Integrated undergraduate optical engineering education at West Point

In meeting the growing demand for graduates who have background in optical engineering,the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and the Photonics Research Center at the U.S. Military Academy have jointly developed an instructional program that familiarizes every student with principles of laser operation and provides undergraduate research opportunities in optics for electrical engineering majors and others. The program includes a series of laboratory demonstrations in the Photonics Research Center for students in all majors during their sophomore year. For electrical engineering majors, the program also offers a senior level photonics engineering course, advanced individual study in laser applications, and a variety of capstone design projects. Advanced individual study may include up to three semesters of experimental research similar to masters degree thesis work in a graduate program, while the capstone project is accomplished in one semester by design teams based on the design-build- test methodology. Both types of projects address real-world requirements specified by faculty advisors or external mentors. Our integrated approach to optics education supports ongoing state-of-the-art research in the Photonics Research Center and provides technically qualified graduates to meet the demands of the field Army of the 21st century.