The Ph.D. in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting is a multidisciplinary degree encompassing the many disciplines that make up the field of lighting including physics, optics, psychology, physiology, photobiology, engineering, architecture, and design. These fields are brought together within the context of scientific inquiry, research, and discovery. Students’ research in the program is supported by all the assets of the Lighting Research Center (LRC), the nation’s preeminent center for research and education in lighting.
Students wishing to concentrate their doctoral studies in lighting will complete at least 30 credit hours of formal coursework covering the physics of light, human factors in lighting, lighting technology, design, and leadership. Following the completion of formal courses, students will concentrate their studies and research in a particular area of scientific inquiry under the guidance of an LRC faculty dissertation adviser. In consultation with an adviser, each student will formulate an individual Plan of Study and select areas of research concentration from areas that include:
- Transportation lighting
- Human factors in lighting
- Solid-state lighting
- Light and health
- Energy-efficiency and energy policy
Graduates with a Ph.D. in Architectural Sciences with a Concentration in Lighting can pursue careers as faculty at colleges and universities, in research laboratories, or in other capacities within the lighting industry.
Outcomes of the Graduate Curriculum
Students who successfully complete this program will be able to:
- design and conduct original research related to lighting.
- formulate hypotheses and predict experimental outcomes.
- design and analyze experimental results and draw conclusions based on this analysis.
- synthesize research results and analyze and communicate effectively in both written and oral form.
Number of credits past the bachelor’s degree:72
Maximum number of dissertation credits: 42
The courses listed here are suggested. Actual courses taken for the degree will be determined by the student’s adviser.
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