Graduate Program

Degrees Offered

• Master of Science in Optical Science and Engineering (M.S.)
  Concentrations: Imaging Science; Optical Science; Photonics.
  
  
• Doctor of Philosophy in Optical Science and Engineering (Ph.D.)
  Concentrations: Imaging Science; Optical Science; Photonics; Quantum Optics.

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Master of Science in Optical Science and Engineering

• Concentrations: Imaging Science; Optical Science; Photonics.

Current research areas: Advanced materials, atom optics, biomedical optics, fiber optics, laser physics, lithography, nanostructures, nonlinear optics, optical imaging, optical sensors, optoelectronics, photonic integrated circuits, quantum optics, spectroscopy, and ultrafast phenomena.

The M.S. in Optical Science and Engineering 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 areas. The program has three alternate plans under which a student can begin to fulfill his or her career goals within a flexible curriculum. Plan I and Plan II-b are designed to launch the student on an industrial R&D career path. In particular, through its internship, Plan II-b allows for private companies, national/federal laboratories, and their contractors to partner with UNM in content areas in mutually beneficial ways by means of either a first look at potential recruits or a more interactive career advancement of their current employees. Plan II-a is a purely course-based option.

The Optical Science and Engineering (OSE) Program is jointly administered by the Department of Physics and Astronomy (PandA) and the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE). This program features an internship option under which a student can apply qualified industrial/government laboratory research along with successfully completed course work toward the degree. Under Plan I (thesis based), a minimum of 24 credit hours of course work and 6 hours of thesis credit is required. Under Plan II-a (non-thesis, course-based), a minimum of 33 credit hours of course work, including 3 credit hours of research seminar (PHYC 500/501), at least 2 of which must be in Optics – or individual research/problems (PHYC 552/650, or ECE 551/651) is required. Under Plan II-b (internship-based), a minimum of 33 credit hours of course work - including 3-6 credit hours of internship (ECE/PHYC 559) - is required. Successful completion of an oral M.S. comprehensive examination is required under Plans II-a and II-b.

Under all plans the graduate course work offered for the degree must include Advanced Optics I (ECE/PHYC *463), Experimental Techniques of Optics (PHYC *476L or *477L), Electrodynamics (PHYC 511, or the Foundations of Engineering Electromagnetics ECE 555/Engineering Electrodynamics *ECE 561 sequence). A concentration is required for the degree. All details must be discussed with a graduate advisor each semester.

Required Courses

Core Courses common to all Concentrations:

• ECE/PHYC *463: Advanced Optics I
• PHYC *476L: Experimental Techniques of Optics -or- *477L: Experimental Techniques of Optics
• PHYC 511: Electrodynamics -or- (ECE 555: Foundations of Engineering Electromagnetics -and- ECE 561: Engineering Electrodynamics)

Concentrations

Plus the following core courses depending on concentration:

• Imaging Science
ECE 541: Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes
ECE 533: Digital Image Processing

• Optical Science
ECE/PHYC 554: Advanced Optics II
ECE/PHYC *464: Laser Physics I

• Photonics
ECE *471: Materials and Devices
ECE 570: Optoelectronic Semiconductor Materials and Devices
ECE 572: Semiconductor Physics

General Electives

More information, including possible choices of elective courses, is available at the Optical Science and Engineering program Web site.

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Doctor of Philosophy in Optical Science and Engineering

• Concentrations: Imaging Science; Optical Science; Photonics; Quantum Optics. 

Current research areas: Ultrafast optics and photonics, laser physics and engineering, optical imaging, quantum optics, optoelectronic devices, fiber lasers and amplifiers, optical communication, optical materials, optical lithography, nonlinear optics, integrated optics, quantum computing, bio-optics, nano-photonics, and laser cooling.

An extensive selection of optics courses is available to the student considering graduate studies in Optical Science and Engineering. Considerable interaction occurs with the Center for High Technology Materials and the optical research groups at the Air Force Research Laboratory, Sandia National Laboratories, Los Alamos National Laboratory and other organizations in Albuquerque. These facilities offer extensive opportunities for research work toward both the M.S. and the Ph.D. degrees.

The Doctor of Philosophy in Optical Science and Engineering requires a minimum of 52 credit hours of graduate work, exclusive of dissertation. Important: the total credit hours taken from Required courses and Elective courses should be 30 credit hours. A concentration is required for the degree.

Required Courses

Core Courses common to all Concentrations:

• ECE/PHYC *463 Advanced Optics I
• PHYC *476L Experimental Techniques of Optics -or- PHYC *477L Experimental Techniques of Optics
• PHYC 511 Electrodynamics -or- (ECE 555 Foundations of Engineering Electromagnetics -and- ECE 561 Engineering Electrodynamics)

Concentrations

Plus the following core courses depending on concentration:

• Imaging Science
ECE 541 Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes
ECE 533 Digital Image Processing
3 credit hours of seminar, including one Optics seminar

• Optical Science
ECE/PHYC *464 Laser Physics I
ECE/PHYC 554 Advanced Optics II
PHYC *466 Methods of Theoretical Physics I -or- MATH *466 Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering
PHYC 521 Graduate Quantum Mechanics I
PHYC 568 Nonlinear Optics
3 credit hours of seminar, including one Optics seminar

• Photonics
ECE *471 Materials and Devices
ECE 570 Optoelectronic Semiconductor Materials and Devices
ECE 572 Semiconductor Physics
3 credit hours of seminar, including one Optics seminar

• Quantum Optics
30 credit hours of core classes consisting of a mixture of required and option-based electives as described below:

Required courses (18 credit hours)
ECE/PHYC *464 Laser Physics I
ECE 561 Engineering Electrodynamics -or- PHYC 511 Electrodynamics
PHYC 521 Graduate Quantum Mechanics I
PHYC 522 Graduate Quantum Mechanics II
PHYC 566 Quantum Optics

Concentration-specific required courses (9 credit hours)
Choice of three courses from the following list:
ECE/PHYC *463 Advanced Optics I
ECE *471 Materials and Devices II
ECE 533 Digital image Processing
ECE 541 Probability Theory Stochastic Processes
ECE/PHYC 554 Advanced Optics II
ECE 570 Optoelectronic Semiconductor Materials and Devices
ECE 572 Semiconductor Physics
PHYC *476L Experimental Techniques of Optics -or- PHYC *477L Experimental Techniques of Optics
PHYC 568 Nonlinear Optics
PHYC 571 Quantum Computation
PHYC 572 Quantum Information Theory
PHYC 581 Adv T: Quantum Optics II

Option-based electives (3 credit hours)
3 credit hours from the list of OSE approved courses as shown below:
BIOL 547 Advanced Techniques in Light Microscopy
ECE/PHYC *463 Advanced Optics I
ECE *475 Introduction to Electro-Optics and Opto-Electronics
ECE 500 Theory of Linear Systems
ECE 506 Optimization Theory
ECE 510 Medical Imaging
ECE 512 Advanced Image Synthesis
ECE 516 Computer Vision
ECE 517 Pattern Recognition
ECE/NSMS 518 Synthesis of Nanostructures
ECE 533 Digital Image Processing
ECE 539 Digital Signal Processing
ECE 541 Probability Theory and Stochastic Processes
ECE 547 Neural Networks
ECE 549 Information Theory and Coding
ECE 554/PHYC 554 Advanced Optics II
ECE 555 Foundations of engineering Electromagnetics
ECE 563 Computational Methods for Electromagnetics
ECE 564 Guided Wave Optics
ECE 565 Optical Communication Components and Subsystems
ECE 570 Optoelectronic Semiconductor Materials and Devices
ECE 572 Semiconductor Physics -or- PHYC 529: Condensed Matter I
ECE 574L Microelectronics Processing
ECE 577 Fundamentals of Semiconductor LEDs and Lasers
ECE 581 Colloidal Nanocrystals for Biomedical Applications
ECE 595 ST: Electrical and Computer Engineering -or- PHYC 569 Adv T: Modern Optics
ECE 595 ST: Microwave Photonics
ECE 595 ST: Detectors and Hardware
ECE 642 Detection and Estimation Theory
MATH **412 Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos
MATH *466 Mathematical Methods in Science and Engineering -or- PHYC *466: Methods of Theoretical Physics I
PHYC *464: Laser Physics I
PHYC *476L Experimental Techniques of Optics -or- PHYC *477L Experimental Techniques of Optics
PHYC 531 Atomic and Molecular Structure
PHYC 568 Nonlinear Optics
PHYC 571 Quantum Computation
PHYC 572 Quantum Information Theory
PHYC 581 Adv T: Quantum Optics II

Free electives (22 credit hours)
22 credit hours of free electives (500-level courses and above, including problems courses).

Dissertation hours (18 credit hours)
ECE 699 Dissertation -or- PHYC 699: Dissertation

General Electives

More information, including possible choices of elective courses, is available at the Optical Science and Engineering program Web site.

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