PhD in Optical Science and Engineering from Fall 2018-Present

Optics is an enabler of many scientific and engineering disciplines, providing an essential tool for high-precision tests of fundamental physical laws, modern communication and imaging systems, and biomedical and manufacturing technologies, to name a few important application areas. Its pre-eminence as an interdisciplinary science has been unrivaled since the advent of the laser nearly 40 years ago. The Optical Science and Engineering (OSE) program at UNM has clearly demonstrated added value to the activities of the Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE) and Physics and Astronomy, (P&A) departments over the past 25 years which is a testament to its broad compass and the recognition by UNM of OSE's unique position in the state's industrial enterprise, including the national and federal laboratories and burgeoning private sector.

OSE PhD Concentrations

  • Optical Science
  • Photonics
  • Imaging Science
  • Quantum Optics

Optics PhD Program

Summary of Ph.D. Rules:

  1. The minimum course work required for the PhD program is as follows: A minimum of 52 hours of coursework credits (not including PHYC 699 or ECE 699 dissertation hours).
    • At least 24 hours of coursework graduate credit must be completed at UNM.
    • At least 18 hours of graduate credit coursework must be completed at UNM after admission to the doctoral program.
    • A minimum of 18 hours of graduate credit coursework earned at UNM must be courses numbered 500 or above.
  2. Two credit hours of OSE Seminar Series PHYC 500 (Graduate Seminar).
  3. A minimum of 18 hours of dissertation credits (ECE 699 or PHYC 699).
  4. No more than 6 credit hours of coursework can have a grade of C (2.0), C+ (2.33) or CR (grading option selected by student). The OSE Seminar and other seminar courses are excluded from this limitation.
  5. A student’s cumulative GPA cannot be below 3.0. In addition, the GPA for courses presented in his/her Application of Candidacy cannot be below 3.0.
  6. All students must receive a grade of B or better in their common core and concentration electives. These fundamental courses are bolded in the chart below. These fundamental classes total 15 credits for each concentration.
  7. No more than 50% of the required coursework credits at UNM may be taken with a single faculty member. (Course work that has been completed for an M.S. degree is included in this limit).

Must be enrolled in at least one graduate credit in the semester in which the doctoral comprehensive examination is taken and in the semester in which the degree requirements are completed, including the summer session.

 

OSE Core Academic and Presentation(Completion by Fourth Semester or Third Year)

OSE Comprehensive exam(Called Proposal Defense)

A doctoral student must pass a comprehensive examination in the major field of study. This examination, which may be written, oral or both, is not limited to the areas of the student’s course work but tests the student’s grasp of the field as a whole. 

OSE Thesis and Dissertation

  • Please see the Graduate Studies rules and requirements for the thesis and dissertation defenses. 

      Please click here

    http://grad.unm.edu/degree-completion/index.html  

  • OSE PHD Program Concentrations – Required Coursework

OSE PHD Program Concentrations – Required Coursework

Common Core (12 Credit Hours)

Advanced Optics I (PHYC/ECE 463)

Experimental Techniques of Optics (PHYC 476L/477L)

Electrodynamics (PHYC 511); or Engineering Electromagnetics* (ECE 561)

3 credit hours of seminar, including two OSE Seminars 

Concentrations (15 Credit Hours)

Optical Science

Photonics

Imaging Science

Quantum Optics

Advanced Optics II (PHYC 554 or ECE 554)

Advanced Optics II (PHYC 554/ECE 554)

Advanced Optics II (PHYC 554 or ECE 554)

Laser Physics I (PHYC 464 or ECE 464)

Laser Physics I (PHYC/ECE 464)

Optoelectronic Semiconductor Materials and Devices (ECE 570)

Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes (ECE 541)

Graduate Quantum Mechanics I (PHYC 521)

Methods of Theoretical Physics I (PHYC 466); or Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering (Math 466); or Foundations of Engineering Electromagnetics (ECE 555)

Semiconductor Physics** (ECE 572); or Introduction to Solid State Physics (PHYC 430).

Two courses from: Digital Image Processing (ECE 533); Digital signal processing (ECE 539); Theory of Linear Systems (ECE 500)

Graduate Quantum Mechanics II (PHYC 522)

Graduate Quantum Mechanics I (PHYC 521); or Semiconductor Physics** (ECE 572).

Fundamentals of Semiconductor LEDs and Lasers (ECE 577); or Laser Physics (ECE/PHYC 464)

Quantum Optics (PHYC 566)

Nonlinear Optics (PHYC 568 or ECE 568)

One course from: Optical Communication Components and Subsystems (ECE 565) or Guided-wave Optics (ECE564

Medical Imaging (ECE 510); or IR Detectors (ECE 595); or Advanced Topics in Image Processing (ECE 633); or Advanced Techniques in Optical Imaging (Bio 547)

A 3-credit hour class chosen from Pool B: Program Electives

Pool B: Program Electives (3 Credit Hours)

Advanced image synthesis (ECE/CS 512)

 

Advanced Optics II (ECE/PHYC 554)

Laser Physics I (PHYC/ECE 464)

Advanced Techniques in Optical Imaging (Bio 547)

Laser Physics II (PHYC 564)

Advanced Topics in Modern Optics (PHYC 569)

Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering( Math 466)

Analysis Methods In Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging(ECE 511)

Medical Imaging (ECE 510)

Atomic and Molecular Structure (PHYC 531)

Methods of Theoretical Physics I (PHYC 466 )

Introduction to electro-optics and opto-electronics (ECE 475)

Microelectronics Processing Lab (ECE 574L)

Biosensors Fundamentals and Applications ( NSMS 538)

Neural networks (ECE 547)

Colloidal nanocrystals for biomedical applications (ECE/BIOM/NSMS 581)

Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos (Math 412)

Computational Methods for Electromagnetics (ECE 563)

Nonlinear Optics (PHYC/ECE 568)

Computer vision (ECE 516)

Optical Communication Components and Subsystems (ECE 565)

Condensed Matter I (PHYC 529)

Optimization theory (ECE 506)

Detection and estimation Theory (ECE 642)

Optoelctronic Semiconductor Materials and Devices (ECE 570)

Digital Image Processing (ECE 533)

Machine Learning (ECE 517)

Digital signal processing (ECE 539)

Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes (ECE 541)

Electrodynamics (PHYC 511)

Quantum Computation (PHYC 571)

Foundations of Engineering Electromagnetics (ECE 555)

Quantum Information Theory (PHYC 572)

Fundamentals of Semiconductor LEDs and Lasers  (ECE 577)

Quantum Optics (PHYC 566)

Graduate Quantum Mechanics I (PHYC 521)

Semiconductor Physics (ECE 572)

Graduate Quantum Mechanics II (PHYC 522)

Spectroscopy (Chem 566)

Guided Wave Optics (ECE 564)

Synthesis of Nanostructures (ECE 518 or NSMS 518)

Information theory and coding (ECE 549)

Theory of linear systems (ECE 500)

 

 

* Prerequisite: Foundations of Engineering Electro Magnetics (ECE 555)

 

 

** Prerequisite: Materials and Devices II (ECE 471)

 

 

Depending on the student, the remaining 22 course work credit hours can be satisfied with a combination of courses (500 level or above) including problems courses and research hours.