Optics Ph.D. Program
Overview
The Optics PhD program provides the highest-quality education in optical science and engineering, allowing students to conduct
scholarly, fundamental, and applied research, while aiding in the development of Florida's and the nation's technology-based
industries.
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PhD students are intimately involved in the research activities of the college, which cover all aspects of optics,
photonics, and lasers. The Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL), the Florida Photonics Center
of Excellence (FPCE), and the Townes Laser Institute (TLI) are integral parts of the College of Optics and Photonics (COP).
Current research areas include: linear and nonlinear guided-wave optics and devices, high speed photonic telecommunications,
fiber optic fabrication, fiber optic communications, solid state laser development, nonlinear optics, laser-induced damage,
quantum-well optoelectronics, quantum optics, photonic information processing, infrared systems, optical diagnostics, optical
system design, image analysis, virtual reality, medical imaging, diffractive optics, optical crystal growth and characterization,
high intensity lasers, x-ray optics, EUV sources, optical glasses, laser materials processing, free-electron lasers, and
light matter interaction.
The College of Optics and Photonics was the first “college” in the United States solely devoted
to Optics. COP has grown rapidly and now has 55 faculty members and faculty with joint appointments, 41 research scientists
and 148 graduate students with research activities covering all aspects of optics, photonics, and lasers. Research expenditures
are over $10 million annually, with more than 20 percent of the funding coming from industrial partners, illustrating the
effectiveness of the commitment to partnerships that is a foundational value of the COP.
Degree Requirements
The Optics PhD requires a minimum of 72 hours graduate semester credit hours, of which more than 50% should be at the 6000
or higher level.
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These hours must be comprised of:
- at least 45 hours of graduate science and engineering course work, satisfying all of the following requirements:
- at least 30 hours must be Optics course work
- at least 6 hours are science/engineering graduate laboratory courses,
- at least 3 of the laboratory hours must be in Optics
- at least 15 hours of dissertation (OSE 7980)
No more than 12 hours combined of directed research, doctoral research and independent studies, (OSE 6918, 7919 or 6908)
may be counted toward the PhD degree.
The following are links to all the forms you may need to complete along
the way to completing the PhD Reading through these will give a good idea
of what is required at each stage.
College of Optics Academic Programs Office
Dr. David Hagan, Associate Dean,
hagan@creol.ucf.edu
Ms. Rachel Franzetta, Graduate Coordinator,
rfranzet@creol.ucf.edu
