Bar code scanners. Photocopiers. CD players. The list of products that
optics students learn to design goes on and on.
"It's difficult to get through a day in modern times without using or encountering
technology that is based in optics," says Dennis Hall, former director of
the Institute of Optics at the University of Rochester. He is now a physics
professor at Vanderbilt University.
Hall says there are three paths you can choose to study optics.
One option is to find a school with a physics department that offers courses
in optics. Another route is to choose an electrical engineering program that
allows you to specialize in optics. A few schools even have a special optics
program.
So how do you know which route to choose?
"The course of study is different, but there are a lot of overlaps,"
says Patrick Li Kam Wa, a professor of optics at the University of Central
Florida. "In fact, depending on how the student chooses the options, the students
enrolled in the different programs may end up taking almost the same courses."
Hall points out that the optics field has two career tracks: a science-oriented
one and an application-oriented one.
"That means that a student interested in fundamental science can, in the
right department, get a physics degree with more than the usual number of
optics courses," he says.
"Likewise, a student interested in engineering can, in the right department,
get an electrical engineering degree with more than the usual number of optics
courses. But on the other hand, a student with both fundamental and applied
interests, or a student who has not yet made up his or her mind about fundamental
versus applied, can pursue an education in a comprehensive program in optics
that provides a background in both."
You'll need to be good at math. You'll also have to be interested
in science or engineering.
"As a subject, optics is a blend of physics, engineering and mathematics,"
says Hall. "It would be fair to say that students need the same set of skills
to succeed in the optics major that are necessary to succeed in either the
physics major or the electrical engineering major."
Michael Giles teaches optics in New Mexico State University's electrical
and computer engineering program. He looks for excellence in math, English
and science in applicants.
"Concentrate on the basic math courses, especially algebra, geometry
and trigonometry. Make sure you know these subjects very well. Calculus
is also good, but it can be studied at the university level," he says.
"Physics and chemistry are also good preparatory classes. English
is extremely important," he adds. "Computer skills are also essential. Learn
to write computer programs that will solve your favorite math equations."
Links
Occupational Outlook Handbook
For more information related to this field of study, see: Physicists
and Astronomers
For more information related to this field of study, see: Electrical
and Electronics Engineers
International Directory of Degree Programs in Optics
List of programs worldwide
Optics.org
An online photonics resource