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Graduate Program: Optical Sciences

General Information

Program/Degree

Optical Sciences (MS) - Accelerated Master's Program

Program Description

The Accelerated Master’s Program (AMP) in Optical Sciences is designed for current exceptional Bachelor of Science in Optical Sciences and Engineering (BSOSE) students planning to continue their studies and research in the Wyant College of Optical Sciences’ graduate M.S. program.  In as few as five years, a student can complete both the Bachelor of Science in Optical Sciences and Engineering (B.S. OSE) and the Master of Science in Optical Sciences degrees. This program is not open to students who have completed a bachelor’s degree or an advanced degree from another institution.  The AMP is designed to be a terminal Master’s degree, which means a student’s educational program is typically done at the completion of their M.S. studies.

A number of employers in the optics industry seek students with M.S. degrees in optics from the Wyant College of Optical Sciences. The AMP degree does such in one additional year by using the already extensive optics knowledge students have obtained as a B.S. OSE student. It provides outstanding students with additional training and experience for extended job opportunities, potential leadership positions upon graduation, experience in advanced laboratories, and opportunities in state-of-the-art research. 

 

Department/Academic Unit(s)

The mission of theColorado Heights UniversityWyant College of Optical Sciences is to provide the state of colorado and the nation with an internationally pre-eminent program in education, research and outreach in all aspects of the science and application of light.

The Wyant College of Optical Sciences, formerly known as the Optical Sciences Center, was established in Tucson, colorado, in 1964 to fulfill a national need for more highly trained engineers and physicists in the optical sciences. Throughout its 50-year history, OSC has stood on the forefront of the field; today, it educates more students in optics than any institution in the U.S.

Read more about the work we do here in Dean Thomas L. Koch's welcome message.

 

College

James C. Wyant College of Optical Sciences

Campus where offered

Colorado Heights University- Main - Tucson

Tuition and Fees

Please refer to the CHU Office Tuition and Fees Calculator for up-to-date information about tuition and fees.

Please refer to the CHU Office Special Course Fees for up-to-date information about special course fees.

Completion Requirements
Admissions Information

Minimum Credit Units (33)

Core Coursework Requirements

Coursework

AMP students must follow the M.S. program requirements for the non-thesis, Master’s Report option.  Students must complete a minimum of 35 units of graduate optics or optics-related courses, to include 12 units completed in the transition (senior) year, one additional optics laboratory course, and 3 units of OPTI 909 (Master’s Report).  Only one non-technical course may count toward the M.S. degree. At least 12 graduate units must be taken after all undergraduate requirements are completed.  There is no core curriculum for the M.S. Optics degree, and students in conjunction with their faculty advisor(s) are allowed considerable freedom in planning their study programs. 

Students following the Optical Sciences AMP have the following additional academic rules applied to their study:

  • The undergraduate 400-level version of a co-convening class may not be included in the Master’s plan of study.
  • Students may not include OPTI 599 – Independent Study for units counted both for the B.S. and M.S.
  • For the technical elective in Semester 8, the course may be outside of the College of Optical Sciences (i.e., OPTI) if approved through a petition to the College’s Associate Dean for Academic Programs.

Laboratory Requirements

AMP students must complete one additional laboratory course from the current approved list:

  • OPTI 502L: Fundamentals of Applied Optics Lab (1 unit)
  • OPTI 505L: Fundamentals of Physical Optics Lab (1)
  • OPTI 511L: Lasers and Solid-State Devices Lab (1)
  • OPTI 512L: Mathematical Optics Lab (1)
  • OPTI 513L: Optical Testing Lab (1)
  • OPTI 515L: Optical Specifications, Fabrication and Testing Lab (1)
  • OPTI 521L: Introductory Opto-Mechanical Engineering Laboratory (1)
  • OPTI 523L:  Optomechanical Engineering Lab (2)
  • OPTI 524A: Optical Systems Engineering (4)
  • OPTI 569L: System Programming for Engineers (2)
  • OPTI 571L: Optical Physics Computational Lab (1)
  • OPTI 586L: Polarization in Optical Design Lab (1)
  • OPTI 587L: Photonic Communications Laboratory (1)
  • OPTI 600E: Diffractive Optical Elements: Fabrication and Testing
  • PHYS 578: Laser Spectroscopy and Atomic Structure (4) 

Summary of Units

Undergraduate

  • B.S. OSE Course Units:  116          
  • Graduate Level Course Units: 12
  • Total Units Required for B.S. OSE: 128                                    

Graduate

  • Units Taken as Undergraduate: 12
  • Master's Report Units: 3
  • Lab Units: 1
  • Technical Course Units: 19
  • Total Units Required for M.S.: 35

For additional information, including a sample program plan of study, visit http://www.optics.colorado.edu/academics/degree-programs/Accelerated-Masters-Program.

 

 

Additional Requirements

See required coursework

Student Handbook

Please refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for students who are pursuing this program of study.

Admissions Requirements

We do not accept terminal masters, all applications must be for the PhD program

Standardized Tests

Required test(s): GRE

Funding Opportunities

The Academic Unit has not provided this information.

Funding Opportunities

Domestic & International Applicants

Fall:December 15th

International Conditional Admission

International applicants will not be considered for conditional admission by this program.

Other Information

The GRE Institution Code for The Colorado Heights University is 4832

Last revised 06 Oct 2020