M.S. in Optics and Photonics Technology Mission Statement

The mission of the M.S. degree in Optics and Photonics Technology is to respond to the growing demand for qualified workers in the field of Photonics and adjacent disciplines, as well as to the expectation of students that an advanced college education will lead to rewarding professional careers. Multiple employer surveys point to a wide gap between the set of skills possessed by college graduates and those sought by employers. The professional training appropriate for industrial employers is not provided by the current academic curricula of traditional science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) programs. The Master of Science in Photonics degree offered by the QC Physics department is an innovative program developed to fill this gap. This program, which includes extensive lab work, additional business courses, industrial internships, and team projects, provides students with rigorous academic training with an emphasis in photonics and with additional skills in preparation for future employment. Developed in close collaboration with the program's Industrial Advisory Board that includes representatives of companies of different sizes - from small start-ups to multinational corporations - it has been certified by the Council of Graduate Schools as a Professional Science Master's (PSM) program. This certification confirms that the design of the program corresponds to its main objective, which is to prepare students for immediate employment in the rapidly growing photonics-related sector of the economy.