If you want to work on one of the processes in the fab (metrology, chemical vapor deposition, photolithography, etc) then an engineering degree (especially chemical engineering) may be your best bet.
If you want to design the chip architecture, then computer engineering is the degree path you want. Samsung has their own chip design subsidiary in Austin too, over on Highway 360 in west Austin, if I remember correctly, called SARC.
Austin Community College has associate degree programs designed for technicians.
I was a software engineer responsible for many of the internally-facing enterprise systems, as well as the intranet. I worked with all of these engineering departments on many different projects, so I had exposure to and visibility into many functional areas and processes of a truly global, high-tech manufacturing concern. In one of the random ways the universe has rolled the dice in my favor, one day a recruiter called me and asked, "Would you like to work for Samsung?"
I know a few people who went to university near a large Intel campus that was always hiring.
These people told me that if you got hired into Intel, it was almost always as a design verification & validation engineer, and that getting an actual design (architecture) job was near impossible (especially as a recent graduate, even with an MS).
In the Austin area for Samsung, there is an order of magnitude more staff dedicated to verification and validation as part of the manufacturing process than chip design. My perception was that the chip design folks (SARC) are like the golden children of the ecosystem. Their salaries reflect that it's obviously a more competitive, demanding environment. I don't know how hard it would be for a fab engineer to transfer positions from SAS to SARC, but I do remember that it was not a common occurrence.
> how could a new grad be qualified to design a new intel chip?
How could a new grad be qualified to design a new Google tool?
By being an apprentice (intern) at Google who is initially only responsible for a small bit of code (not "the tool" nor "the chip" - just a piece), and whose contributions are thoroughly reviewed and tested before pushing to production.
There are two validation engineers for every design engineer in the semiconductor industry. There are even fewer design architects. But they all need a computer engineering background. Design verification is just what’s in demand.
I should add, if this is a path you're seriously considering, I will get you in touch with people at SAS, either in HR or in the engineering departments who can offer guidance. Samsung Austin Semiconductor has community engagement programs as well as career days for Austin-area high school students.
Samsung also recruits directly from Texas universities. I remember many Longhorn and Aggie engineers being hired straight from school every year. I don't know what your school situation is like, but I can also get you information about how that pipeline works.
This is just my experience working at another Big 5 manufacturer, but the easiest route was entry from another engineering role (if you didn't know anyone on the team there already). They never had any undergraduate roles available as the pipeline generally came through at MSc or PhD level.
I started in application engineering with an EEE degree, built a name for myself there over a couple of years, and made my intentions known once I built a good repertoire with my manager and mentors that I wanted to transition into chip design. They helped me network with the right people, and the chip design team took me on. Some of the skills I learnt at university, most of it I learnt on the job.
Networking > Qualifications to be honest. On the team we had Physicists, Electronics Engies, Comp Scientists, ML Engies, Mathematicians, Chemists and so on. Provided you can get a foot in the door and convince them you've got some skills that would be of use, then you're good.
Undergrad in electrical engineering at a school that teaches coursework in VLSI and computer architectures. There are a few that have professors and course studies at the undergrad and graduate level in semiconductors, integration with partnerships with industry. Off the top of my head, UIUC, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, NC State, UF, UT Austin, Cal Tech. I'm sure there are many more.
Graduate degrees in physics and EE focused on semiconductor physics and manufacturing are also useful. I've known a few post grad/doctoral folks from nuclear engineering and optics that have careers in the field.
I studied what is formally known as Computer Engineering at Oregon State University.
The courses we took had labs starting from soldering physical components on boards (actually wire wrapping) to hardware design tools.
After graduating, I went to work for Mentor Graphics, (now a division of Siemens). They create chip-level design tools of all kinds, the big moneymaker back then was Calibre Parasitic Extraction.
They also sell PADS, a PCB design tool that was popular. I did lead gen for both these products and steered away from design and into software.
However, you could go to work for any of the electronic design automation (EDA) companies and ultimately learn the design tools at great detail which might be a way to jump into a position on a design team.
At the very least you would be in a position to build a professional network with chip designers.
