In addition, optics experts at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory , where UC Davis' applied-science department is based, may also teach specialty courses. The program expects to admit its first students next fall, when the new Engineering III building opens on campus. The Livermore laboratory will donate equipment for new instructional labs. To foster transfers from community colleges, the applied-science department is also planning to offer a prerequisite course via distance learning for local community college students. While more than 100 universities in the United States award bachelor's degrees with specialization in optics, only the University of Arizona and the University of Rochester have had formal programs in optical science and engineering.
Demand is high for engineers with optical training, particularly in California.
About half the U.S. technologists employed in optics, optics communications and optical component manufacturing reside in the state. Dateline UC Davis is the faculty and staff newspaper for the University of California, Davis.