In the 30 years we've been graduating optical scientists and engineers, our alumni have gone on to quite a variety of careers. Many love the academic life and are employed as teachers and researchers in universities in the United States and many other countries. Our space program is built around the importance of optics. With new designs for telescopes and other imaging systems, we are learning about the origins of our universe and are applying that knowledge to improve life for all of us. One of our graduate students recently won an award from NASA to study the design of thin optical flats that have the potential to be launched into space and used to detect small Earth-like planets outside our solar system.
Computer technology is another growing and in-demand optical specialty.
In theory, a quantum computer could simultaneously perform a thousand billion billion billion different computations. Salaries in the optics industry are extraordinarily high and jobs are plentiful. If you'd like to take a look at recent openings, please check the employment section of our web site. Copyright 1995-2000 by the Optical Sciences Center, The University of Arizona. All rights reserved.