Prospective Students

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

•          Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for admission to the Optics MS program.
•          Evidence of a bachelor’s degree in Optics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or other closely related fields.
•          GRE scores are not required for admission to the Optics MS program.
•          A minimum score of 6.5 for the IELTS test, OR 80 on the TOEFL iBT.
•          Personal Statement: a brief 1 page or less statement about educational, research, and professional career objectives.
•          Two letters of recommendation.
•          Résumé.
•       A $31 nonrefundable application fee is required of all applicants for each application submitted. If you wish to be considered for both the MS and PhD programs, you will need to submit two university applications.

Students with degrees in related fields may be required to take undergraduate articulation courses determined by the program director on a case-by-case basis.

For information on general UCF graduate admissions requirements that apply to all prospective students, please visit the Admissions section of the Graduate Catalog. Applicants must apply online. All requested materials must be submitted by the established deadline.

In addition to the general UCF graduate application requirements, applicants to this program must provide:

•       Official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended. A minimum GPA of 3.0 is required for admission to the PhD program. A Master’s degree is not a requirement for admission to the PhD program.
•          Evidence of a bachelor’s or master’s degree in Optics, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or closely related discipline.
•          GRE scores are not required for admission to the Optics PhD program. 
•          A minimum score of 6.5 for the IELTS test, OR 80 on the TOEFL iBT.
•          Three letters of recommendation
•          A Statement of Purpose: a brief, 1–2-page statement about educational, research, and professional career objectives.
•          Résumé
•          A $31 nonrefundable application fee is required of all applicants for each application submitted. If you wish to be considered for both the MS and PhD programs, you will need to submit two university applications.

Students with degrees in related fields may be required to take undergraduate articulation courses determined by the program director on a case-by-case basis.

CREOL Graduate Fellowships are college funded and are available for qualified Ph.D. Applicants. The fellowships stipends are competitive and awarded in the amount of a minimum of $30,000 per year with a tuition waiver and health insurance. Applicants for the PhD program will automatically be considered for fellowships. University Trustees and Presidential Fellowships are offered by university in the amount of $25,000 and $20,000 per year with tuition waiver and health care. Qualified applicants are nominated by college. Endowed Fellowships are funded by generous donations from our friends and supporters. These include Northrup Grumman, Schwartz, and Suchoski fellowships. These are available to supplement the CREOL Fellowships and the Graduate Research Assistantships in the amount of $2,000 to $5,000. Ph.D. Graduate Research Assistantships are funded by faculty research grants. Students on graduate research assistantships participate in the faculty member’s research. The assistantship stipend in the amount of $30,000 per year with a tuition waiver and healthcare. Typically, GRA students are Ph.D. students or M.S. students who have already decided to pursue the Ph.D. degree. Students are encouraged to apply for scholarships and fellowships offered by national and profession organizations such as the National Science Foundation (NSF), SPIE, the International Society for Photonics supplemental scholarships, and the Department of Defense (DOD) SMART scholarships. For a detailed description of our funding opportunities, please see our Fellowships page.