In 2008, National Chiao Tung University, in response to industry and social demands, took the initiative to establish an interdisciplinary Bachelor’s degree program. Under the direction of then-President Chung-Yu Wu, and with the support of the then-Dean of Academic Affairs, Chin-Teng Lin, the university’s Colleges of Electrical Engineering, Science, Engineering, and Biotechnology collaborated for the first time to create the “Bachelor’s Degree Program in Nano Science and Engineering,” aiming to cultivate interdisciplinary talents. The program was initiated by the College of Engineering, with Professor Kung-Hwa Wei from the Department of Materials Science serving as the convener of the preparatory committee. The first cohort enrolled 20 students.

Starting from the 2013 academic year, the program expanded to admit 26 students. Given the university’s pivotal role in Taiwan’s semiconductor talent development and its influence, starting in the 2022 academic year, the Department of Education’s expanded quotas for undergraduate students in semiconductor, AI, and mechanical engineering were delegated to the Nano Science and Engineering program. The program was divided into two groups: Group A (majoring in semiconductors) with 40 students, aimed at nurturing core semiconductor technology talents, and Group B (majoring in nanoscience) with 25 students, maintaining the original focus on cultivating interdisciplinary talents in nanoscience.

Starting from the 2024 academic year, the Ministry of Education approved a name change to “Department of Microelectronics,” with two subgroups: “Program of Solid-State Electronics” (formerly Group A, majoring in semiconductors) and “Program of Nano-Sciences” (formerly Group B, majoring in nanoscience), both under the College of Electrical Engineering. This historic reform responds to the diverse talent needs of the global semiconductor industry. In addition to requiring technical and managerial personnel, the industry also needs interdisciplinary, cross-cultural talents, allowing students to not only have a broad career path but also to develop deeper research and development capabilities.