School of Optics/CREOL
The School of Optics offers a graduate program in optics, photonics, and laser education and research. It is one of only three independent optics academic departments in the nation. The School of Optics offers interdisciplinary graduate programs leading to Master's and Doctoral degrees in Optics.
The Center for Research and Education in Optics and Lasers (CREOL) is integrated in the school as its research arm. The School of Optics and faculty are the primary resources for the optical physics option in the M.S. and Ph.D. program in Physics and the electro-optics option in the M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Electrical Engineering. These two option programs are offered in partnership with academic departments. The faculty also actively participate in undergraduate and graduate teaching in the Physics, Electrical and Computer Engineering (ECE), Mechanical, Materials, and Aerospace Engineering (MMAE), and Chemistry Departments.
School Administration
M. J. Soileau................................Professor and Director
Office: CREOL 206, Phone: (407) 823-6834,
e-mail: MJ@creol.ucf.edu
M. G. "Jim" Moharam.......................................Professor
and Associate Director for Academic Programs
Office: CREOL 208, (407) 823-6833,
e-mail: moharam@creol.ucf.edu
Thomas O'Neal.......................Associate Director for Business
and Administration
Office: CREOL 109, Phone: (407) 823-6807
e-mail: oneal@creol.ucf.edu
Faculty
Bruce Chai................Professor of Optics, Physics & ECE & MMAE
Glenn Boreman.............................Professor of Optics & ECE
Peter Delfyett...................Professor of Optics, ECE & Physics
Luis Elias............................Professor of Optics & Physics
M. G. "Jim" Moharam.......................Professor of Optics & ECE
Martin Richardson................Professor of Optics, Physics & ECE
George Stegeman..........Cobb Family Chair and Professor of Optics,
Physics & ECE
William Silfvast.................Professor of Optics, Physics & ECE
M. J. Soileau....................Professor of Optics, ECE & Physics
C. Martin Stickley........................Professor of Optics & ECE
Eric Van Stryland...................Professor Optics, Physics & ECE
Boris Zel'dovich......................Professor of Optics & Physics
David Hagan............Associate Professor of Optics, Physics & ECE
James Harvey....................Associate Professor of Optics & ECE
Guifang Li.............Associate Professor of Optics, Physics & ECE
Patrick LiKamWa.................Associate Professor of Optics & ECE
Aravinda Kar...................Associate Professor of Optics & MMAE
Kathleen Richardson..................Associate Professor of Optics,
Chemistry & MMAE
Nabeel Riza.....................Associate Professor of Optics & ECE
Jannick Rolland................Assistant Professor of Optics, ECE &
Computer Science
Research Faculty
Leonid Glebov..........................Associate Research Scientist
Hans Jenssen..............................Senior Research Scientist
Aristide Dogariu.......................Assistant Research Scientist
Joint Appointees
Larry Andrews................Professor of Mathematics, ECE & Optics
Kevin Belfield............Associate Professor of Chemistry & Optics
Robert Peale..........Associate Professor of Physics, ECE, & Optics
Ronald Phillips..............Professor of ECE, Mathematics & Optics
Mubarak Shah.................Professor of Computer Science & Optics
Alfonse Shulte..............Associate Professor of Physics & Optics
Arthur Weeks....................Associate Professor of ECE & Optics
Programs of Study
The School of Optics offers master's (M.S.) and doctoral
(Ph.D.) degree programs in optics for qualified applicants
holding undergraduate degrees in engineering, physics, or
closely related fields.
The program has a large offering of optics courses ranging from optical physics to optical engineering with more than twenty-five graduate courses. Research activities are performed at the new 82,000-sq.-ft. School of Optics/CREOL building dedicated to optics, photonics, laser education, and research. The facility houses ninety research laboratories equipped with more than $40 million of state-of-the-art equipment. The School has twenty full-time academic faculty supervising more than one hundred graduate students pursuing graduate education in all facets of optics.
Application Deadlines
| Fall admission (priority) Fall admission Spring admission Summer admission |
February 1* July 15 December 1 April 15 |
M. G. "Jim" Moharam...................Program Coordinator Office: CREOL 208, Phone: (407) 823-6833, e-mail: moharam@creol.ucf.edu
The M.S. program is intended for students with a baccalaureate degree in optics, electrical engineering, physics, or closely related fields.
Admission Requirements
The minimum admission requirement for the M.S.
program is a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (A=4.0) in the last
60 attempted semester hours of the B.S. degree. A
minimum quantitative and verbal combined GRE score of 1000 is
required. It is highly recommended that the applicants also
take and complete the analytical section of the GRE exam. A
score of 213 (computer-based test) or 550 (paper-based test) on
the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required
if the previous degree is from a country where English is
not the official language. Students with degrees in related
fields may be required to take undergraduate articulation
courses determined by the Associate Director on a case-by-case basis.
Degree Requirements
The Master of Science in Optics requires a minimum of
36 credit hours. There are no specifically required courses
for the M.S. degree, and students are allowed considerable
freedom in planning their study programs. However, it is
strongly recommended that students include at least five courses
from the Ph.D. core courses (designated below) into the
program of study. A minimum of two optics graduate
laboratory courses (optics courses with an "L" suffix) must be part of
the program. One required optics laboratory may be waived
if the student can demonstrate an equivalent hands-on
laboratory experience. Up to nine credit hours of appropriate
graduate courses from accredited universities may be
transferred with approval from the school. Only courses with grades
of "B" or better can be transferred. A maximum of three
semester credit hours of 4000-level courses may be applied to
the M.S. or the Ph.D. program. There are two options in the
M.S. program, a thesis and a non-thesis option.
Thesis Option
The thesis option program requires a minimum of six
credit hours of thesis, a minimum of fifteen credit hours in
approved optics courses, a minimum of six credit hours of optics
laboratory courses (optics courses with an "L" suffix), and up
to nine credit hours in appropriate optics, engineering and
sciences relevant courses. Independent study and Directed
Research credit hours are not allowed towards the
degree requirements. The student must prepare an approved
program of study and form a thesis committee upon
completion of nine credit hours. The M.S. thesis committee consists
of three members with at least two faculty members from
the School of Optics. Students are required to write a thesis
and pass an oral exam based primarily on the topics of the
thesis and course work.
Non-thesis Option
The non-thesis option program requires a minimum of
21 course credit hours in approved optics courses, a
minimum of six credit hours of optics laboratory courses (optics
courses with an "L" suffix), and up to nine credit hours in
appropriate engineering and sciences relevant courses. Up to three
credit hours of Directed Research or Research Report may be
included with prior approval of the school. Students must
prepare an approved program of study upon completion of
nine credit hours. Students are required to pass a final
comprehensive examination based primarily on the course
work. The purpose of the exam is for the student to
demonstrate basic knowledge of the fundamentals of optics and
photonics. Currently, the comprehensive examination is the written
section of the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination with an
adjusted passing threshold. The exam is held twice a year in the
fall and spring semesters.
Doctor of Philosophy in Optics
M. G. "Jim" Moharam...................Program Coordinator Office: CREOL 208, Phone: (407) 823-6833, e-mail: moharam@creol.ucf.eduThe Ph.D. program is intended for students with a master's degree in optics, electrical engineering, physics, or closely related fields who wish to pursue a career in research or academia.
Admission Requirements
The minimum admission requirement for the Ph.D.
program is a minimum grade point average of 3.5 (A=4.0) in the
M.S. program. A minimum combined quantitative and verbal
GRE score of 1100 is required. It is highly recommended that
the applicants also take and complete the analytical section of
the GRE exam. A minimum score of 213 (computer-based test)
or 550 (paper-based test) on the Test of English as a
Foreign Language (TOEFL) is required if the previous degree is
from a country where English is not the official language.
Students with degrees in related fields may be required to take
undergraduate articulation courses determined by the
Associate Director on a case-by-case basis.
Students are required to pass a Qualifying Examination, form a dissertation committee, and submit an approved program of study typically by the end of the second academic year in the program before being admitted to full doctoral status.
Degree Requirements
The minimum requirement for the Ph.D. degree is 57
credit hours of approved graduate course work in optics and
optics-related fields and 15 credit hours of dissertation. The
57 credit hours of course work must include a minimum of
30 credit hours in approved optics courses, a minimum of
six credit hours in optics laboratory courses (optics courses
with an "L" suffix), and up to 21 credit hours in appropriate
engineering and sciences electives. At least six credit hours
must be outside the major. One required optics laboratory may
be waived if the student can demonstrate an equivalent
hands-on laboratory experience. A maximum of 12 credit hours
of combined Independent Study and Directed Research
credit hours are allowed in the program of study but they may
not be applied toward the optics course requirements. Up to
36 semester credit hours of appropriate graduate courses in
the M.S. program from accredited universities may be
transferred with approval from the school. Only courses with grades
of "B" or better can be transferred. The Ph.D. core courses
are not required, but they have been designed to include a
significant portion of the material upon which the
Qualifying Examination is based. Consequently, students are
strongly encouraged to include most of these courses in their
programs of study.
Qualifying Exam
Continuation in doctoral status is contingent upon passing
a qualifying examination intended to evaluate the
student's knowledge of the fundamental of optics, photonics, and
lasers and their readiness for the Ph.D. program. Students
are required to take the qualifying exam within two years
of admission into the program. Students have two attempts
to pass the qualifying exam with the second and final
opportunity following at the next available exam (if needed).
The qualifying exam, which is held twice per year, consists of
two sections: a closed book written examination and an oral
examination administered to students who pass the
written exam. The written exam is composed of two three-hour
closed book written exams (over two days) in the general areas
of the electromagnetic foundations of optics, interference,
diffraction, coherence, geometrical optics, radiation and
detection, optical properties of materials, Fourier optics,
lasers, electro-optics, interaction of light with matter, and other
fundamental aspects of optical science and engineering.
Candidacy Exam and Dissertation Proposal
Students write a proposal of the research planned for
the dissertation. An oral examination is administered by the
dissertation committee in the general research area. This
examination can be attempted anytime after passing the
qualifying examination, and after the student has begun research.
After passing the candidacy examination, the student can
register for official dissertation hours. The candidacy/proposal
committee, which also serves as the student's dissertation
committee, must consist of at least three faculty members
from the School of Optics and a minimum of one member
from outside the school.
Dissertation Defense
The student must prepare a written dissertation
describing the student's research. The dissertation oral defense
examination is administered by the student's Ph.D. dissertation
committee.
Optics Courses
The following optics courses are approved to meet the
optics course requirements of the program.
Recommended Core Courses OPX 5XXX Interference and Diffraction EEL 5453 Geometrical Optics EEL 6443 Electro-Optics EEL 6560 Laser Engineering EEL 6561 Fourier Optics EEL 6565 Radiation and Detection PHY 5431 Optical Properties of Materials PHY 5446 Laser Principles
Electives
CHE 5XXX Optical Material Processing and Characterization Techniques EEL 5441 Introduction to Wave Optics EEL 5448 Fundamentals of Optoelectronic Devices EEL 5450C Thin Film Optics EEL 5451L Electro-Optics Laboratory EEL 5563 Fiber Optics Communication EEL 6446 Optical Systems Design EEL 6457 Advanced Topics in Electro-Optics EEL 6560L Laser Engineering Laboratory EEL 6564 Statistical Optics with Applications EMA 5610 Laser Material Processing OPX 5XXXL Optical Metrology Laboratory OPX 6XXX High Speed Photonics OPX 6XXX Solid State Lasers PHY 6434 Nonlinear Optics PHY 6435 Nonlinear Guided Wave Optics PHY 6447 Quantum Optics PHY 6448 Specific Laser Systems PHZ 6204 Atomic and Molecular Spectroscopy
Fellowships and Research Assistantships
National Science Foundation Graduate Traineeships,
CREOL Fellowships, Litton Fellowships, and Graduate Research
assistantships, as well as other university awards, are
available to qualified students. The stipend ranges up $18,000 per
calendar year. Full tuition (both resident and non-resident
portions), estimated at $10,000 per year, is provided for
students receiving graduate fellowships and research
assistantships. Applications received after February 1 may not be
considered.
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