Top 10 Best UK Universities for Semiconductor & Micro-Electronics Degrees (2025 Guide)

1. University of Cambridge

Department overview – The Department of Engineering and the Cavendish Laboratory co-deliver an MPhil in Micro & Nanotechnology Enterprise and a four-year MEng Electrical & Information Engineering with deep semiconductor options.
University of Cambridge

Sample modules
• Semiconductor Device Physics
• Clean-Room Processing & Lithography
• Silicon-Photonics Circuits

Research environment – The £90 million Graphene & Nanoscience Centre hosts electron-beam lithography, while the EPSRC Centre for Gallium Nitride develops power devices for electric vehicles.

Careers & links – Graduates move to ARM, Qualcomm Cambridge, Pragmatic Semiconductor or pursue PhDs within the CDT in Photonic Integration.

Admissions – Typical offer: AAA (Maths and Physics) for undergraduates; MPhil entrants need a first-class degree plus evidence of lab experience.

2. University of Sheffield

Department overview – The Department of Electronic & Electrical Engineering runs an MSc Semiconductor Materials & Devices and an IET-accredited MEng Electronic Engineering.
University of Sheffield

Sample modules
• Compound Semiconductor Growth (MBE & MOCVD)
• Wide-Bandgap Power Electronics
• Device Reliability & Failure Analysis

Research environment – The National Epitaxy Facility and the Royce Discovery Centre house metal-organic vapour-phase epitaxy lines and wafer-bonder suites.

Careers & links – Partners include IQE, Rolls-Royce and the UK Atomic Energy Authority; a year-in-industry option is built into most MEng routes.

Admissions – AAB with Maths and Physics (undergrad) or 2:1 (postgrad); practical electronics projects strengthen applications.

3. Imperial College London

Department overview – The Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering offers an MSc Analogue & Digital Integrated Circuit Design and a semiconductor-heavy MEng EEE.
Imperial College London

Sample modules
• CMOS Analogue IC Design
• Millimetre-Wave RF Systems
• Semiconductor Device Technology

Research environment – A class-100 clean room supports silicon photonics and GaN HEMT processing; students access a 200-GPU cluster for circuit-simulation workloads.

Careers & links – Apple, Graphcore and Imagination Technologies recruit on campus; start-ups incubate at Imperial White City.

Admissions – First or strong 2:1 in EEE, Physics or Materials; solid Matlab and SPICE skills expected.

4. University of Southampton

Department overview – Electronics & Computer Science (ECS) and the Zepler Institute deliver an MSc Nanoelectronics & Photonics plus an MEng Electronic Engineering.
University of Southampton

Sample modules
• Silicon Photonics Design
• Advanced CMOS Technology
• Power Semiconductor Devices

Research environment – The Southampton Nanofabrication Centre offers 1 000 m² of class-100/-1 000 clean rooms and deep-UV stepper lithography.

Careers & links – Collaborations with Nexperia, Huawei Photonics and Leonardo; many students secure paid summer placements.

Admissions – ABB (undergrad) or 2:1 (postgrad); applicants should highlight any clean-room or PCB design experience.

5. Cardiff University

Department overview – Cardiff’s School of Engineering hosts the world-first Compound Semiconductor Devices MSc and partners with the UK Compound Semiconductor Centre.
Cardiff University

Sample modules
• III-V Material Growth & Characterisation
• RF & Microwave Device Design
• Packaging for Power Electronics

Research environment – A shared 8-inch GaN and SiC pilot line, plus on-wafer terahertz probe stations for high-frequency testing.

Careers & links – Graduates feed the South Wales CS cluster—including IQE, Microchip and SPTS Technologies—and the Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult.

Admissions – 2:1 in Physics, EEE or Materials; personal statements should note interest in compound semiconductors.

6. University of Manchester

Department overview – The Department of Electrical & Electronic Engineering offers an MSc Power Electronics, Machines & Drives with SiC/GaN device options, alongside semiconductor electives in the EEE MEng.
University of Manchester

Sample modules
• Wide-Bandgap Semiconductor Devices
• Power IC Packaging & Thermal
• Nanocharacterisation Techniques

Research environment – The £60 million Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre provides wafer-scale CVD graphene and 2-D material transfer tools.

Careers & links – Siemens, Bentley Motors and the National Grid ESO recruit graduates; many pursue doctoral work in the Royce Institute.

Admissions – 2:1 and proof of proficiency in Matlab/Python; industry applicants with relevant experience considered.

7. University of Glasgow

Department overview – The James Watt School of Engineering runs an MSc Electronics & Electrical Engineering with routes in Semiconductor Technology.
University of Glasgow

Sample modules
• III-Nitride Optoelectronics
• Nano-CMOS Fabrication
• Quantum Transport in 2-D Materials

Research environment – The £16 million Nanofabrication Centre boasts 11 n m-EUV-ready lithography and compound-semiconductor MOCVD reactors.

Careers & links – Graduates join STMicroelectronics, Intel Ireland or Scottish Power; several spin-outs exploit AlGaN UV-LEDs.

Admissions – 2:1 in a related discipline; applicants should evidence solid-state physics coursework.

8. University of Warwick

Department overview – Warwick’s School of Engineering and WMG collaborate on an MSc Power Electronics & Drives with significant SiC device coverage.
University of Warwick

Sample modules
• SiC & GaN Device Processing
• Gate-Drive Circuits for Power ICs
• Reliability of Power Modules

Research environment – The Midlands SiC Power Electronics Cluster includes a 1 200 V test platform and automotive inverter rigs.

Careers & links – Jaguar Land Rover, Dynex and Wolfspeed partner on projects; PhD scholarships available through the EPSRC CDT in Sustainable Materials.

Admissions – High 2:1 in EEE or Physics; industrial experience strengthens applications.

9. Newcastle University

Department overview – The School of Engineering offers an MSc Microelectronics & Nanotechnology and a BEng/MEng EEE with semiconductor design streams.
Newcastle University

Sample modules
• Analogue & Mixed-Signal IC Design
• MEMS & Sensors
• ASIC Verification with VHDL/Verilog

Research environment – A class-1000 clean room for MEMS and a Cadence/PADS ASIC design farm linked to Europractice MPW shuttles.

Careers & links – AMD, Dialog Semiconductor and ARM hire Newcastle alumni; the university hosts the UK centre for power-electronics packaging.

Admissions – ABB (undergrad) or 2:1 (postgrad); VHDL or Verilog project evidence recommended.

10. University of Surrey

Department overview – The Advanced Technology Institute underpins Surrey’s MSc Nanotechnology & Renewable Energy and semiconductor options in the EEE MEng.
University of Surrey

Sample modules
• Quantum-Dot Devices
• High-Frequency Compound Semiconductors
• Thin-Film Photovoltaics

Research environment – On-site MBE and ALD reactors support research into InGaAs quantum-dot lasers and ZnO transparent electronics.

Careers & links – Graduates work at IQE, Oxford Instruments and Airbus; Surrey Space Centre projects embed radiation-hardened chip research.

Admissions – BBB (undergrad) or 2:1 (postgrad); include any nanofabrication or photovoltaic-lab experience in your statement.

Final tips

• Match specialisms – Silicon photonics? Southampton. Wide-bandgap power? Sheffield or Warwick. Compound semiconductors? Cardiff. Graphene & 2-D? Cambridge or Manchester.

• Check facilities – Access to a modern clean room or MPW shuttle is invaluable for final-year projects.

• Consider placements – Sheffield, Southampton and Cardiff embed year-long industry roles; Imperial and Cambridge host summer internships with chip designers.

• Brush up on software – Cadence Virtuoso, Keysight ADS and COMSOL are common; basic SPICE competence is often an entry requirement.

• Stay current – Funding for semiconductor courses is competitive; many EPSRC and UKRI scholarships close by January 2025.

A UK degree focused on semiconductors or micro-electronics will position you at the heart of the nation’s next-generation chip supply chain—from compound power devices to quantum-ready photonics. Good luck—may your yields be high and your leakage currents low!