Masters in Optical Science and Engineering
Master of Science Program
The Master of Science (MS) degree program is designed with two distinct objectives:
- To prepare a student for the industrial workforce engaged in any area of optics and photonics and
- To prepare a student to meet the challenges of a more advanced research career in these areasThe OSE program has three concentrations
- Optical Science
- Photonics
- Imaging Science
A. Common Core Courses to all Concentrations:
- Advanced Optics I (PHYC 463 or ECE 463)
- Experimental Techniques of Optics (PHYC 476L OR 477L)
- Electrodynamics (PHYC 511 or the ECE 555/ECE 561 sequence)
Plus the following core courses depending on the concentration:
A. Optical Science Concentration
- Advanced Optics II (PHYC 554 or ECE 554)
- Laser Physics I (PHYC 464 or ECE 464)
OR
A. Photonics Concentration
- Semiconductor Optical Materials and Devices (ECE 570)
- Semiconductor Physics (ECE 471/ECE 572 sequence)
OR
A. Imaging Science Concentration
- Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes (ECE 541)
- Digital Image Processing (ECE 533)
B. Optional Courses
- Quantum Mechanics I (PHYC 521)
- Quantum Mechanics II (PHYC 522)
- Electrodynamics (PHYC 511)
- Microelectronics Processing Lab (ECE 574L)
- Nonlinear Optics (PHYC 568 or ECE 568)
- Advanced Optics I (PHYC 463)
- Advanced Optics II (PHYC 554 or ECE 554)
- Experimental Optics ( 466L / 467L)
- Condensed Matter I (PHYC 529) or Physics of Semiconductors (ECE 572)
- Topics in Modern Optics (PHYC 569) or Special Topics (ECE 595)
- Laser Physics I (PHYC 464 or PHYC 564)
- Experimental Techniques of Optics (PHYC 476L or 477L)
- Machine Learning (ECE 517)
- Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes (ECE 541)
- Digital Image Processing (ECE 533)
- ECE 539 - Digital signal processing
- ECE 549 - Information theory and coding
- ECE 500 - Theory of linear systems
- ECE 475 - Introduction to electro-optics and opto-electronics
- ECE 516 - Computer vision
- ECE 595 - Microwave Photonics
- ECE 570 - Semiconductor Materials and Optical Devices
- ECE 547 - Neural networks
- ECE 581 – Colloidal nanocrystals for biomedical applications
- ECE 510 - Medical Imaging
- ECE 512 - Advanced image synthesis
- ECE 511 – fMRI methods (being developed)
- ECE 506 - Optimization theory
- ECE 563 – Computational Methods for Electromagnetics
- ECE 595 – future course on Detectors and Hardware
- ECE 642 – Signal detection and estimation
- Laser Physics II (PHYC 564)
- Semiconductor Lasers and LEDs (ECE 577)
- Quantum Optics I(PHYC 566)
- Quantum Optics II(PHYC 581)
- Atomic and Molecular Structure (PHYC 531)
- Methods in Theoretical Physics I (PHYC 466 or Math 466)
- Foundations of Engineering Electromagnetics (ECE 555)
- Advanced Techniques in Optical Imaging- (Bio 547)
- Introduction to Optoelectronics (ECE 475)
- Guided Wave Optics (ECE 564)
- Optical Communication Components (ECE 565)
- Synthesis of Nanostructures (ECE 518 or NSMS 518)
- Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos (Math 412)
- Quantum Computation (PHYC 571)
- Quantum Information Theory (PHYC 572)
Requirements (Credit Hours)
| PLAN | Course (total) | A | B | Free Electives | Thesis (599) | Res. Seminar/ Problems | Internship | |
| 1 | Thesis | 30 | 15 | 6 | 3 | 6 | - | - |
| 2A | Coursework en route | 33 | 15 | 9 | 6 | - | 3 (2 in optics) | - |
| 2B | Internship | 33 | 15 | 9 | 6 | - | - | 3 |
| 3 | Coursework | 36 | 15 | 12 | 6 | 3 (2 in optics) | ||
- 12 hours of coursework must be taken at 500 level or higher
- Students in Plan 1 must submit and defend a thesis
- Students in Plan 2a must pass an oral exam or pass, if PHD student, the core academic performance and presentation requirements before receiving the MS degree.
- Students in Plan 2a or 2b can take at most 6 hrs of 400 level courses excl.those that are cross-listed (ECE and Physics)
- Students in Plan 2b should take an internship course (PHYC 559 or ECE 559) during their internship (industry or national labs). They are expected to describe their internship work by submitting a term paper. The requirements of the term paper will be determine by the instructor of record. Also, the student will do a presentation in front of a MS committee of at least three faculty members (Graduate Studies committee composition apply) at the end of this course. An evaluation form (Form 2) should be submitted by the instructor and the MS Commitee.
- Students in Plan 3 are not required to take an exit exam. They must successfully pass their courses with a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Timeline
- Each incoming student is advised in his/her home department upon arrival.
- After the first semester the student files for candidacy and sets up a committee on studies. This committee either administers the oral exam (for plans 2) or serves as thesis committee (for plan 1). The student is allowed to change one member of the committee later.
