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[dean webb]

I'm in the Army. I haven't started college yet.
I think when I get back from Iraq in less than a month, if I have time (depending on where they post me and what job I am doing) I will do some online school to get a few credits out of the way and get myself back into the college mindset.

I have been going back and forth with myself on what to major in... it isn't that I can't pick something I like, it's that I can't pick from the huge amount of things that I do like.

I want to do biotechnology, nanotechnology, physics, computer science, etc. etc. etc. .........

Anyways, I think I'll go into nanotechnology, I looked into nanotechnology sites and found a few schools that offer Nanotech degrees.
What you have to do is get a bachelors in a related science, then apply for a graduate program in one of those sciences, and can turn it into a nanotech degree from there.

I know there are variations in the nanotech fields, what my question is...
What kinds of sciences do what types of work on nanotechnology?
Chemistry, Physics, Bioengineering, Chemical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Materials Science and Engineering, Biochemistry, Genome Sciences, Physiology and Biophysics, and Microbiology.

Those are the fields listed that you'd need a degree in to go into a PhD in Nanotechnology, what kinds of nanotechnology progresses and future inventions will apply to each of these fields?
If anyone knows, you could just post here, or if you know of a more descriptive 'career path to nanotechnology'-type website, that would be appreciated too.

Thanks for any help.

[whitenoise]

Chemistry and Physics are both real solid general backgrounds, as would be Mathematics with a science or engineering minor. The other nanotech routes go through engineering and are most commonly Materials Science, Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering and Electrical Engineering. As a stand-alone, the closest degree to nanotech would be Materials Science, however the applications vary with degrees.

Mechanical Engineering is the discipline that makes nanotech "devices". That is, the ones that move. There is some heavy overlap with Electrical engineering, since at the nanoscale level electrical fields and forces are incredibly significant (well, technically, at the macro scale electricity is responsible for a lot of mechanics, but I digress). Electrical engineering is more likely to deal with computational, signals and power supply areas, while mechanical is more likely to deal with thermodynamic properties. Electrical will also deal with photonics.

Materials Science and Chemical Engineering will also have a lot of overlap. The two disciplines are different mostly in their goals: Materials Engineers usually design novel materials with specific properties, while Chemical Engineers typically focus on the industrial process for large processing, manufacture, etc. So, in essence, Chemical Engineering focuses on taking something with a known method of creation, and finding an efficient process to mass produce it. However, these days there's a lot of overlap.

Some advice, Electrical Engineering is typically the hardest of the above listed engineering degrees, while Mechanical is the easiest (subjectively, but most people would agree. Electrical has been described to me as the "cadillac" of engineering). The Basic Sciences (Chemistry and Physics) and Mathematics stand apart. Typically the subject matter is more difficult than engineering (although comparisons to electrical are very debatable), however schedules are freer and allow for a broader education.

Honestly, pick the one you think you'll like the best. When you get to uni, sit down with an advisor in the sciences or engineering (general academic advisors are, in my experiance, useless and often wrong...)

Lastly, I would be wary of a degree in "Nanotechnology". It sounds like a gimmick title. A PhD in Condensed Matter Physics is or Quantum Chemistry is the basic science equivalent, and the engineering degree is just Electrical/Materials/Mechanical Engineering. You just specialize in the area of nano-devices. Don't let names affect your decision too much. Also, your degree opens doors, not the other way around. You're not going to be locked out of an area of design (not at the PhD level) just because you're Electrical and not Mechanical, you just might have to put some more effort to learn more.

I'm Mathematics and Physics myself, by the way.