Purdue Starts Comprehensive Semiconductor Degree Programs in U.S.
This seems like good marketing but reading this press release and looking at the courses in their degree program I feel like I&#x27;m missing what&#x27;s different here (other than some reference to supply chain management).<p>Most of the coursework here seems to be very similar to what was available over a decade ago at the state university I attended for graduate school (my concentration was semiconductor device theory related). While I think this material is very interesting I don&#x27;t know that the demand is going to be there for this type of field. Companies like Intel have dedicated smaller departments for process development which do the more academic work (for example the D1X facility).<p>My experience with fabrication organization is the need is much more process engineer and technician focused rather than semiconductor engineers. The high volume hires are in improving reliability, reducing cost etc. I don&#x27;t think you really need the EE degree for this, more likely industrial engineering, chemical engineering or statistics.<p>This said, Purdue has always had a very strong program in the more device oriented semiconductor courses (Until his passing Robert Pierret the fellow who wrote some of the best and most used grad textbooks on devices called it home).