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MS in Photonics – Recrafting a Curriculum

Michael Ruane Electrical & Computer Engineering, Boston University

Abstract

The Master of Science in Photonics has been created as a new graduate offering in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. This degree program has evolved slowly; a core of courses in the late 1980’s initially presented advanced electrical engineering topics like fiber optic communications and lasers. A university commitment to building a Photonics Center, and NSF Combined Research and Curriculum Development support allowed creation of a modern teaching laboratory, curriculum design, and growth in faculty and students.

The new MS program follows the structure of our existing MSEE and MSCE degrees, and requires little additional university investment. Specific course offerings will be described, along with their laboratory components and the set-up of the Photonics Instructional Laboratory. Curricular overlap with senior electives and with graduate students from other disciplines will also be presented. Connections for research and entrepreneurship in photonics have been created, allowing students to undertake MS thesis work, MS projects, or prepare for Ph.D. level study. Recent connections to distance learning will be described.

This paper also will describe the administrative issues that arose within the department, as a new degree grew from existing offerings, and within the wider university, as our new degree proposal was assessed and reviewed. Some of these lessons should help readers considering new specialized degree programs in their own colleges.

Introduction

A typical engineering curriculum is continually evolving. Specific course content may change from semester to semester while laboratories evolve more slowly as equipment and facilities are upgraded. Degree program requirements change even more slowly, in response to changes in engineering practice, accreditation guidelines, student interest, and engineering market demands. Slowest of all are changes in actual degree concentrations, which must respond to long-term development of new areas of engineering specialty.

At Boston University, the College of Engineering’s four departments (Aerospace & Mechanical, Biomedical, Electrical & Computer, and Manufacturing) offer Bachelors, Masters, and Ph.D. degrees in Aerospace Engineering, Biomedical Engineering, Computer Systems Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. This degree mix has changed little over the last 20 years. New MS programs in Cognitive and Neural Systems Proceedings of the 2002 American Society for Engineering Education Annual Conference & Exposition Copyright © 2002, American Society for Engineering Ed ucation

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Ruane, M. (2002, June), Ms In Photonics Recrafting A Curriculum Paper presented at 2002 Annual Conference, Montreal, Canada. 10.18260/1-2--10230