Optics brought you here, to the University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences. Feel the history here: this institution is considered the largest institute for optics education in the United States, dedicated to research and education in optics with an emphasis on optical engineering. Inside, the college offers more than 90 courses in optical sciences and awards a Bachelor of Science in Optical Sciences and Engineering, as well as Masters and Doctoral degree programs in Optical Sciences.
It even offers a dual master’s degree in Optical Sciences and Business Administration. For working professionals there are comprehensive distance learning options that can lead to a Professional Graduate Certificate or a master’s degree, and the college markets non-credit short courses on DVD. The origin of this place goes back to plans proposed in the early 1960s by the Air Force Institute of Technology, the Optics Committee of the Optical Society of America, and Dr. Aden Meinel, then Director of Steward Observatory.
The center was established in 1964 with financial support from the University of Arizona Foundation, and Dr. Aden Meinel served as its first director. Notice the campus buildings that trace back to Dr. Aden Meinel's founding vision in 1964.