Nanotechnology courses have received a lot of attention in the recent years. The world of education in Karnataka was until last year yet to catch up on the nanotechnology course front. Hoping to close the gap in the requirement for BE graduates in nanotechnology, a few educational institutions in Karnataka have begun offering the requisite courses.
Course Details
- Course: BE in nanotechnology
- Duration: Four years (semester)
- Eligibility: II year pre-university course or 12th standard
- Entrance examination: Common Entrance Test conducted by Karnataka Examination Authority
Understanding nanotechnology and the career opportunities
Of all the cutting edge industries, nanotechnology is a particularly exciting field. The scope of work in the field involves manipulation at the atomic or molecular level. At this scale of manipulation a lot of inherent properties of materials can be manipulated to better suit human needs. Nanotechnology can be summed up very simply as the refinement of materials starting at the atomic or molecular level.
Engineering, irrespective of the branch has principles of physics, chemistry and even biology integrated to some extent. Similarly foundation courses are a part of most nanotech courses in colleges across the world. Specialization and master’s degrees in nanoscience are available through diplomas in some cases.
Research into nanotechnology is believed to benefit and improve the quality of human life. The application of this amazing science is unlimited. Nearly every realm of human existence starting from electronics to clothing to medicine has at some point been refined or modified using nanotechnology.
Medical application of the technology and engineering application to create smaller microprocessors are currently two of the major fields that requires nano-technicians. Apart from those fields, forensic science, space research, agriculture, genetics, teaching and food and beverage industry are some of the realms that present job opportunities for graduates in the field.
Being on the precipice of the changing cliff face of technology predicting the career opportunities for nanotechnology graduates is futile as it is invading every discipline of study and application. There is an expected job market for nearly 5 million nanotechnology graduates in the world by 2016.
Colleges in Karnataka offering nanotechnology courses
There are three colleges that offer the course which include:
Srinivas Institute of Technology: The pioneering college that introduced the course is Srinivas Institute of Technology located in Mangalore. The college is one of the many within the Srinivas Group of Colleges. The college is affiliated to Visveswaraiah technological university in Belgaum and is recognized by the AICTE (All India Council for Technical Education) in New Delhi.
Gulbarga University: Gulbarga University located in Gulbarga, Karnataka offers a post graduate diploma course in nanotechnology. Students who have successfully completed their graduation are eligible to apply for the one year diploma course.
The Indian Institute of Science: The Institute has a center of excellence in Nanoelectronics as well as courses in nanotechnology. The campus is located in Bangalore. The Jawaharlal Nehru center for advanced scientific research in Bangalore offers courses related to nanotechnology.
The possibilities that unlock with nanotechnology degrees are endless. Scientists are relying on a new crop of students to create microchips that can be inserted into the human body, drugs that target single malignant cells, create power from sunlight more efficiently amongst countless other applications.
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