Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology

The University of Oxford’s online Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology is a quality online course aimed at professionals from a diverse range of backgrounds who wish to learn more about the foundations of nanotechnology, technological advances and the applications enabled by nanotechnology. There are opportunities to access cutting-edge research and current practice in a wide range of nanotechnology topics.

The course provides relevant, meaningful and up-to-date learning to enhance career development that is recognised and accepted within industry. A modular structure allows a flexible approach to learning and each module may be taken as an individual short course. The tutor-led approach lends cohesion to the distance learning experience which is tailored for busy people in full-time employment who wish to minimise time away from the workplace to study.

Nanotechnology is the production and application of devices and systems at the nanometer scale, which is of the order of one billionth of a meter. Developments in this area of technology are now coming to fruition, and increasingly impacting our daily lives. However it is recognised that there is a need for more people to understand the basics about this technology.

The University of Oxford's online Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology offers a nine-month introduction to the subject. The course is taken part-time and online meaning that it can be taken from anywhere in the world by those seeking a solid foundation in nanotechnology, whilst having the option of working full-time. The course uses a blend of individual study of online learning materials, together with group work during live online tutorials, discussions and research. The group sessions with tutors are particularly valuable because they offer highly authentic learning and assessment opportunities.

Features

Students study the Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology over three modules that introduce the most commonly used and most important analytical, quantitative and experimental methods in nanotechnology. The course has the following features:

• A unique online, part-time University of Oxford qualification aimed at industry;
• The course comprises three modules giving a thorough introduction to nanotechnology and the behaviour and characterisation of nanoparticles;
• The course is taken part-time so students can complete it whilst continuing to work full-time;
• The course is taught online and can be taken from anywhere in the world;
• Tutors provide online support and replicate electronically the famed Oxford tutorial system;
• Assessment throughout the modules ensures that students can monitor their progress;
• The course has a dedicated course director and administration team accustomed to supporting students undertaking distance learning courses;
• Students have access to staff at the University of Oxford’s Begbroke Science Park, particularly the Course Director, Dr Christiane Norenberg, and Professor Peter J Dobson, the RCUK strategic advisor for nanotechnology;
• Throughout the course, students can use the University of Oxford’s unrivalled electronic library resources to enable them to complete the assignment tasks.

Who is it for?

The Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology is a unique part-time, online course leading to a postgraduate qualification at the University of Oxford. The course is designed for students wishing to study part-time. It will appeal to those working in the commercial or healthcare sectors, who use, or expect to use, nanotechnology in their work. Previous students include electrical engineers, materials scientists, project managers, patent agents, chemists, medical practitioners, plastic surgeons and food technologists as well as those involved in manufacturing, research and legislation.

What do students say about the course?

"I really enjoyed the module; in my academic and professional career to date I have had little exposure to the ethical and social science considerations of technology and so it was the first occasion I have had the time and opportunity to focus on the other aspects of technology development. The module content gave a good overview of the social, ethical, environmental and business considerations.".
Dr Lorraine Byrne, Hewlett Packard

"Although my background is in physics by education and electronics by career, by taking this course it has been instrumental in me obtaining a research post at the National Institute for Nanotechnology, Canada."
Richard Hull, National Institute for Nanotechnology (Canada)

"The Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology most certainly helped me making a start in the field and I was even invited to write an article for the Royal Society 350th Anniversary Year incorporating aspects of nanotechnology for drug delivery applications. I would have not been able to make such a contribution to the field without the training received in the course!"
Dr Sofia Pascu, University of Bath

The Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology begins in October and runs for nine months. Students take three online nanotechnology modules. At the end of the third module, students are required to attend a residential weekend in nanoscale materials characterisation based in Oxford. This takes place at the University of Oxford's Begbroke Science Park in July.

The content of each module contains up-to-the-minute thinking and reflects the University of Oxford's world-leading research in nanotechnology. Each module has a different focus:

• Module 1: The Wider Context of Nanotechnology (runs from October - December) looks at the current state of the technology and addresses its implications;
• Module 2: The Fundamental Science of Nanotechnology(runs from January - March) explains the physical and mathematical foundations of nanoscale phenomena and properties of nanoscale materials;
• Module 3: Fundamental Characterisation for Nanotechnology(runs from April - June with a residential weekend) explores methods for investigating nanoparticles, thin films and nanostructures.

Please note the module links take you to this academic year's running of the module (so the dates will be for the current year).

Each module lasts for 7 or 10 weeks corresponding approximately to the University of Oxford's term calendar. Within each module, there are weekly live online tutorials lasting for one hour as well as assignments and problem sheets. Most students should expect to spend an average of between 10 and 15 hours per week on independent study in addition to the timetabled tutorials.

Course Fees

For information on the course fee, please see the course webpage on the Department for Continuing Education's website.

Academic credit

Successful completion of Module 1 is equivalent to 10 CATS (Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme) points at postgraduate level. Successful completion of Modules 2 and 3 is equivalent to 25 CATS points at this level for each. The CATS points system is recognised by many UK higher education institutions as a method of quantifying credit for a particular course.

Each module can also be studied independently as a short course, with or without academic credit. It is possible to successfully complete one module (maximum) as a short course with academic credit and, upon successful application to the University of Oxford's Postgraduate Certificate in Nanotechnology to start in the following year, then apply to be made exempt from needing to complete that module again.