The request to establish OPTI 5000: Selected Topics in Optics and removal of Medical Physics concentration in M.S. in Applied Physics

Date: April 5, 2011
To: College of Liberal Arts & Sciences
From: Clarence Greene, Faculty Governance Assistant
Approved On: March 18, 2011
Implementation Date: 2011

Note: Deletions are strikethroughs. Insertions are underlined.

Catalog Copy

(In Optical Science and Engineering section, under M.S. Optics Elective)

OPTI 5000. Selected Topics in Optics. (3). Prerequisite: permission of Optics Program Director. Selected topics in optics from areas such as medical optics, adaptive optics, all optical networks, etc. May be repeated for up to 6 hours of credit with consent of the Optics Program Director. (Fall, Spring, Summer)

Proposed Catalog Copy

Physics

• M.S. in Applied Physics Department of Physics and Optical Science

306 Grigg
704-687-8138
www.physics.uncc.edu

Coordinator

Dr. Angela Davies

Graduate Faculty
  • Yildirim Aktas, Associate Professor
  • Vasily Astratov, Associate Professor
  • Andriy Baumketner, Assistant Professor
  • Thomas M. Corwin, Professor
  • Angela Davies, Associate Professor
  • Faramarz Farahi, Professor
  • Michael A. Fiddy, Professor
  • Nathaniel Fried, Assistant Professor
  • Greg Gbur, Assistant Professor
  • Tsing-Hua Her, Associate Professor
  • Donald Jacobs, Associate Professor
  • Ana Jofre, Assistant Professor
  • Eric Johnson, Professor
  • Billy F. Melton, AssociateProfessor
  • Patrick Moyer, Associate Professor
  • M. Yasin Akhtar Raja, Professor
  • Thomas J. Suleski, Associate Professor
  • Susan R. Trammell, Associate Professor
  • Robert K. Tyson, Associate Professor
MASTER OF SCIENCE IN APPLIED PHYSICS

The Applied Physics degree program is excellent preparation for those planning to continue their education through the Ph.D., either in physics or an engineering field, or for a career as an instructor in a two-year college. Students electing the Thesis Option will be well qualified for employment in industry or in a research laboratory. While students have opportunities for research in optics, astronomy, plasma physics, and nuclear magnetic resonance, the research emphasis in the Department is in the area of applied optics. The Department of Physics and Optical Science is a major participant, and the administrative coordinator, of M.S. and Ph.D. programs in Optical Science and Engineering. These degree programs are interdisciplinary involving six science and engineering departments [Physics & Optical Science, Chemistry, Mathematics, Electrical & Computer Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Engineering Science, and Computer Science], the Center for Optoelectronics & Optical Communications, and the Center for Precision Metrology. The program emphasizes basic and applied interdisciplinary education and research in areas of optics that include:

  • Optoelectronic devices and sub-assemblies
  • Devices for telecommunications, sensors, and characterization
  • Optical materials (semiconductors, polymerorganic and crystalline)
  • Optical metrology
  • Optical imaging
  • Optical communication networks

A complete description of the programs and course offerings in Optical Science and Engineering can be accessed at the web address http://optics.uncc.edu and under the OPTI listing in the Graduate Catalog.

Degree Requirements

The Department of Physics and Optical Science has twothree concentrations within the M.S. in Applied Physics program that include both thesis and non-thesis degree options:

  1. 13) Applied Physics Concentration (Thesis or non-thesis option)
  2. 14) Applied Optics Concentration (Thesis option only)
  3. 15) Medical Physics Concentration (Non-thesis option only)

All degree options require the completion of 30 credit hours approved by the Physics and Optical Science Department. A minimum of 15 credit hours presented for the degree must be in courses numbered 6000 and above. Courses for which undergraduate credit has been awarded may not be repeated for graduate credit. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 is required on all coursework attempted for the degree. At the time of admission up to 6 semester hours of graduate transfer credit may be accepted if approved by the Department of Physics and Optical Science and the Graduate School. All candidates for the degree must pass a final examination administered by the student’s Advisory Committee.

A student selecting the thesis option must present credit for at least 6 semester hours of PHYS 6991. The thesis defense is the final examination for a student selecting the thesis option.

A student selecting the non-thesis option must pass a final examination administered by the student’s Advisory Committee. Example questions relating to subject matter for the examination will be prepared by the Advisory

Committee and given to the student at least 30 days prior to the examination date. The student will prepare responses to these questions and make an oral presentation to members of the Committee that is based upon the prepared responses. Committee members may question the student on any and all aspects of the relevant test material.

A student selecting the Medical Physics concentration should do so prior to enrolling. The Medical Physics concentration is designed for students wishing to pursue careers in such medical fields as radiology or medical imaging or as a research scientist/technician with companies developing and manufacturing medical equipment.

The medical physics concentration is designed to accept students having undergraduate majors in physics, chemistry, and engineering. Applicants for admission to the Medical Physics concentration must, as a minimum, present earned credit for the equivalent of the UNC Charlotte courses listed below.

  • PHYS 2101 and PHYS 2101L Physics for Science & Engineering I and Lab (4)
  • PHYS 2102 and PHYS 2102L Physics for Science & Engineering II and Lab (4)
  • PHYS 3101 Topics & Methods of General Physics (3)
  • PHYS 3141 Introduction to Modern Physics (3)
  • MATH 1241, 1242, 2241, 2242, and 2171 (15)
  • CHEM 1251, 1251L, 1252, 1252L – Principles of Chemistry and Labs (8)

Students lacking courses in anatomy and physiology will be required to take BIOL 1273 and 1273 Laboratory – Human Anatomy and Physiology – 4 credit hours. Students lacking courses in basic circuit theory and electronics will be required to take ECGR 2161 – Basic Electrical Engineering I – 3 credit hours.

A candidate for the degree must present credit for the following courses.

  • PHYS 6210 Theoretical Physics
  • PHYS 5232 Electromagnetic Theory II
  • PHYS 5242 Modern Physics II
  • PHYS 6261 Nuclear Physics
  • PHYS 6301 Radiation Detection, Instrumentation, & Data Analysis
  • PHYS 6302 Radiation Protection and Dosimetry
  • PHYS 6303 Imaging in Medicine
  • PHYS 6304 Physics of Diagnostic Radiology & Radiotherapy
  • PHYS 6401 Clinical Medical Physics (6 credit hours)

Entering students not having the equivalent of PHYS 4222, PHYS 4232, or PHYS 4242 are required to take PHYS 5222, PHYS 5232, and/or PHYS 5242, as appropriate, before the end of their first year of residence. A student may, with departmental approval, apply up to 9 semester hours from such related areas as Optics, Mathematics, Chemistry, and Engineering toward the 30 credit hour degree requirement.

Additional Admission Requirements

In addition to fulfilling the university’s general requirements for graduate admission at the Master’s level, applicants seeking admission into the M.S. in Applied Physics program must also:

  1. Possess a Bachelor’s degree in Physics, or a closely allied field, from an accredited college or university. Applicants from fields other than Physics may expect to be required to remove deficiencies in their physics background.
  2. Present satisfactory scores on the aptitude portion of the Graduate Record Examination.
  3. Possess an overall grade point average of at least 2.75 (based on a 4.0 scale) on all of the applicant’s previous work beyond high school. The average in the major should be 3.0 or better.
  4. Present satisfactory scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language, if the applicant is from a non-English speaking country.
  5. Demonstrate evidence of sufficient interest, ability, and preparation in physics to adequately profit from graduate study, as determined by the Physics Department’s Graduate Committee.
Admission to Candidacy

In addition to the general requirements for admission to candidacy, students enrolled in the Master of Science program in Applied Physics program should have:

  1. Removed all identified entrance deficiencies by the time of application for admission to candidacy
  2. Completed at least 18 approved credit hours with GPA of 3.0 or better
  3. Selected a major advisor and formed an Advisory Committee
Assistantships

Support for beginning graduate students is usually a teaching assistantship. Continuing students are often supported by research assistantships.

Comprehensive Examination

All candidates for the degree must pass a final examination. The thesis defense is the final examination for those students who select the thesis option. A student selecting the non-thesis option must pass a final examination administered by the student’s Advisory Committee. Subject matter for the examination will be prepared by the student’s Advisory Committee and given to the student at least 30 days prior to the examination date. The student will make an oral presentation to members of the Committee that is based upon the prepared response. Committee members may question the student on any and all aspects of the relevant test material.

Advisory Committee

Each student in the M.S. in Applied Physics Program must student should select a major advisor before the end of the first year of residency. The student and the major advisor jointly determine the advisory committee. The advisory committee must have at least 3 members, the majority of which must be from the Department of Physics and Optical Science. The major advisor and the advisory committee must be in place prior to applying for degree candidacy.

COURSES IN PHYSICS

PHYS 6301. Radiation Detection, Instrumentation, and Data Analysis. (3) Charged particle, neutron, and photon detection. Signal processing and data recording methods including techniques of data analysis and error propagation. The course will consist of two lectures and one two-hour laboratory each week. The course will emphasize application of radiation detectors used in radiotherapy and diagnostic radiology. Two lecture hours and one two-hour laboratory each week. (Fall)

PHYS 6302. Radiation Protection and Dosimetry. (3) Radiation dosimetry fundamentals including photon, electron, and neutron dosimetry. Radiation transport. Fundamentals of radiation protection and shielding. Assessment of effective dose. Three lecture hours per week. (Spring)

PHYS 6303. Imaging in Medicine. (3) Prerequisites: PHYS 6210 and PHYS 6301. The fundamental conceptual, mathematical, and statistical aspects of imaging science, and a survey from this formal viewpoint of various medical imaging modalities, including film-screen radiography, positron and x-ray computed tomography, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging. (Fall)

PHYS 6304. Physics of Diagnostic Radiology and Radiotherapy. (3) Prerequisites: PHYS 6210 and PHYS 6302. Physics of x-ray diagnostic procedures and equipment. Physics of the interaction of the various radiation modalities with body-equivalent materials. Physical aspects of clinical applications including radiation therapy to cause controlled biological effects in patients. Three lecture hours per week. (Spring)

PHYS 6401. Clinical Medical Physics. (1-3) Prerequisite: Permission of Program Director. Eighty to one hundred supervised contact hours of clinical internship at a regional health care system. May be repeated for a maximum of 12 credit hours. Graded Pass/No-credit. (Fall, Spring, Summer)