled in a course at the end of the Course Selection Period is 10 or less, to cancel the course.
Note: For NE 453, more than one course may be offered simultaneously under this course number.
- NE 335 Soft Nanomaterials
- NE 344 Electronic Circuits
- NE 345 Photonic Materials and Devices
- NE 353 Nanoprobing and Lithography
- NE 381 Introduction to Nanoscale Biosystems
- NE 451 Simulation Methods
- NE 452 Special Topics in Nanoscale Simulations
- NE 453 Special Topics in Nanotechnology Engineering
- NE 459 Nanotechnology Engineering Research Project
- NE 461 Micro and Nano-instrumentation
- NE 466 Tactile Sensors and Transducers
- NE 471 Nano-electronics
- NE 476 Organic Electronics
- NE 481 Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology
- NE 486 Biosensors
- NE 487 Microfluidic and Nanobiotechnological Systems
- NE 488/CHE 561 Biomaterials and Biomedical Design
- NE 491 Nanostructured Materials
- NE 496 Nanomaterials for Electrochemical Energy Systems
Students may choose up to a maximum of four non-NE technical elective courses from the lists below.
List 1 - 200-level
Maximum of one technical elective from the following list.
- CHE 225/CHE 425 Strategies for Process Improvement and Product Development
- CIVE 204 Solid Mechanics 1
- ECE 222 Digital Computers
- ECE 224 Embedded Microprocessor Systems
- ECE 250 Algorithms and Data Structures
- ECE 252 Systems Programming and Concurrency
- ECE 254 Operating Systems and Systems Programming
- ECE 260 Electromechanical Energy Conversion
- ME 262 Introduction to Microprocessors and Digital Logic
- MSCI 240 Algorithms and Data Structures
- MSCI 245 Databases and Software Design
- MTE 241 Introduction to Computer Structures and Real-Time Systems
- MTE 262 Introduction to Microprocessors and Digital Logic
- SYDE 223 Data Structures and Algorithms
List 2 - Non-NE
- BME 386 The Physics of Medical Imaging
- BME 393 Digital Systems
- BME 550 Sports Engineering
- BME 587 Special Topics in Biomedical Signals
- CHE 331 Electrochemical Engineering
- CHE 361 Bioprocess Engineering
- CHE 480 Process Analysis and Design
- CHE 514 Fundamentals of Petroleum Production
- CHE 516 Energy Systems Engineering
- CHE 521 Process Optimization
- CHE 543 Polymer Production: Polymer Reaction Engineering
- CHE 571 Industrial Ecology
- CHE 572 Air Pollution Control
- CHE 574 Industrial Wastewater Pollution Control
- CIVE 310 Introduction to Structural Design
- CIVE 460/ME 574 Engineering Biomechanics
- CIVE 512 Rehabilitation of Structures
- ECE 327 Digital Hardware Systems
- ECE 340 Electronic Circuits 2
- ECE 350 Real-Time Operating Systems
- ECE 356 Database Systems
- ECE 358 Computer Networks
- ECE 360 Power Systems and Smart Grids
- ECE 373 Radio Frequency and Microwave Circuits
- ECE 375 Electromagnetic Fields and Waves
- ECE 406 Algorithm Design and Analysis
- ECE 409 Cryptography and System Security
- ECE 416 Advanced Topics in Networking
- ECE 417 Image Processing
- ECE 423 Embedded Computer Systems
- ECE 444 Integrated Analog Electronics
- ECE 457A Co-operative and Adaptive Algorithms
- ECE 457B Fundamentals of Computational Intelligence
- ECE 459 Programming for Performance
- ECE 474 Radio and Wireless Systems
- ECE 477 Photonic Devices and Systems
- ECE 484 Digital Control Applications
- ECE 488 Multivariable Control Systems
- ME 340 Manufacturing Processes
- ME 435 Industrial Metallurgy
- ME 459 Energy Conversion
- ME 526 Fatigue and Fracture Analysis
- ME 531 Physical Metallurgy Applied to Manufacturing
- ME 533 Non-metallic and Composite Materials
- MSCI 331 Introduction to Optimization
- MSCI 332 Deterministic Optimization Models and Methods
- MSCI 342 Principles of Software Engineering
- MSCI 343 Human-Computer Interaction
- MSCI 431 Stochastic Models and Methods
- MSCI 432 Production and Service Operations Management
- MSCI 435 Advanced Optimization Techniques
- MSCI 446 Introduction to Machine Learning
- MSCI 452 Decision Making Under Uncertainty
- MTE 322 Electromechanical Machine Design
- MTE 325 Microprocessor Systems and Interfacing for Mechatronics Engineering
- MTE 360 Automatic Control Systems
- MTE 420 Power Electronics and Motor Drives
- MTE 544 Autonomous Mobile Robots
- MTE 545 Introduction to MEMS Fabrication
- SE 464 Software Design and Architectures
- SYDE 322 Software Design
- SYDE 334 Applied Statistics
- SYDE 522 Foundations of Artificial Intelligence
- SYDE 531 Design Optimization Under Probabilistic Uncertainty
- SYDE 533 Conflict Resolution
- SYDE 542 Interface Design
- SYDE 543 Cognitive Ergonomics
- SYDE 544 Biomedical Measurement and Signal Processing
- SYDE 548 User Centred Design Methods
- SYDE 552/BIOL 487 Computational Neuroscience
- SYDE 556 Simulating Neurobiological Systems
- SYDE 572 Introduction to Pattern Recognition
- SYDE 584 Physiological Systems and Biomedical Design