The goal of the Master of Science in Optical Sciences program -- both for distance learning students and resident students -- is to prepare students to enter exciting and challenging careers in industry or to continue their education in the PhD program. Graduates of the Master’s program are typically employed as engineers, designers and technical managers. They work in optical design and engineering, hardware design, medical and biomedical technology, lasers and electro-optical systems, fiber optics and communications, electronics, measurements, manufacturing and technology for consumer products. Their opportunities are varied, exciting and critical to all high-tech fields. MS degree graduates work for large corporations, small companies, government agencies, universities, hospitals and research centers. Many MS graduates have started their own successful companies and others enjoy great flexibility as consultants. At Optical Sciences, Master’s degree students, including distance learning students, are afforded considerable freedom in planning their study programs to meet their goals. There are no required courses for the MS program, so some students choose PhD core courses to form the nucleus of their MS studies, while others choose to explore specialized areas related to their employment goals. Students plan their own course of study by selecting from two or three video courses offered each semester. The courses are taught by Optical Sciences' professional faculty members, not by teaching assistants or part-time associates. The distance learning courses are the same courses offered to MS and PhD degree candidates in residency at the University of Arizona. Practical experience, the means by which students become highly skilled in technical areas, is as critical to success as theoretical knowledge gained in the classroom, so MS degree students take at least two optics laboratory courses. The University of Arizona grants students, including distance learning students, up to six years to earn an MS degree. With industry lab experience, all courses requirements can be completed by distance. Only one visit -- for the MS Final Oral Exam -- is required, although a student may choose to visit more often. Students choosing to complete a residency at UA will have the opportunity to take laboratory courses, complete a master’s thesis or report, work with Optical Sciences faculty members, become exposed to a broad range of research areas, attend colloquia and seminars on hot research topics, meet industry representatives, and participate in employment interviews and commencement festivities if they wish. The decision to choose the thesis option or the report option is an individual decision that can be left until well into the program.
Flexibility is an important component of our distance learning programs. MS students may transfer six or seven units of coursework from other institutions and, because goals and circumstances can change, MS students have the option of transferring into the Certificate program. Applicant's Academic BackgroundApplicants should hold a Bachelor of Science degree in optics, engineering, physics, mathematics or a related field. Before beginning graduate level work, students should have taken four semesters of calculus including differential equations, two or more semesters of college physics and an electromagnetism course as part of their undergraduate degree coursework. When to ApplyMS Distance Program applications for spring semester admissions should be received by November 30th. Applications for fall semester admissions consideration should be received by July 1st. In special circumstances, later received applications may be possible.
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This flexible degree option offers students the option of completing
graduate-level optics classes off-campus at their home or business.