The Master's Degree Course in Nanotechnology and Physics for Sustainability aims to prepare professionals who can help meet the needs of society and the manufacturing world during a period of major transformation and sustainable transition. The main goal is to train graduates who have mastered the scientific method and have advanced knowledge of physics, especially in specific areas, including through interdisciplinary studies, with a focus on using the latest technologies for sustainability. The program aims to train graduates with solid physics skills, including in interdisciplinary areas, who can: use physical and chemical language fluently; use technological skills and acquire new ones; manage resources and processes for the transformation and valorization of raw materials and their products in a sustainable manner, with particular attention to the concepts of “nano and quantum technologies”; understand and apply the principles governing the properties of materials.

The degree program responds to the needs of several productive sectors that have emphasized the need for professionals with cross-disciplinary and multidisciplinary skills, who are able to operate in a highly competitive context with a mindset that is no longer solely profit-driven but also focused on integration and respect for the environment and local areas, and who are able to integrate themselves at the same time, in a scenario that is developing according to principles consistent with what is defined as ecological transition.

The educational aims of the Master's Degree course in SNS include the acquisition of:

- a solid background in modern physics and the latest developments in contemporary physics and emerging technologies;

- a high level of knowledge of mathematical and computational methodologies for the description and modeling of even complex physical systems;

- a good capacity to use advanced measuring instruments for conducting experiments both in the field of physics and in interdisciplinary contexts;

- adequate mastery of IT tools that enable the automatic acquisition of data from measuring devices and their processing;

- scientific and operational training in the fields that characterize the class (theoretical physics,physics of matter, nuclear and subnuclear physics, astrophysics, geophysics, and applied physics), including advanced modeling of complex systems and advanced studies in multidisciplinary areas, with a strong focus on sustainability issues;

- ability to integrate into the world of scientific research or work contexts that require adequate scientific and technological knowledge;

- ability to assess the economic and environmental impact of projects, particularly those related to mobility, energy, and the development of innovative technologies.

Master's degree graduates will be prepared to study and analyze phenomena and solve even complex problems using appropriate scientific methodologies, in order to work in various fields, including those not strictly scientific, where scientific-operational, design, and managerial skills are required. The aim is to train graduates who are able to provide support to industrial activities concerning the environment, energy saving, and the use of renewable sources (in the fields of environmental protection, industrial production processes, and analysis of materials and devices, in the management of technologically advanced equipment for renewable energy, and in the management and treatment of conventional, special, and even radioactive waste, with a focus on sustainability), as well as to continue their studies at the PhD level.

The degree program in Nanotechnology and Physics for Sustainability, within the framework of the qualifying educational goals of the LM-17 degree class, aims to train experts who have multidisciplinary/cross-disciplinary knowledge and who, equipped with solid skills in physics and the latest technologies, are able to address and find possible solutions to the various and increasingly pressing issues related to eco-sustainable development. The AlmaLaurea report ‘2021 Report on Profile and Employment Status’ identified the development of multidisciplinary university courses as the process through which to respond to the needs and expectations of the socio-economic system. The degree program in Nanotechnology and Physics for Sustainability, within the framework of the qualifying educational goals of the LM-17 degree class, aims to train experts who have multidisciplinary/cross-disciplinary knowledge and who, equipped with solid skills in physics and the latest technologies, are able to address and find possible solutions to the various and increasingly pressing issues related to eco-sustainable development. The AlmaLaurea report ‘2021 Report on Profile and Employment Status’ identified the development of multidisciplinary university courses as the process through which to respond to the needs and expectations of the socio-economic system. Meanwhile, the AlmaLaurea 2023 report ‘Graduates and Environmental Sustainability’, born from the idea of providing university with useful factors to translate into terms of ‘educational orientation’ and helping to reduce the rampant deficit of thinking that risks further delaying applicable interventions, highlights: (i) the still limited availability of targeted university courses focused on sustainability, especially with an interdisciplinary approach, together with (ii) a growing propensity on the part of graduates, who thus find it easier to find work, to acquire skills and experience in the sector. In line with this indication and in accordance with the University's strategies, the new degree program aims to respond to the cultural, scientific, and professional needs in which there is the greatest demand for training from students, parents, and other stakeholders. The key to understanding this degree program is to respond to the demand from many industrial and innovation sectors for strong, cross-disciplinary skills capable of fully addressing modern challenges.

The topics of the new degree program naturally intersect some of the Key Enabling Technologies (KETs) of the European Horizon Europe Program, which are designed to develop solutions or technological improvements from the most advanced research that can revitalize the production system. Special attention is also given to the economic evaluation of production and its optimization: keeping sustainable transformations profitable.

The Master's Degree Course provides training in the sectors characterising the class:

FIS/01- Experimental Physics (new SSD PHYS-01/A and PHYS-03/A); FIS/02 - Theoretical Physics, Models and Mathematical Methods (new SSD PHYS-02/A and PHYS-04/A); FIS/03- Physics of matter (new SSD PHYS-03/A); FIS/05 - Astronomy and astrophysics (new SSD PHYS-05/A); GEO/10 – Geophysics of the solid earth (new SSD GEOS-04/A), FIS/06- Physics for the Earth system and the circumterrestrial environment (new SSD PHYS-05/B), which, while retaining their approaches and methodologies, have all been designed ‘ad hoc’ for the specific educational requirements of the course in Science and Nanotechnology for Sustainability;

to which are added related and integrative multidisciplinary activities from:

Chemistry: CHIM/02 (new SSD CHEM-02), an opportunity to keep the chemical skills of SNS graduates at a high level, with particular attention to the quantum mechanical aspects of molecules, including a modeling approach, and with specific examples of photochemical processes, key elements of sustainable development and regulated by physical phenomena; the field of applied pharmaceutical technology CHIM/09 (new SSD C08X), which allows for the deepening of skills in the application of nanotechnologies to the biomedical context: drug targeting, techniques and procedures for formulation, purification, characterization, and control, regulatory aspects, with implications for modern and sustainable medical physics; Engineering ING-IND/27 (new SSD ICHI-02/B) to acquire skills in approaching the combination of technical choices and the economic impact of production, which are fundamental in a delicate phase of the sustainable revolution that requires innovative scientific/technological choices capable of supporting development in a smooth manner and inspired by criteria of feasibility and profitability; combined with advanced skills in the concepts of circular economy, and methodologies and techniques for the recovery and recycling of materials: from the design of devices and individual elements to chemical/physical recycling techniques, including through Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) to assess the environmental impact of production and compare the most sustainable solutions; together with training, chosen by the student, to enhance physical skills in specific areas characterizing the class, within a multiple offering that addresses various topics with particular attention to emerging technologies (nanotechnologies and quantum technologies) and sustainability. This training is directly associated with the research lines active at the ‘E.R. Caianiello’ Department of Physics, and a possible expansion over time is planned.