Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Leuven, Belgium
DURATION
2 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Sep 2025
TUITION FEES
EUR 9,000 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* there is no strict application deadline for EU students | for the most recent – and only official – information on application deadlines, please check the KU Leuven webpage
** for non-EEA; EUR 1500 for EEA | for the most recent – and only official – information on tuition fees, please check the KU Leuven webpage
Introduction
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About this programme
Within the Erasmus Mundus framework, five leading educational institutions in Europe offer a joint Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology. The objective is to prepare you with the multidisciplinary knowledge and skills to design custom-made materials and products with new enhanced properties- such as new nanoelectronic components, new types of ‘smart’ medicines and sensors, and interfaces between electronics and biological systems.
The programme is truly integrated into the international research community, with a strong analytical backbone and an important international network of research centres such as imec in Belgium, CEA-LETI in France and Leibniz Institute for Solid State Materials Research in Germany. This strong link between education and research ensures a contemporary program at the cutting edge of state-of-the-art research.
Program Strengths
- A limited number of scholarships for both European and non-European students are funded by the European Commission. There are scholarships funded by the EU Commission for non-EEA students. The number of grants and the amount of the grant are decided on an annual basis. Besides the scholarships, a limited number of tuition fee waivers are also available.
- The program offers a broad overview covering all aspects of nanoscience and nanotechnology, with on the one hand a strong horizontal multidisciplinary core education, in the various underlying disciplines, and on the other hand a more vertical specialization in one specific subfield of nanoscience and nanotechnology.
- The Erasmus Mundus master program is organized by a consortium of university partners selected for their educational and research strengths in the fields of nanoscience and nanotechnology. This ensures a high-quality and competitive master's program is recognized as one of the best nano educational programs currently available in the world.
Curriculum
Common Program
Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Fundamental Courses
- Quantum Physics
- Semiconductor Physics
- Structure, Synthesis, and Cellular Function of Macromolecules
- Electronic Components, Circuits, and Sensors
- Atom Theory, Chemical Periodicity, and Chemical Bond
- Semiconductor Devices
- Quantum Physics II
- Basics of Pharmaceutical Technology
General Interest Courses
The student chooses at least 6 and at most 9 credits from the following list, taking into account that:
- A student can choose at most one of the following courses: H06B4A and H06U6A (Dutch Language and Culture)
- Students may take a maximum of 9 credit points for the courses Industrial Experience, Industrial Internship, H0T39A (Entrepreneurship in de praktijk/in practice), and H0T91A (Entrepreneurship in practice/service-learning)
- Students select, with approval, at most one of the following two courses: H0T39A (Entrepreneurship in de praktijk/in practice, 3 ECTS) and H0T91A (Entrepreneurship in practice/service-learning, 6 ECTS).
Compulsory Courses
Students choose one of the following courses
- Dutch Language and Cultures
- Dutch Language and Cultures
Elective Courses
- Industrial Organisation: Theory and Applications
- Innovation Management and Strategy
- Philosophy of Technology
- Engineering Economy
- ICT Service Management
- Total Quality Management
- Ecodesign and Life Cycle Engineering
- Energy Economics
- Experimental Design
- Engineering & Entrepreneurship
- Historical and Social Aspects of Physics
- Entrepreneurship in de praktijk / in practice
- Entrepreneurship in practice / service-learning
- Engels in de bedrijfsomgeving
- Technology Entrepreneurship and New Business Development
- Bedrijfservaring: nanowetenschappen en nanotechnologie / Industrial Experience: Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Core Courses
Compulsory Courses
- Nanostructured Bio-Macromolecules
- Materials Physics and Technology for Nanoelectronics
- Chemistry at Nanometre Scale
- Technology of Integrated Systems
- P&O Nanoscience, Nanotechnology and Nanoengineering
- Lectures on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology
Graduation Courses
Specializing Courses
Students choose from 10 graduation options: Modelling and Analysis at the Nanoscale, Nanomedicine and Nanotheranostics, Nanophysics, Quantum Computing, Biophysics, Nanoelectronics, Organic and Molecular Electronics, Bionanotechnology, Nanochemistry, Quantum and Nanoscale Engineering. For each option: students choose the course cluster at one of the locations, and all courses are mandatory within that subgroup.
Option Modelling and Analysis at the Nanoscale (U Barcelona)
- Characterization and Manipulation at the Nanoscale
- Synthesis and Processing of Nanomaterials
- Surface Analysis and Science
- Modeling and Simulation
- Analytical and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
- Master's Thesis Nanomaterials
Option Nanomedicine and Nanotheranostics (U Barcelona)
- Colloidal Systems and Supramolecular Devices
- Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology
- Bioavailability, Efficacy and Toxicity. In Vitro in Vivo Evaluation
- Nanosystems for Medical Diagnosis
- Nanoscopic Systems for Drug Delivery
- Master's Thesis Nanopharmacotherapy
Option Nanophysics (Chalmers)
- Fundamentals of Micro- and Nanotechnology
- Nanoscience
- Master's Thesis Nanophysics
Option Quantum Computing (Chalmers)
- From Quantum Optics to Quantum Technologies
- Superconductivity and Low-Temperature Physics
- Master's Thesis Quantum Computing
Option Biophysics (TU Dresden)
- Physical Chemistry and Experimental Methods
- Lab Rotation
- Master's Thesis Biophysics
Option Nanoelectronics (TU Dresden)
- Academic and Scientific Work
- Project Work
- Master's Thesis Nanoelectronics
Option Organic and Molecular Electronics (TU Dresden)
- Molecular Electronics
- Physical Characterization of Organic and Inorganic Thin Films
- Organic Semiconductors
- Master's Thesis Organic and Molecular Electronics
Option Bionanotechnology (UGA Grenoble)
- Biosensors and High and Through Put Analysis
- Micro-Nanofabrication
- Bio-Molecular Interactions: Methods and Applications
- Surface Functionalization
- Nanosafety
- Master's Thesis Bionanotechnology
Option Nanochemistry (UGA Grenoble)
- Molecular Nanomaterials
- Functional Nanoparticles
- Nanosafety
- Advanced Functional Nanomaterials
- Master's Thesis Nanochemistry
Option Quantum and Nanoscale Engineering (UGA Grenoble)
- Solid State Qubits
- Quantum Condensed Matter
- From Nanofabrication in Research Labs to VLSI
- Thematic and Interdisciplinary Projects
- Master's Thesis Quantum and Nanoscale Engineering
Broadening Courses
U Barcelona
- Characterization and Manipulation at the Nanoscale
- Synthesis and Processing of Nanomaterials
- Surface Analysis and Science
- Colloidal Systems and Supramolecular Devices
- Modeling and Simulation
- Pharmaceutical Nanotechnology
- Bioavailability, Efficacy and Toxicity. In Vitro in Vivo Evaluation
- Nanosystems for Medical Diagnosis
- Nanoscopic Systems for Drug Delivery
- Nanomagnetism and Spintronics
- Micro- and Nanosensors
- Analytical and High-Resolution Transmission Electron Microscopy
- Magnetic Techniques: Spectroscopies and Imaging
- Nanophotonics
- Nano energy
- Clean Room Processes, Nanomanufacturing and Nanoprocessing
Chalmers
- Fundamentals of Micro- and Nanotechnology
- Nanoscience
- Computational Physics
- Quantum Optics and Quantum Information
- Molecular Electronics
- Surface and Nanophysics
- Nanomaterials Chemistry
- Biophysical Chemistry
- Spectroscopy
- Functional Energy Materials
- Advanced Materials Imaging and Microanalysis
- Quantum Computing
- Advanced Simulation and Machine Learning
- Superconductivity and Low-Temperature Physics
- Modeling and Fabrication of Micro/Nanodevices
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Liquid Crystals, Physics and Applications
- Non-Equilibrium Processes in Physics, Chemistry and Biology
- Semiconductor Materials Physics
- Superconducting Devices: Fundamental and Applications
- Graphene Science and Technology
- Applied Optical Spectroscopy
- Integrated Photonics
- Computational Materials and Molecular Physics
- Physics and Applications of Electromagnetic Fields and Optical Materials
- Physics of Materials
- Biological and Biotechnical Physics
- Open Quantum Systems
TU Dresden
- Surface Chemistry
- Genomes and Evolution
- Developmental Biology
- Introduction of Proteomics
- Applied Bio-informatics
- Protein Engineering
- Current Topics in Materials Science
- Environmental Nanotechnology
- Introduction to Nanobiotechnology
- Stem Cell Engineering
- Biomedical Tissue Engineering
- Nano-optics
- Magnetism on the Nanoscale
- Biofunctionalized Surfaces
- Physical Characterization of Organic and Inorganic Thin Films
- Electromechanical Networks
- Concepts of Molecular Modelling
- Hardware / Software Codesign Lab
- Molecular Electronics
- Optoelectronics
- Real-Time Systems
- Integrated Circuits for Broadband Optical Communication
- Physical Chemistry and Experimental Methods
- Lab Rotation
- Introduction to Optical Non-classical Computing: Concepts and Devices
- Quantum Mechanics for Nanoelectronics
- Distributed Systems Engineering
- Future Computing Strategies in Nanoelectronic Systems
- Ubiquitous Systems
- Biomedical Laser Systems and Optogenetics
- Computational Cell Biology
- Computational Laser Systems
- Innovative Concepts for Active Nanoelectronic Devices
- Microprocessors in the Lab
- Molecular Motors
- The Physics of Liquid-Liquid Phase Separations
- Smart Microscopy and Image Analysis
- Structural and Computational Biology
- Biological Thermodynamics
- New Developments in Bionanotechnology
- Antennas and Radar Systems
- Applied Bioimage Analysis
- Communications
- Design and Programming of Embedded Multicore Architectures
- Dynamics of Complex Systems and Networks
- Embedded Hardware Systems Design
- Foundations of Software Fault-Tolerance
- Hardware/Software Codesign
- Integrated Photonic Devices for Communications and Signal Processing
- Neuromorphic VLSI Systems
- New Developments in Bionanotechnology
- Physical Measurements in Living Systems
- Radio Frequency Integrated Circuits
- VLSI Processor Design
- Wireless Sensor Networks
UGA Grenoble
- Elaboration of Nanostructures / Physics of 2D Materials
- Optics for Biological Systems
- Cell Signaling
- Surface Functionalization
- Pi-conjugated and Conducting Polymers
- Nanocomposite Materials
- Biosensors and High and Through Put Analysis
- Microfluidics
- Biomaterials Engineering
- Molecular Markers for Medical Imaging
- Molecular Nanomaterials
- Functional Nanoparticles
- Nanophotonics and Plasmonics
- Nanomagnetism and Spintronics
- Nanomaterials and Energy
- Nanopores and Membranes
- Nanosafety
- Characterization of Biomolecular Interactions at Surfaces
- Bio-Molecular Interactions: Methods and Applications
- Fundamentals of Structural Biology
- Micro-Nanofabrication
- Advanced Functional Nanomaterials
- Solid State Qubits
- Quantum Condensed Matter
- From Nanofabrication in Research Labs to VLSI
- Thematic and Interdisciplinary Projects
- Physiology
- Neuroscience
- Machine Learning
- Open Quantum System
- Quantum Optics
- Quantum Algorithms
- Microwaves and Cryoelectronics
- Advanced Semiconductor Devices
- Advanced Characterization Techniques for Nanostructures
- Research Training
- Active Matter
Ideal Students
Applicants must both be qualified and motivated to start our Erasmus Mundus Master of Science in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology.
- You have strong analytic, synthetic, and interpretive capabilities
- You have a clear interest in both the fundamental sciences and technological problems
- You can interpret a large variety of questions and translate them to the abstract, academic level
- You can form a personal and independent scientific opinion and communicate it effectively to others
- You can further demonstrate a strong interest in how and why systems function, their societal and psychological relevance, and the implications for society
- From your bachelor's education, you should have acquired a basic knowledge of mathematics (including advanced algebra and differential equations), physics, chemistry, and electronics
- You can think in a mathematical-analytical way and have a strong interest in technology and a fascination for the relationship between science and technology
- You are eager and prepared to learn autonomously and be willing to work hard and show perseverance, entrepreneurship, and creativity.
Admissions
Program delivery
The courses are fully taught in English.
Program Outcome
- Credits: 120 ECTS
- Degree Type: Master
- Specifications: Master of Science.
Program Tuition Fee
Why study at KU Leuven
What sets us apart as a university?
A highly ranked university
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. All of KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as the most innovative university in Europe in 2016.
Research-based education
Education at KU Leuven is research-based, which means students will learn from the same professors who are performing the ground-breaking research you read about in the press. New insights are instantly integrated into classes and students are encouraged to perform their own research. In our FabLab, students can use a number of high-tech machines to create whatever they want – all free of charge.
Affordable tuition fees
Higher education is highly valued in Belgium and therefore subsidised by the government. This allows KU Leuven to keep tuition fees relatively low, which gives you a price/quality ratio very few top-100 universities can match. We take pride in keeping our programmes as accessible as possible to allow the brightest students from around the globe to join our courses.
International student life with respect for diversity
According to Times Higher Education, KU Leuven is in the top 50 of most international universities worldwide with staff and students from over 150 different nationalities. For all our international students, the Pangaea student centre is their home away from home. Our university also strives for diversity and inclusion and wants to work together on a pact for more respect.
Program Leaders
Scholarships and Funding
Several scholarship options are available. Please visit the university website for more information.
Info Sessions
KU Leuven combines the best of both worlds by hosting both online and live info sessions. You choose how, where and when to get your information in your search for the right program
Rankings
KU Leuven is among the best 100 universities in the world according to both Times Higher Education World Rankings and QS World University Rankings. KU Leuven’s disciplines proudly belong to the top 100 of their field. Furthermore, KU Leuven was ranked by Reuters as the most innovative university in Europe in 2016.
Accreditations
Gallery
Career Opportunities
Within a few years, nanoscience applications are expected to impact upon virtually every technological sector and ultimately almost all aspects of our daily life. In the coming five to ten years, many new products and companies will emerge based on nanotechnology and nanosciences. These new products will stem from the knowledge developed at the interface of the various scientific disciplines offered in the programme.
Graduates will find a wealth of career opportunities in the sectors and industries developing these new technologies: electronics, new and smart materials, chemical technology, biotechnology, R&D, independent consultancies and more. You’ll graduate with the ideal background to become an invaluable interface between these areas and will be able to apply a broad perspective on nanoscience and nanotechnology in the development and creation of new products and even new companies.