Education moves to a new scale

Around the world, nanoscience and nanoengineering courses are being developed for undergraduates, postgraduates, and even school children. Is this a manifestation of a widespread mission to explain the way modern science is heading, or a cynical attempt to attract increasingly savvy students onto existing courses in materials science or chemistry? In this article, the content of some of the courses currently on offer is reviewed and it is argued that it is difficult to omit a significant amount of ‘conventional’ materials science at undergraduate level, even if it might be badged with a ‘nano’ prefix.