Microelectronics technical electives
Find bachelor’s level classes to learn skills that support microelectronics careers.
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Find your interests, then choose your electives
One way to deepen your microelectronics expertise in the Fulton Schools is by selecting technical electives that align with your career goals.
In your junior and senior years, consider taking approved courses from other disciplines to gain specialized skills relevant to microelectronics. Most listed courses are pre-approved for their respective majors, but you may request permission to enroll in courses outside your program. If you’ve completed similar coursework, you can also petition for prerequisite overrides.
Talk to your advisor if you want to learn more about any of the technical electives below.
What microelectronics field are you interested in?
Choosing from these electives options will equip you with critical engineering skills that align directly with the rapidly expanding microelectronics industry, driving innovation in Arizona and across the globe.
I’m interested in…
Fab factory operations
What is “Fab factory operations?”
“Fab factory operations” refers to the entire process of manufacturing integrated circuits or microchips within a semiconductor fabrication plant, or “fab.” It spans every process that happens from the raw silicon wafer to the finished, packaged chip.
You can compare “fab factory operations” to running a highly advanced, ultra-clean, futuristic baking factory. But instead of cookies, you’re making microchips!
Here are just a few of the key engineering roles within fab operations:
- Equipment engineers
- Production control engineers
- Facility engineers
Interested? Find your major, then your electives:
Fab factory operations tech electives by major
Chemical engineering, BSE
- CHE 461 – Process Dynamic Control
- IEE 380 – Probability and Statistics for Engineering Problem Solving
Electrical engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 439 – Semiconductor Facilities and Cleanroom Practices
Industrial engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 439 – Semiconductor Facilities and Cleanroom Practices
- IEE 458 – Project Management
- IEE 461 – Production Control
Manufacturing engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 439 – Semiconductor Facilities and Cleanroom Practices
- MFG 524 – Engineering Computing with Python and SQL
Material science and engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 439 – Semiconductor Facilities and Cleanroom Practices
Semiconductor materials processing
What is “semiconductor materials processing?”
If you’re fascinated by how stuff works at the tiniest level and love the idea of building the computing power inside every electronic gadget, then semiconductor materials processing could be for you.
“Semiconductor materials processing” refers to how raw materials are transformed at an atomic or molecular level to make the components that form semiconductor devices. It’s about taking raw materials and making them into functional parts.
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys chemistry, physics, and materials science, you’ve got a solid head start. You’d be on the front lines, turning raw elements into the microscopic components that power everything from your smartphone to AI.
Here are just a few of the key engineering roles within the field of semiconductor materials processing:
- Semiconductor process engineers
- Physical design engineers
- Packaging engineer
- Data analytics engineer
Interested? Find your major, then your electives:
Semiconductor materials processing tech electives by major
Chemical engineering, BSE
- EGR 394 – Heterogeneous Integration and Electronic Packaging
- IEE 381 – Lean Six Sigma Methodology
Electrical engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 435 – Fundamentals of CMOS and MEMS (prerequisite EEE 352)
- IEE 380 – Probability and Statistics for Engineering Problem Solving
Industrial engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 435 – Fundamentals of CMOS and MEMS (prerequisite EEE 352)
- IEE 458 – Project Management
- IEE 461 – Production Control
Manufacturing engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 435 – Fundamentals of CMOS and MEMS (prerequisite EEE 352)
Material science and engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 435 – Fundamentals of CMOS and MEMS (prerequisite EEE 352)
- IEE 380 – Probability and Statistics for Engineering Problem Solving
Mechanical engineering, BSE
- IEE 380 – Probability and Statistics for Engineering Problem
- MSE 450 – Introduction to Materials Characterization
Semiconductor materials characterization
What is “semiconductor materials characterization?”
While semiconductor materials processing focuses on how raw materials are transformed into semiconductor parts, semiconductor materials characterization is about analysis: what was built and why.
Roles in semiconductor materials characterization involve analyzing, measuring, and understanding the properties and quality of the materials and structures created during processing.
Driving questions for engineers in semiconductor materials characterization roles might be “Is this built correctly? Why isn’t it working? What is it, exactly?”
Engineers in the field of semiconductor materials characterization perform diagnostic testing, failure analysis, provide feedback on the quality and properties of materials and contribute to research on by characterizing novel materials and experimental structures made by research and development teams.
Here are just a few of the key engineering roles within the field of semiconductor materials characterization:
- Materials characterization engineer
- Yield engineer
- Quality assurance engineer
- Test/Validation engineer
- Semiconductor design engineer
Interested? Find your major, then your electives:
Semiconductor materials characterization tech electives by major
Electrical engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 436 – Fundamentals of Solid-State Devices
- MSE 450 – Introduction to Materials Characterization
- MSE 355 – Structure and Defects (prerequisite MSE 450)
Material science and engineering, BSE
- EEE 352 – Properties of Electronic Materials
- EEE 436 – Fundamentals of Solid-State Devices
- MSE 450 – Introduction to Materials Characterization
Statistical analysis
What is “statistical analysis?”
For engineers in the microelectronics and semiconductor industry, “statistical analysis” isn’t just a technique; it’s a fundamental approach that supports nearly everything they do.
Engineers rely heavily on statistical methods to make informed decisions, identify problems, and optimize processes.
Statistical analysis eliminates guesswork and builds processes on factual data, improving every step of the semiconductor manufacturing process, and driving precision and consistency at all levels.
Here are just a few of the key engineering roles within the field of statistical analysis:
- Yield engineer
- Quality assurance engineer
- Data analytics engineer
Interested? Find your major, then your electives:
Statistical analysis tech electives by major
Industrial engineering, BSE
- IEE 461 – Production Control
- IEE 470 – Stochastic Operations Research
- IEE 474 – Quality Control
- IEE 475 – Simulating Stochastic Systems
Next step: Meet with your advisor
Ready to choose you technical electives?
Don’t see your major? Meet with your academic advisor.
Whether you see your major listed or not, your advisor will help you finalize course selection and ensure your chosen electives apply your program of study.