Course and Prerequisite Flowchart
The Bachelor of Science in Photonic Science and Engineering requires the successful completion of 128 credit hours distributed across the General Education Program, Common Program Prerequisites made up primarily of Calculus and Physics courses, an Electrical Engineering Core, the Photonics Major coursework, and ending with a capstone 2-semester Senior Design. Note that prerequisites apply to all catalog years.
Use the following resources for your degree planning:
Flowchart| Spreadsheet| Advisor Appointment | Course Syllabi | Previous Plans
Every state college and university in Florida requires the completion of coursework in five general areas for AA and B.S. degrees. Three courses in the PSE major are required for completion in the major, so those courses are automatically used to satisfy the GEP requirements mathematics and science. Where those courses satisfy major and GEP requirements, CPP is shown (Common Program Prerequisites).
| COMMUNICATION Foundation | 9 |
| ENC 1101 Composition I | 3 |
| ENC 1102 Composition II | 3 |
| SPC 1603C Fundamentals of Technical Present or SPC 1608 Fundamentals of Oral Communication | 3 |
| CULTURAL & HISTORICAL (1) Foundation | 9 |
| Select 1: AMH 2010, EUH 2000, EUH 2001, HUM 2210, HUM 2230, LIT 2110, LIT 2120, WOH 2012, WOH 2022 | 3 |
| MUL 2010, PHI 2010, or THE 2000 | 3 |
| HUM 2020 Encountering the Humanities | 3 |
| MATHEMATICAL Foundation | 0 |
| MAC 2311C Calculus I 2 | (4) CPP |
| STA 3032 Prob & Stats for Engrs 1 | (3) CPP |
| SOCIAL Foundation | 6 |
| AMH 2020 US History: 1877-Present 1 or ECO 2013 Principles of Macroeconomics | 3 |
| Select 1: PSY 2012, SYG 2000, or ANT 2000 | 3 |
| SCIENCE Foundation | 3 |
| PHY 2048C General Physics using Calculus I 2 | (4) CPP |
| Select 1: BSC 1005, BSC 2010C, EVR 1001 or BSC 1050, GLY 1030, GEO1200, ANT2511, MCB 1310 | 3 |
Total GEP Credit Hours excluding those courses overlapping with major requirements | 27 |
1 Indicates “C-” minimum required by the Gordon Rule
2 Indicates minimum “C” or better grade
3 Must achieve a 2.25 or greater GPA for all engineering core, photonics major, capstone, and restricted electives combined.
4 First Year Students Only need to take these courses. If not taken as a freshman, these credits are added to restricted electives requirements.
Common Program Prerequisites (CPPs) are taken as a PSE-pending major and form the foundation for all classes that follow. All the classes must be completed with a minimum C (2.0 GPA) or greater grade. Upon the successful completion of MAC 2311C, MAC 2312C, PHY 2048C and CHS 1440 or CHM 2045C, all with a C or higher, you can change your major from PSE-pending to the PSE major.
| COMMON PROGRAM PREREQUISITES 2 | |
| CHS 1440 Principles of Chemistry or CHM 2045C Chemistry Fundamentals I | 4 |
| MAC 2311C Calculus I | 4 |
| MAC 2312 Calculus II | 4 |
| MAC 2313 Calculus III | 4 |
| MAP 2302 Differential Equations | 3 |
| PHY 2048C General Physics using Calculus I | 4 |
| PHY 2049C General Physics using Calculus II | 4 |
| Total CPP Credit Hours | 27 |
1 Indicates “C-” minimum required by the Gordon Rule
2 Indicates minimum “C” or better grade
3 Must achieve a 2.25 or greater GPA for all engineering core, photonics major, capstone, and restricted electives combined.
4 First Year Students Only need to take these courses. If not taken as a freshman, these credits are added to restricted electives requirements.
The engineering core of the PSE program focuses on electrical circuits, important for developing an understanding of how to design photonics technologies. The courses below in the Basic Level can be taken while still in PSE-pending. Courses in the advanced level require that you complete all pending coursework. EEL 3004C can be taken in PSE-pending if you only need to complete 1 semester of coursework to satisfy the pending requirements. (For example, you may only need to complete Chemistry.) The courses below contribute toward the calculation of your major GPA.)
| ENGINEERING CORE: Basic Level (mGPA) | 9 |
| EGN 3211 Engineering Analysis & Comp. 2 | 3 |
| PHY 3101 General Physics using Calculus III 2 | 3 |
| STA 3032 Probability & Statistics for Engrs 1 (mGPA) | 3 |
| ENGINEERING CORE: Advanced Level (mGPA) | 17 |
| EEL 3004C Linear Circuits I 2 | 3 |
| EEE 3350 Semiconductor Devices I | 3 |
| EEL 3123C Linear Circuits II 2 | 3 |
| EEL 3552C Signal Analysis and Communication | 4 |
| EEE 3307C Electronics 1 | 4 |
| Total Electrical Core Credit Hours | 26 |
1 Indicates “C-” minimum required by the Gordon Rule
2 Indicates minimum “C” or better grade
3 Must achieve a 2.25 or greater GPA for all engineering core, photonics major, capstone, and restricted electives combined.
4 First Year Students Only need to take these courses. If not taken as a freshman, these credits are added to restricted electives requirements.
mGPA – Courses will be used in the major GPA calculation, the UCF GPA, and your Cumulative GPA.
Photonics major coursework consists of required course and restricted electives. The restricted elective differ from free electives in that students can only pick from a short list of approved electives, but still allows for flexibility in the types of courses a student will take.
While engineering lab courses are tied together and you receive a single grade for both the course and the lab, the photonics labs are separated from the lecture course. You will receive a grade for both rather than a single combined grade. We strongly encourage PSE majors to enroll in the lecture and the lab course in the same semester to maximize your learning of the concepts. The following courses should be taken concurrently, in the same semester.
| OSE 3200/OSE 3200L | Geometric Optics + Lab |
| OSE 3052/OSE 3052L | Foundations of Photonics + Lab |
| OSE 4410/OSE 4410L | Optoelectronics + Lab |
| OSE 4470/OSE 4470L | Fiber Optic Communications + Lab |
| OSE 4520/OSE 4520L | Laser Engineering +Lab |
| OSE 4830/OSE 4830L | Imaging and Display + Lab |
Senior Design I and II are the capstone courses for the program. Students are required to work with a group of 2-3 other students, from a field other than photonics, and design and build a working device that integrates significant photonics concepts.
| PHOTONICS MAJOR and CAPSTONE (mGPA) | 36 |
| OSE 3200 Geometric Optics | 3 |
| OSE 3200L Geometric Optics Lab | 1 |
| OSE 3052 Foundations of Photonics2 | 3 |
| OSE 3052L Foundations of Photonics Lab2 | 1 |
| OSE 4830 Imaging & Display | 3 |
| OSE 4830L Imaging & Display Lab | 1 |
| OSE 4470 Fiber Optic Communications | 3 |
| OSE 4470L Fiber Optic Communications Lab | 1 |
| OSE 4930 Frontiers of Optics & Photonics | 3 |
| OSE 3053 EM Waves for Photonics | 3 |
| OSE 4520 Laser Engineering | 3 |
| OSE 4520L Laser Engineering Lab | 1 |
| OSE 4410 Optoelectronics | 3 |
| OSE 4410L Optoelectronics Lab | 1 |
| OSE 4951 Senior Design I | 3 |
| OSE 4952 Senior Design II | 3 |
| RESTRICTED ELECTIVES (RE) (mGPA) | 12 |
| EGS 1006C Intro to Eng. Prof 4 | 1 |
| EGN 1007C Eng. Concepts and Methods 4 | 1 |
| OSE 3043 Analytical Methods for Optics (RE) | 3 |
| OSE 4421 Biophotonics (RE) | 3 |
| OSE 4240 Introduction to Optical Design (RE) | 3 |
| OSE 4720 Visual Optics (RE) | 3 |
| OSE 4912 Directed Independent Research | 1-3 |
| OSE 4953 Senior Design Double Major ECE 5 | 1+1 |
| OSE/EEL/PHY 4XXX Approved Course | 3 |
| Or Math/Eng/Sci (max 6) Approved Course | 6 |
| Total Photonics Major Credit Hours | 48 |
1 Indicates “C-” minimum required by the Gordon Rule
2 Indicates minimum “C” or better grade
3 Must achieve a 2.25 or greater GPA for all engineering core, photonics major, capstone, and restricted electives combined.
4 First Year Students Only need to take these courses. If not taken as a freshman, these credits are added to restricted electives requirements.
5 Electrical Engineering/Photonic Science and Engineering Double Majors are required to enroll in the following Senior Design sequence to satisfy PSE degree requirements: EEL 4914 and EEL 4915L along with OSE 4953 in each of those two semesters (completing 2 credit hours).
mGPA – Courses will be used in the major GPA calculation, the UCF GPA, and your Cumulative GPA.
Courses with a common course number taken at any Florida State University System (SUS) institution or Florida community college are automatically transferable. Students with a Bachelor of Science from an accredited institution or an Associate of Arts degree from a Florida SUS institution or Florida community college automatically satisfy the GEP. Substitutions for GEP must be approved through Academic Services, Millican Hall (MH) 210.
Substitutions for Photonic Science and Engineering requirements are on a course-by-course basis and must be approved by the PSE program. Instructions for this process are in the PSE program office, CREOL 108B. The decision is typically based on the degree of similarity of the two courses both in content and level of presentation. Regardless of transfer credit, the University and School residency requirements must be satisfied.
Questions?
Contact Mike McKee, the Associate Director for the program, who can help you out.
Email: undergrad@creol.ucf.edu
Phone: 407-823-6376
Office: CREOL 108B