Photonic Science and Technology, MS

Program Description

The Photonic Science and Technology program, jointly administered by the Center of Optical Material Science and Engineering Technologies (COMSET), the College of Engineering, Computing and Applied Sciences, and the Graduate School, offers interdisciplinary graduate degrees involving science, engineering, communications, entrepreneurship, business, and leadership. The program prepares individuals with the fundamentals of the science and engineering of light and specific interactions targeted for relevance to the research areas of their home academic department(s) and collaborative co-advised graduate committees.

Students with backgrounds in any relevant science or engineering discipline who have earned an undergraduate degree from an accredited college or university may be accepted. Undergraduate prerequisite or corequisite courses may be required for applicants with undergraduate degrees in non-engineering or nonscientific disciplines.

Each degree program is planned individually to augments the student’s previous engineering and science background with adequate breadth in science or engineering and specialization in an area of photonic science or engineering. Coursework includes photonic science and technology and related engineering and sciences currently offered in the member departments and schools of COMSET. Students may choose a non-thesis (all coursework) option or a thesis option.

Summary of Degree Requirements

Thesis Option

The MS thesis option requires a minimum of 30 credit hours consisting of six credit hours of ECE 8910  (Master’s Thesis Research) and 24 credit hours of letter-graded graduate-level coursework. The 24 hours of coursework must include at least 18 credit hours of core Photonic course work listed in the Photonics Graduate Student Handbook. MS thesis students must write, orally present, and defend a thesis that is approved by the advisory committee and the Graduate School.

Non-Thesis Option

The MS non-thesis option requires a minimum of 33 credit hours of letter-graded graduate-level coursework which include at least 18 credit hours of core Photonic coursework listed in the Photonics Graduate Student Handbook. 

MS students select a major advisor, who, in consultation with the student, chooses additional advisory committee members. The student’s advisory committee must include at least three Clemson University faculty members; a majority (more than 50%) of the members must be Photonics faculty.