Meet the Global Demand for Semiconductor & Microelectronics Engineers

Purdue University's Master of Science in Interdisciplinary Engineering, with a specialization in Microelectronics and Semiconductors, equips professionals with the leadership skills needed in the dynamic microelectronics field, addressing the increasing demand for semiconductor engineers. According to the Semiconductor Industry Association's State of the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Report (2023), approximately 36% of semiconductor professionals hold advanced degrees, a significant contrast to the 14% average in other fields. 

Endorsed by Purdue's renowned Semiconductor Degrees Program (SDP) and backed by industry-leading companies, our program stands out as the sole degree program exclusively dedicated to semiconductors and microelectronics within a top 10 nationally ranked engineering college. Delivered through online modalities, this master's program accommodates the schedules of working professionals, offering practical, focused training that can be immediately applied to the workforce. 

The curriculum draws from various schools, colleges, and departments across Purdue University, including the Mitch Daniels School of Business, Purdue Polytechnic Institute, the Elmore Family School of Electrical & Computer Engineering, and the School of Materials Engineering. Students have the opportunity to enroll in courses covering supply chain management, materials engineering, circuit design, systems design, and more, enabling them to build a comprehensive skillset and meet the rising demands for semiconductor-related expertise. 

Why earn your Master's in Interdisciplinary Engineering?

Employers are increasingly seeking engineers who have interdisciplinary skillsets. Technological advancements and developments in engineering methods and processes have made the problems that engineers are tasked with solving more complex -- and interdisciplinary skills have never been more important. Read more about the importance in building interdisciplinary skillsets.

Curriculum

This degree requires 30 credit hours total with at least 18 hours of Purdue graduate engineering courses. Course subjects suggested for the online master’s in microelectronics and semiconductors includes:  

• Circuit Design 
• Devices and Manufacturing (DM) 
• System Design (SD) 
• Supply Chain Management 

The degree awarded is either the Master of Science in Engineering (MSE) or the Master of Science (MS) depending upon your undergraduate degree; the major is Microelectronics and Semiconductors. The full curriculum can be found here.

Students can choose their courses from a wide suite of available 1, 2 and 3-credit hour course options. 

After you begin your studies at Purdue, an academic advisor will provide you with tools to map out a plan of study and help you define a concentration tailored to align with your specific goals. Your academic advisor will also help you identify a faculty advisor.

Admissions Requirements

Why did you decide to pursue the Purdue Master’s in Semiconductors?

I work in the semiconductor industry (in equipment manufacturing, working on EUV Lithography), but know very little about semiconductors. Additionally, there are good opportunities to take a wide variety of courses, which can really help augment my tool kit at work. Finally, there is a large national push to increase our domestic semiconductor talent pool, and I find it quite motivating to be a part of that.

What courses are you looking forward to taking?

• Chip design courses. (What are the building blocks of a chip, and how do we combine them to make useful products?)
• Chip manufacturing courses. (What are all the steps in the chip manufacturing process, where are the bottlenecks and challenges, what steps will be a major focus going forward, and what chip manufacturing technologies can I leverage for my own work?)
• Material science courses. (Outside of being quite relevant to semiconductors, they’re also extremely relevant for my job.
• Process development courses. (I do a lot of process development at work, what are some industry standards I should be aware of?)

What has your experience been like so far?

It has been very good. Returning to school has definitely prompted a shift in how I think about problems. at work.

Some courses have been a bit too deep in the electron-weeds for me – diving deep into the Schrodinger equation is pretty far from my day-to-day job and I didn’t find that to be very helpful. On the other side of the coin, courses that went over fundamentals of how semiconductors function, material properties, etc., have been very educational and surprisingly helpful in my role. 

I’m already quite busy with work and life outside work, so adding a Master’s degree to my schedule was probably a silly thing to do. That said, the program is generally very flexible, which has been fantastic. Without that level of flexibility, I would have struggled greatly, but as it is, it’s manageable to cruise through one course per semester.

Learn read more about Duvall and his educational experience.

Frequently Asked Questions