QC Optics and Photonics Technologies MS: What is it?

The Master of Science in Optics and Photonics Technologies is a program designed to prepare students for careers in rapidly growing high-technology industries that rely on photonics and optical technologies, including advanced manufacturing, communications, defense, energy, and biomedical applications. The program combines rigorous graduate-level training in optics and photonics with extensive laboratory experience, industrial internships, research projects, and coursework addressing the business and economic foundations of modern technology enterprises. In addition to advanced technical expertise, students develop workplace skills highly valued by employers, including communication, teamwork, and “learning agility.” As the first such program at the City University of New York and one of only a few in the Tri-State area, the program is specifically designed to bridge the gap between traditional STEM education and the evolving needs of modern technology industries. Graduates of the program have found employment at organizations including Northrop Grumman, NASA, Lockheed Martin, TRUMPF, and IBM, as well as at other international and local corporations.

To accommodate the schedule of working students most of our classes are offered in the evening

According to the National Photonic Initiative the following industries depend heavily on workers with training in Photonics:

• Advanced Manufacturing (Laser tooling, 3-D printing, etc.)
• Communication and Information Technology (fiber optics, on-processor optical interconnects, etc.)
• Defense and National Security (high-resolution imaging, remote sensing, photonic integrated circuit and advanced lasers manufacturing, etc.)
• Energy and Environment (solar energy, efficient solid state light sources, photonic sensing, optical pollution sensing etc.)
• Health and Medicine (real-time optical testing, optical endoscopy, optical bio-imaging, laser surgery )

Demands for qualified workers in the field of Optics Technologies and adjacent disciplines are expected to remain strong for a long period of time. At the same time, multiple employer’s 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 Optics and Photonics Technologies  degree offered by QC Physics department is a  fully accredited innovative program developed to fill this gap. In a two-year program — which includes extensive lab work, additional business courses, industrial internships, and team projects — students receive rigorous academic training with an emphasis in optics technologies and gain additional skills in preparation for future employers.

Developed in close collaboration with 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.The Professional Science Master's is a new type of graduate degrees designed to compliment advanced training of students in science or mathematics by developing additional workplace skills that are highly valued by employers. QC Photonics MS is the first physics PSM program offered by the City University of New York and one of the only few such programs in the Tristate area.