Hello, My name if Professor John Sheridan.  I head the Masters in Optical Engineering program here in the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering at University College Dublin.

The reason UCD decided to set up this masters program was because of repeated requests, from colleagues in universities and industry, to supply graduates capable of tackling the challenges arising in today’s cutting edge man/machine interfaces. 

You are all certainly familiar with mobile phone technology, and virtual, mixed and augmented reality systems.

All of these necessitate the solution of problems involving image capture, processing and display. 

Understanding how optical systems work and how we can interact optimally with such systems will dominate much of the next 20 years of engineering activity.

Currently companies such as Apple, Google, Huawei and Microsoft have dedicated international teams of engineers working on how best to integrate smart optical systems with AI and cloud-based computing to achieve improvements in healthcare provision, driverless cars and robotics.

We would like you to want to be part of this revolution, a revolution that will affect the lives of every person on this planet and one having significant economic potential.

Your two years masters program includes lectures from leaders in the fields of optics, electronics, physics, computer science and bio-engineering. 

You will undertake both core modules and be helped choose from a range of interdisciplinary module so you can tailor your educational experiences to your desires and need.

As part of your masters degree you will work on a project supervised by a leading researcher.  It is our aim that your project work be of sufficient quality to be presentable at an international conference. 

With our assistance you will apply for and be interviewed to work for up to 6 months as an intern in a company in Ireland or abroad. 

We will provide you with every assistance to become the very best and the most successful you can be.

• Advanced knowledge and understanding of the mathematics, sciences, engineering sciences and technologies underpinning optical engineering with a special emphasis on Fourier optics.


• The ability to identify, formulate, analyse and solve complex engineering problems.


• The ability to perform the detailed design of novel systems and processes using analysis and knowledge of advanced optical systems.


• The ability to design and conduct experiments, and apply and evaluate a range of standard and specialised research tools, analytical techniques and methods of enquiry.


• The ability to work effectively as an individual and in teams, together with the capacity to undertake lifelong learning, thus offering a foundation for entry into advanced research programmes.


• The ability to communicate effectively on complex engineering matters with the engineering community and with society at large.

The ME (Optical Engineering) degree programme is a 2-year, 2-Stage 120-credit programme. The normal workload for Stage 2 is 30 credits per Trimester or 60 credits per year (Stage). **** Students should consult the Programme Director about module prerequisites and other requirements. A taught masters programme in UCD must have at least 70 credits at Level 4.****In either Stage 1 or Stage 2 of the programme, students are permitted to select one 5-credit module that is not on the list of Option Modules as a negotiated option, but the selected module must be approved by the Programme Director in advance, and will require formal approval by the Engineering Programme Board.