Depending on when you are reading this article, you will have touched between one and several hundred semiconductors so far today. And you’re not alone. This year, the average number of devices and connections per person globally is set to reach 3.6 billion, up 50 percent from 2018. Phones, laptops, televisions, cars—embedded in each of them are semiconductor devices.

These foundational components of electronic devices move energy and information back and forth between conductors, usually metals, and nonconductors, called insulators. The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) calls them “the brains of modern electronics.” They play a crucial role in technological innovation in fields like computing, healthcare, defense, transportation, energy, communications, and on and on and on.

In 2022, when the U.S. Department of Education (DoE) awarded the University of Vermont (UVM) $2.6M to develop and implement enhanced educational opportunities in semiconductor technology, they not only understood the need for increased knowledge in the field, they also recognized its potential benefits. Over 2 million people are either directly or indirectly employed in the semiconductor industry—a number that is projected to increase as technologies evolve.

“The semiconductor field is of immense importance to today’s society and, in particular, to the Nation’s economic well-being and security,” said Jeff Frolik, Professor of Electrical Engineering (EE) in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences (CEMS) at UVM.

As part of a wider initiative to prepare students for this field, Frolik and his colleagues, Matt Gallagher and Tian Xia (also from EE) and Randy Headrick and Matt White (Physics), have designed the new Undergraduate Certificate in Semiconductor Engineering and Physics (UCSEP)—as part of an enhanced semiconductor curriculum.

The need for this curriculum is self-evident, given recent data collected by the National Science Foundation (NSF), highlighting the disparity between the industry’s growth and U.S. students in this field (see chart below). Enter support through the 2022 passage of the CHIPS and Science Act, which provides over $50B for American semiconductor research, development, manufacturing, and workforce development.

NSF Graduate Students and Postdoctorates in Science and Engineering Data (Chart)

This last piece—workforce development—is critical for the successful implementation of CHIPS and Science Act funding and one that dovetails with UVM’s mission as Vermont’s Land Grant University: to engage with and support the citizens, farms, manufacturers, and other businesses of our state. “Students completing the certificate will have gained practical knowledge related to semiconductor device physics, design, processes and/or metrology and as such, we expect them to be well recruited by the industry and graduate programs in the field,” said Frolik.

The 17-credit certificate program, which is available beginning in the Fall of 2023, leverages UVM’s new laboratory facilities and advance simulation modeling tools to help students grow their own comprehensive, hands-on understanding of this vital technology. It is accessible to students majoring in electrical engineering, physics, or other STEM majors and it is expected the coursework will take three to four semesters to complete.

The certificate also requires that students gain research experience, undertake a capstone design project, or hold an internship related to semiconductors—experiences in which students will apply their course knowledge. “The goal is to give our students not only the theoretical foundations,” said Frolik, “but also practical experiences.” This hands-on, project-driven approach distinguishes a UVM CEMS education and ensures graduates are ready to thrive in the workforce.

Frolik gives context for UVM’s investments in this field and considers how electrical engineering will evolve in the next 50 years. “Embedded computing, enabled by semiconductor devices, is simultaneously becoming more distributed and more connected,” he said. “Electrification of energy, autonomy and computing will be even more important in the decades to come.”

CEMS students will be prepared for the future. “Over the last decade,” Frolik said, “we have been working to make UVM's EE curriculum more flexible to accommodate student interests and to adapt to technology trends.” This flexibility allows students to take advanced electives from not only in electrical engineering, but from across the technical spectrum. Brain computer interfacing and machine learning are popular electives. In addition, the EE curriculum incorporates design and laboratories in each year, allowing students to apply, in short order, what they learn in the classroom.

And more growth is on the horizon in CEMS, to reflect the growing need for a skilled workforce. A new Certificate of Graduate Studies in Semiconductor Engineering and Physics is expected to be available beginning in Fall 2024. The 13-credit program is targeted for graduate students in electrical engineering or practitioners from the semiconductor field who are studying part-time.

“This strategy of hands-on learning combined with choice ensures students will be fully engaged in their studies,” Frolik said, “and build the skills needed to address anything they may face after graduation.”