Master in Nanoscale Engineering
Écully, France
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
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EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
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STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
Introduction
The objectives of this master’s degree are to educate future managers, engineers, and researchers in the field of nanotechnology and give them the tools to handle recent advances in nanotechnology and biology. Graduates will be ready to undertake international projects in which these different fields overlap.
École Centrale de Lyon is the leading institution of this Université de Lyon master’s program, which is accredited jointly with INSA Lyon and Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1.
Five major supporting laboratories
This degree is a two-year program (Master 1 and 2) built around nanoscience and nanotechnology. It is conducted under the scientific expertise of lecturers and researchers from five major Lyon laboratories: the Lyon Institute of Nanotechnology (INL), the ILM (a nanoscience research center), the MATEIS (materials science laboratory), the LMI (multi-materials and interfaces laboratory) and the ISA (analytical sciences institute).
An international master’s taught in English
As a truly international degree, 60% of international students to Centrale Lyon enroll in this master’s and the lessons are given entirely in English. Numerous internationally renowned scientists from outside France also give seminars on their fields of expertise during the year.
Nanoscience and the Challenges of Tomorrow
Nanoscale objects present extraordinary properties that do not exist at the macroscopic scale. In physics, quantum mechanics comes to the fore, while in the area of fluid mechanics, confinement provokes other laws. Being able to control matter at the nanoscale can allow the creation of devices with particular properties capable of being incorporated into existing devices or opening the field to new engineering applications. Nanoscience is at the vanguard of several disciplines: physics, chemistry, electronics, and biology. It is being harnessed to meet the challenges of tomorrow found in areas covering health, renewable energy, communications, and many other sectors.
Curriculum
The goal of this master’s program is to train scientists capable of designing nanoscale devices. As such, students take interdisciplinary theoretical lessons in:
- physics,
- materials science,
- matter techniques and characterization,
- nanoelectronics and/or nanobiotechnology if they wish to specialize or expand the scope of their knowledge.
At the same time, students gain practical expertise thanks to:
- practical work,
- laboratory placements (two in the first year, one in the second year).
During these placements, they use the laboratory’s research materials and immerse themselves in a highly demanding research environment (for example, work in a cleanroom).
There are also lessons on the social impact of nanotechnology, which forms part of the non-scientific side of the program along with project management and classes on intellectual and industrial property.
Engineering students at Centrale Lyon who take the bioengineering and nanotechnology specialization can enter the 2nd year of the Nanoscale Engineering Master’s degree. They then follow a portion of the courses and obtain equivalent credits.
Career Opportunities
After this degree, students can continue studying for a doctorate or enter the job market in high-tech companies in France or abroad (Thales, CEA, STMicroelectronics, Google).
- Doctorates and scientific careers: the majority of graduates continue their studies for a Ph.D. There is a strong demand for master-level teachers for science undergraduates.
- Private sector: electronics, materials (development and applications), biotechnology (analysis and pharmacology), tools and processes (characterizations and techniques).
Admissions
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Program Admission Requirements
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