Physics Major with Optics Option
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Majors in the Department of Physics and Applied Physics may also elect an Optics Option which will be recognized on the student’s transcript providing an official declaration form is filed at the end of the lower division program. This option will provide the student with intensive training in optics in preparation for immediate entry into a career in one of the many rapidly expanding fields in optics such as optical component and system design, lasers, and image processing. In addition, students wishing to continue their training will be qualified to enter graduate study in physics, optics, astronomy or engineering.
This option has been developed by the Department of Physics and Applied Physics in consultation with an Industrial Advisory Panel of distinguished physicists active in various fields of optics in order to fill a need in the New England area for graduates at the BS level with a strong background in optics. Students enrolled in the Optics Option will have an excellent chance of finding summer or part-time employment in the optics industry during their junior and senior years.
The topics which will be covered in the courses offered under the Optics Option include the basic principles of geometrical optics and their application to the design of optical components and systems such as lenses, microscopes and telescopes, the design and operation of optical devices such as lasers, spectrometers and interferometers, the generation and detection of various types of electromagnetic radiation, optical properties of materials and the properties of imaging systems and image processing. There will be extensive laboratory work associated with the courses utilizing state-of-the-art equipment.
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