The manufacturing technologies developed in the semiconductor industry are used for a wide variety of applications. The Nanofabrication Manufacturing Technology degree is a cooperative program established between Northampton Community College and Pennsylvania State University. Participants register as NCC students and pay NCC tuition. NCC awards the associate in applied science degree, which helps graduates prepare for employment as electronics technicians in the specialty of semiconductor manufacturing. In the fourth semester at Penn State, students work in a clean room environment and gain experience in operating and troubleshooting semiconductor processing equipment.
Financial support is available in the form of either forgivable loans or room and board grants.
To qualify for a loan, students must have a GPA of 2.5 or higher, and maintain that GPA through graduation. Grants are given to students with a minimum 3.2 GPA who demonstrate financial need. Eligibility for both is determined by the student's home institution. Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.5 to qualify for the fourth semester at Penn State. Prototype, test, troubleshoot, and repair electronic circuits.