MS Implementation - Unique Program - Page 1
ARIZONA UNIVERSITY SYSTEM
CHIEF ACADEMIC OFFICERS GUIDELINES
FOR
REQUESTS FOR IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORIZATION
FOR NEW ACADEMIC DEGREE PROGRAM
[UNIQUE PROGRAM]
I. PROGRAM NAME AND DESCRIPTION AND CIP CODE
A. DEGREE(S), DEPARTMENT AND COLLEGE AND CIP CODE
Degree: Master of Science (M.S.) in Photonic Communications Engineering
Department: Not applicable
Division: Not applicable
College: University of Arizona, College of Optical Sciences and College of Engineering
CIP Code: 40.0807 – Optics/Optical Sciences
B. PURPOSE AND NATURE OF PROGRAM
The vision of this joint degree program is to create a novel approach to educating engineers to specialize in the multi-disciplinary field of photonic communications. The Information Age has created the need for greatly increased data transfer and storage. Communication technology breakthroughs will have impacts in virtually all areas of modern life, including: telepresence; social networking; telemedicine; distance learning; and information services to remote regions of the world, to name a few. Researchers at the University of California Berkeley recently published a striking statistic about worldwide generation of information; they estimate that in order to store every single word ever spoken by all people since the beginning of time would require 5 Exabytes (10^18) of digital storage. In the past decade alone one hundred times this amount of information was transferred and stored around the world. It is inevitable that the demand to store and share data will continue to grow at enormous rates.
To lead new technology innovations, and work with colleagues from a wide variety of disciplines, engineers require experience in entrepreneurship and an appreciation for the economic impact technology has on global markets. Innovation that is application-driven requires a broad understanding of systems level engineering, market place demand, and technology commercialization processes. The proposed program would augment courses that teach technical excellence with business skills that are necessary for new engineering ventures. Skills in leadership dynamics, technology management, ethical professionalism, and communication will be taught to students in this new degree program, preparing the graduates for a technology driven business world that continually presents challenges across a broad spectrum of disciplines.
The partnership between the College of Engineering and the College of Optical Sciences makes a truly multi-disciplinary course offering possible. The curriculum will be composed of courses from both Colleges. Faculty, from both Colleges and from other partner universities, will design the program requirements to ensure a strong, foundational, knowledge base. Laboratory experiments will reinforce studies of optical transmitters, optical detection, optical fiber based signal transmission, passive optical devices such as filters, and systems. This laboratory-based study will be contextualized by current engineering practices in industry. Graduates from the proposed program will be poised to contribute to the photonic communications industry in two ways: 1) by creating technology solutions to address the global demand for improved telecommunications; and 2) possessing the necessary vision and knowledge base to successfully venture into technology commercialization. To accomplish the second goal we will design a new course that will be taught by an OSC faculty member, who also serves as CIAN’s Industrial Liaison, to focus on entrepreneurship and technology commercialization from the engineer’s point of view (rather than from the business point of view). The M.S. program in Photonic Communications Engineering will teach these important skills and in turn will benefit the UA, the State of Arizona, and the global communications and information technology industry.
The National Science Foundation recently awarded an Engineering Research Center for Integrated Access Networks (CIAN) to a team of premier universities led by the University of Arizona (UA)’s College of Optical Sciences. The ERC program is one of the crown jewels of NSF and the award reflects the importance of CIAN’s mission. CIAN’s charter includes curriculum development and new approaches to engineering education that are influenced by industry trends, global impacts of technology commercialization, and research on educating a domestic workforce to succeed in science and engineering. CIAN is in the unique position of facilitating the proliferation of information technologies that will accelerate the ongoing transformation of engineering education. CIAN’s strategic plan includes projects for curriculum creation and dissemination in the area of photonic communications. A faculty search is currently underway and in the next five years, three new faculty hires will be added to support the research, education, outreach, and diversity goals of CIAN. Additionally, an online super course entitled, “Photonic Communication Systems” is currently being developed by multiple UA faculty, as well as, faculty from the other nine university partners of CIAN. The creation of a unique MS degree program will leverage the nationwide recognition and funding opportunities of CIAN and further raise the visibility of this area of expertise at the UA. Furthermore, CIAN management believes that next-generation engineers will be educated by means of revolutionary new approaches. As an example, faculty members from more than one university are able to access online content, enabling partner institutions to participate in teaching. An added benefit is that students from partner universities will be able to take courses that are team taught and truly multi-disciplinary. The individual partner universities will not need to duplicate efforts or make duplicate hires to cover teaching a course, instead sharing the costs and benefits of team teaching. The proposed MS program is a step in this direction and will be used as a beta testing vehicle for determining the effectiveness of a multi-university, multi-college teaching strategy.
Adding the M.S. program in Photonic Communications Engineering will enhance the research environment at the University of Arizona by involving both additional faculty and graduate students in collaborative efforts with investigators on inter-disciplinary research, enhancing proposal writing skills, and providing courses in Photonic Communications that are available to graduate students from other engineering disciplines. An added benefit is that some graduates will choose to stay at the university as instructors and researchers.
C. PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS -- List the program requirements, including minimum number of credit hours, required courses, and any special requirements, including thesis, internships, etc.
Admission Requirements:
The M.S. program in Photonic Communications Engineering is designed for individuals having strong abilities in a wide range of disciplines, including: Electrical and Computer Engineering, Optical Sciences, and/or Material Science. Students can enter the M.S. program with a bachelor's degree in any of these related fields. Those students qualified for admission into a M.S. program in either the College of Optical Sciences (OSC) or the College of Engineering (COE) will be eligible for this degree program.
Applicants are selected on the basis of their quantitative skills and potential to become effective engineers. Criteria for admission and financial support are: prior course work and grades, especially in quantitative courses such as physics, mathematics, and engineering; Graduate Record Examination (GRE) scores; letters of recommendation that allow the evaluation of the applicant's quantitative abilities; and extent of experience and/or interest in science and engineering.
Degree Requirements:
Credit Hours – The curriculum will require a minimum of 35 credit hours of course work in the major, of which 29 credit hours are from required courses and 6 are electives. As is the current practice in COE and OSC, students will be given the option of performing research for a thesis project or a non-thesis option. Both groups of students will complete a final oral defense.
Required Course Work –
Of the 35 hours of course work in the major, 29 credit hours will be from required courses and laboratories. The remaining 6 credit hours will be from elective courses. For thesis students, these 6 credit hours may be used for research units or coursework. For non-thesis students, the 6 elective credit hours are used for coursework and must include at least 1 credit of laboratory.
Photonic Communications Engineering M.S. Required Courses
(New) / Photonic Communications Engineering I / 3
(New) / Photonic Communications Engineering II / 3
(New) / Mathematical Methods for Optics and Photonics / 3
(New) / Software Tools for Photonics / 3
(New) / From Technology Innovation to the Marketplace / 3
OPTI 501 / Electricity and Magnetism / 3
OPTI/ECE 632 / Advanced Optical Communications Systems / 3
OPTI 507 / Solid State Optics / 3
ECE/OPTI 556 / Optoelectronics / 3
ECE/OPTI 587L / Photonic Communications Lab / 1
OPTI 511L / Lasers and Solid-State Devices Lab / 1
TOTAL / 29
Photonic Communications Engineering M.S. Elective Courses
Elective Courses / Title / Credit HrsECE/OPTI 535 / Digital Communications I / 3
ECE/OPTI 537 / Digital Communications II / 3
OPTI 671 / Photonic Telecommunications Networks / 3
OPTI 546 / Physical Optics / 3
OPTI 553 / Nonlinear Optics / 2
MSE 588 / Scanning Electron Microscopy / 3
MSE 580 / Experimental Methods for Microstructural Analysis / 3
Thesis Defense – Each thesis student will conduct an original research project, under the advisement of a faculty member, and document the project in a written thesis. The final examination is an oral exam based primarily on the content of the thesis.
Non-thesis option – Each non-thesis student will also have a final oral exam. This oral exam is normally based primarily on the subject matter of the courses taken; however, by mutual agreement between the student and the examination committee, a Master's Report (extensive literature review on a given topic area) can serve as the focus of the exam.
Program Length – Any student who has been admitted to this MS program is expected to complete the degree within three years from the date of admission. This time limit is consistent with the MS program requirements that currently exist in COE and OSC. The degree requirements are designed such that a full-time student can complete the program in two years.
D. CURRENT COURSES AND EXISTING PROGRAMS -- List current course and existing university programs which will give strengths to the proposed program.
Some required and elective courses for the proposed degree program are currently offered as part of the COE and OSC M.S. programs. These courses are listed below:
Existing Courses
Elective Courses / Title / Credit HrsOPTI 501 / Electricity and Magnetism / 3
OPTI/ECE 632 / Advanced Optical Communications Systems / 3
OPTI 507 / Solid State Optics / 3
ECE/OPTI 556 / Optoelectronics / 3
ECE/OPTI 587L / Photonic Communications Lab / 1
OPTI 511L / Lasers and Solid-state Devices Lab / 1
ECE/OPTI 535 / Digital Communications I / 3
ECE/OPTI 537 / Digital Communications II / 3
OPTI 671 / Photonic Telecommunications Networks / 3
OPTI 546 / Physical Optics / 3
OPTI 553 / Nonlinear Optics / 2
MSE 588 / Scanning Electron Microscopy / 3
MSE 580 / Experimental Methods for Microstructural Analysis / 3
E. NEW COURSES NEEDED -- List any new courses, which must be added to initiate the program; include a catalog description for each of these courses.
To implement the new degree program five new courses will be added: Photonic Communications Engineering I and II, From Technology Innovation to the Marketplace, Mathematical Methods for Photonics and Optics, and Software Tools for Photonics. Descriptions of these courses follow:
Photonic Communications Engineering (I and II), 3hrs each:
Photonic Communications Engineering will consist of two parts (I and II). The course covers optical fiber light guiding and wave propagation characteristics, materials properties, optical transmitters, receivers and amplifiers, communications systems and fiber optics networks and the Internet. Reference material for the course is in a digital platform to allow dense hyper-linking between topics so that students from various disciplines can customize the reading material to their individual background knowledge.
From Technology Innovation to the Marketplace, 3 hrs:
While the challenge of solving exciting technical problems and the intrinsic reward of discovery are what attracts people to engineering and scientific careers, there are both abundant challenges and significant rewards to be encountered in translating a laboratory demonstration into a commercial product. In this course we will examine the process by which successful companies and entrepreneurs have translated their technical innovations into marketplace leadership. We will initially focus on discussing several proven approaches for managing this process, including methodologies such as the stage-gate model, and highlight some of the benefits and pitfalls of applying these models. A substantial portion of the course will be devoted to the examination of technology innovation case studies, principally drawn from the photonics and optical communications markets. Prof. Norwood will develop and teach this course.
Mathematical Methods for Photonics and Optics, 3 hrs:
This course will be motivated by industrial applications of numerical analysis. Examples of practical applications of mathematical techniques will accompany each lesson:
– Vector algebra; div, curl, grad, Laplacian operators in different coordinate systems;
– Complex number theory, complex functions, integration in the complex plane;
– Linear algebra, basic matrix operations, eigenvalues and eigenvectors, matrix inversion, determinant, linear transformation theory;
– Fourier transform and its applications: Dirac’s delta function, linear system theory, convolution, diffraction of electromagnetic waves, Gaussian beam propagation;
– Linear differential equations; methods of solution, homogeneous and inhomogeneous solutions, Fourier transform method of solving linear differential equations;
– Partial differential equations; separation of variables; applications to problems of mathematical physics (diffusion equation, wave equation);
– Bessel functions of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd kind, wave equation in cylindrical coordinates.
Software Tools for Photonics, 3 hrs:
Many photonics software tools are available as off the shelf modeling programs, encompassing both active and passive photonics components. These products are now in use by a wide number of telecoms companies and laboratories around the world, helping to develop the next generation of telecoms components and systems. Experience in modeling enables the development of custom solutions for specialized industry telecommunication and photonics requirements. This class will survey and provide exposure and design experience on industry recognized software packages for optical design, beam propagation, component simulation – active and passive - as well as networking simulation will be introduced to students by a team of faculty versed in each program. General modeling and simulation strategy suitable for the fast and accurate analysis of a fiber-optical WDM system is presented, that may also include multi-span systems. Noise and fiber dispersion are considered as well as nonlinear effects like four wave mixing, self-phase modulation and cross-phase modulation. Software will include both general purpose software such as Zemax, PHOTOSS, Matlab, and Labview, as well as software specific to photonic communications engineering such as VPI (systems), Optiwave and Beamprop (BPM based component modeling), and Fimmwave (mode-based component modeling).