Nanoscience: Physical Sciences

B.A. (Moderatorship) Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 8)
4 Years Full-Time
CAO Points 510 (2023)
CAO Code TR063

Overview

What is Nanoscience?

Nanoscience is the study of materials and devices at the nanoscale (<100 nm), a scale at which many exotic properties and behaviours come to the fore, leading to applications including advanced catalysis, biomedical imaging, batteries, and solar cells among many others. Nanoscience thus encompasses the design, synthesis, characterisation, testing, and use of such materials and devices, and lies at the interface of Chemistry and Physics.

Nanoscience: The course for you?

Nanoscience brings together aspects of chemistry and physics directed towards the study, design, production and use of materials and devices at the cutting edge of technologies in areas such as energy conversion and storage, photonics, medical diagnostics, ultra-fast electronics, and industries such as electronics, telecommunications, healthcare and aerospace. If you enjoy laboratory work and have the desire to apply your scientific skills to the latest technologies that shape our world, then this is the course for you.

Nanoscience at Trinity

The Nanoscience degree is a specialised programme run by the Schools of Chemistry and Physics, entered either through Chemical Sciences (TR061) or Physical Sciences (TR063) entry pathways. This degree is strongly linked to our CRANN nanoscience institute, where Trinity is the major centre of nanoscience research in Ireland.

All our lecturers run research laboratories studying for example: nanomaterials, two-dimensional materials, nanoparticle synthesis, nanomagnetism, novel materials, fundamental and computational nanoscience, batteries and energy materials. Our research training combines the physics and chemistry appropriate to nanoscience culminating in the individual Capstone research project each student carries out in the final year in nanoscience with world-class research groups.

Graduate skills and career opportunities

As a Nanoscience graduate you will have wide- ranging scientific and analytical skills, giving you the qualifications to work in any Chemistry or Physics career. Many of our graduates
use their advanced skills to pursue research careers in Trinity or in other prestigious universities worldwide, while this expertise can also lead to employment in high-tech industries, financial services, information technology, or as a data scientist.

Your degree and what you’ll study

In the first two years of the Science programme, undergraduates will study common subjects in chemistry, biology, and physics.

Third year

In third year you will study the physics of quantum systems and electromagnetism, the chemistry and physics of solid state materials and condensed matter, as well as analytical and computational methods in chemistry. You may further specialise in areas such as semiconductor physics or polymer chemistry. You will also conduct a range of bespoke nanoscience experiments designed to develop your abilities in the synthesis and characterisation of nanomaterials and your understanding of their properties and functions, in tandem with developing your science communication skills.

Fourth year

In fourth year you will take advanced courses in materials chemistry and nanoscience, as well as further developing your problem solving skills through small group tutorials. You will have the opportunity to specialise further with in-depth courses in areas such as magnetism and superconductivity, modern optics, energy science, or computational chemistry.
The highlight for many will be the Capstone research project, carried out for one semester in fourth year. Here you will have the opportunity to integrate into an active nanoscience research group based in the School of Chemistry, School of Physics, CRANN, or at one of our many partner universities around the world. During this project work you will gain real- world experience of research at the cutting edge of nanoscience.

Click here for further information on modules/subject.

Study abroad and internship opportunities

You may undertake your fourth year Capstone project at a research institute or university in the EU or further afield, provided you attain a sufficient standard in the third year examinations. Recent examples of laboratories where projects have taken place include the IMEC micro- and nano-electronics research centre in Leuven, Belgium; The Scripps Research Institute, La Jolla, California; the University of Alberta, Canada, the University of Wollongong, Australia, and the University of Potsdam in Germany.

Further information on the year abroad programme for second or third year students, and a list of partner universities, can be found at: www.tcd.ie/study/study-abroad/outbound

Additionally, many of our students undertake research internships either in Trinity or other universities during the summer. Capstone projects may also be carried out at a number of partner universities in the UK, Europe, US and China.

Study Physical Sciences at Trinity

An introduction to the study of Physical Sciences at Trinity College Dublin by the Course Director, Assistant Professor Cormac McGuinness.

Course Details

Awards

B.A. (Moderatorship) Honours Bachelor Degree (NFQ Level 8)

CAO Information

CAO Points 510 (2023) CAO Code TR063
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Course Options

Students who wish to study Nanoscience through the Physical Sciences (TR063) stream of the Science programme may select Nanoscience at the end of the second year as their specialist area for the third and fourth years. It is also possible to enter Nanoscience through the Chemical Science (TR061) stream.

Related courses:

Science - TR061 Chemical Sciences

TR035 Theoretical Physics

Admission Requirements

To see admissions requirements for this course, view the main Physical Sciences course page

Course Fees

Click here for a full list of undergraduate fees.

Apply

To apply to this course, click on the relevant Apply Link below

EU Applicants

Read the information about how to apply, then apply directly to CAO.

    Non-EU Applicants

    Advanced Entry Applications

    Read the information about how to apply for Advanced Entry, then select the link below to apply.

      Register Your Interest

      Register your interest in studying at Ireland’s leading university, Trinity College Dublin, the University of Dublin.

      Register Your Interest

      I graduated with a degree in Nanoscience – Physics and Chemistry of Advanced Materials. After I graduated I received funding from the Irish Research Council and Intel to undertake a Ph.D. in Professor Valeria Nicolosi’s group here in CRANN. I’m working on the synthesis and 3D printing of nanomaterials for electronic devices and it is a project that is a wonderful mix of materials science and engineering. A vast amount of nanoscale research is carried out in Trinity and understanding the often-strange properties and interactions of nanomaterials is enabling huge advances in the technology we rely on. For me, the best aspect was that Nanoscience gives you a comprehensive foundation in both physics and chemistry meaning that you have the practical skills as well as theoretical knowledge to continue in a near limitless array of academic and industrial fields.

      Dahnan Spurling

      Graduate