These are student perspectives on the courses in Applied Science. Optics majors also take many of their classes from ECE, so check out the ECE course Reviews as well.
Optical Engineering Classes
EAD 1 - Optical Science and Engineering
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This is generally taught seminar style. It's not particularly difficult, and you get to learn all about what optical engineers actually do. (Hint: not laser eye surgery.)
EAD 108A - Optics I
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Geometric optics. Lenses, ray tracing, aberrations, etc. Lots of geometry.
EAD 108B - Optics II
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Wave Optics. Transmission, diffraction, etc. More E&M than 108A.
EAD 161 - Optical Design
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Senior Design Project, though nothing stops you from taking it as a junior. This is going to be turned into a two-quarter series, which is good since ten weeks wasn't really enough to accomplish as much as we wanted to.
EAD 165 - Statistical and Quantum Optics
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I hope you remember some of P-Chem. This material is pretty hard conceptually.
EAD 166 - Lasers and Nonlinear Optics
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What self-respecting optics major doesn't love lasers?
EAD 167 - Fourier Optics
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The homework assignments take a lot of time, but start early. I've heard that this is really important material if you're going on to graduate school.
EAD 170 - Optical Spectroscopy: Concepts and Instrumentation
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Learn a lot about NIST. If you take this with McCurdy, he likes to go off on tangents that turn out to be really interesting.
EAD 172 - Optical Methods for Biological Research


