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Distance
Learning
- The UA Distance Learning program works with other departments and units on campus to develop and deliver specialized certificates, degree programs, and individual courses using video, CD-ROM/DVD, and Web technology.
Independent Study
through Correspondence
- Independent Study through Correspondence credit courses are available to students anytime, anywhere. Students from middle school to graduate school can set their own pace and take up to nine months to complete a course. Any class offered for credit at UA Correspondence may also be taken for personal development or enrichment, for no credit.
Professional
Development
- Professional Development offers programs that train and prepare organizations and individuals in IT and business skills. Programs are delivered on campus or in customized courses at a company or workplace.
Credit
Outreach
- Credit Outreach offers a variety of flexibly-scheduled degree and certificate courses and programs for University of Arizona academic credit – both on and off the UA campus.
Evening &
Weekend Campus
- Evening & Weekend Campus is specifically designed to serve working adults, and addresses the educational needs of students who wish to earn a bachelor's degree, but can only attend classes in the evenings and on weekends. B.A. degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies (IDS), Communication, Political Science, and Psychology are offered.
Youth
Programs
- Youth Programs - Students in grades 3-12 are introduced to the excitement of a college environment through specialty summer camps offered through UA academic units, including the College of Law, the College of Optical Sciences, the School of Music, and the College of Nursing.
Seniors' Programs
- Seniors' Programs includes two programs specifically designed for individuals 55 years of age and older: Elderhostel and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). Elderhostel offers participants the opportunity to explore Tucson, Nogales, and Mexico through educational travel and programs. OLLI is a member-led organization featuring stimulating, noncredit learning on a university level.

Additional Resources

Outreach College Mailing List

Distance Learning:

Course Information & Schedules :: Master of Science in Optical Sciences

Program Benefits

Build a foundation in Optical Sciences before coming to campus.
Create your own program of graduate-level distance courses in Optical Sciences offered by University of Arizona Distance Learning.
Eliminate rigid class schedules and travel time to campus.
Take courses at home or at your job site via DVD or web-streamed lectures.
Learn with your fellow employees while maintaining direct contact with world-renowned professors from the prestigious University of Arizona College of Optical Sciences.

The Program

Prerequisites: Applicants to this program should hold a BS degree in engineering, physics, mathematics or a related field.
Apply for admission to the M.S. degree: MS degree in optical sciences via distance, or to receive application materials for the master’s degree program, contact Associate Dean Carl Maes by e-mail at carl.maes@optics.arizona.edu.
Not yet admitted to the program? Get an early start: If you haven’t been admitted to the degree program and you’d like to get an early start on your courses, apply for admission to the University of Arizona Graduate College as a non-degree graduate student.
- All fifteen units of optical sciences distance courses taken as a non-degree graduate student can apply toward a Master of Science in Optical Sciences.
- You may also transfer six or seven units from other institutions.
Select courses from the course schedule. Courses are offered only in the Fall and Spring semesters.
Select course delivery option.
Register for courses!

Residency Requirement

After completing distance courses, you will attend the University of Arizona for at least one semester – fifteen weeks – to complete a residency requirement while you finish working on your MS degree.
Can’t make the residency requirement? You may also earn a Professional Graduate Certificate in Optical Sciences completely at a distance. Same courses; same celebrated faculty.