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Nanotechnology

Types of Degrees Nanotechnology Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Nanotechnology may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Certificate	1
Associate’s Degree	2
Bachelor’s Degree	10
Master’s Degree	57
Doctor’s Degree	38

What Nanotechnology Majors Need to Know

Studies in Nanotechnology emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Nanotechnology graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Nanotechnology emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Physics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Design — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills built by a Nanotechnology program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Complex Problem Solving — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 3.9 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Nanotechnology careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Inductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Problem Sensitivity — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Nanotechnology graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Working with Computers	4.5 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.0 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.0 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	3.9 / 7
Thinking Creatively	3.9 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	3.9 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Nanotechnology professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Python	Object or component oriented development software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Visio	Process mapping and design software	—
National Instruments LabVIEW	Development environment software	✓
Dassault Systemes SolidWorks	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Linux	Operating system software	✓
Structured query language SQL	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Nanotechnology graduates include:

• Engineer
• Research Engineer
• Project Engineer
• Consulting Engineer
• Design Engineer
• Process Development Engineer
• Applications Engineer
• Nanomaterials Synthesis Research Scientist
• Durability Engineer
• Nanoindentation Applications Engineer
• Nanomaterials Research Scientist
• Nanosystems Engineer
• Nanotechnology Materials Scientist
• Nanoelectronics Engineer
• Nanofabrication Engineer

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Nanotechnology graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	46.6%
Doctoral degree	17.2%
Master’s degree	11.2%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	6.7%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	4.8%
Some college courses	3.8%
Postsecondary certificate	3.6%
Post-doctoral training	2.4%
First professional degree	1.9%
High school diploma or equivalent	1.2%
Less than a high school diploma	0.6%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Nanotechnology?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly male, with men earning 61.1% of Nanotechnology degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	42	38.9%
Men	66	61.1%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Nanotechnology graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	31	28.7%
Asian	9	8.3%
Hispanic or Latino	10	9.3%
Black or African American	3	2.8%
Two or More Races	3	2.8%
Race Unknown	1	0.9%
International Students	51	47.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

Online Nanotechnology Programs

Online study is tracked by IPEDS for Nanotechnology. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	1	0

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Engineering Technologies	91,975
Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians	11,920
Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians	11,391
Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians	10,798
Drafting/Design Engineering Technologies/Technicians	9,702
Electrical/Electronic Engineering Technologies/Technicians	9,196
Engineering-Related Fields	8,633
Mechanical Engineering Related Technologies/Technicians	5,996
Construction Engineering Technology/Technician	5,089
Quality Control and Safety Technologies/Technicians	3,938
ENGINEERING/ENGINEERING-RELATED TECHNOLOGIES/TECHNICIANS	3,883
Computer Engineering Technologies/Technicians	3,275

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.