DUAL DEGREE IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY AND LASER AND FIBER OPTIC TECHNOLOGY

Why earn a second degree? Employers are seeking workers with a broad spectrum of skills. Electronics and optics complement each other and create many additional job opportunites for graduates of either program. Graduates with dual EET/LFOT degrees from Three Rivers have found jobs at laser manufacturing firms in Connecticut and Massachusetts (Trumpf, Coherent/DEOS, IPG Photonics), with fiber optic and telecommunications companies (such as Ekris Cable and JDS Uniphase), and with photonics firms such as Zygo.

Recently, laser manufacturing in Connecticut received a big boost with the establishment of the National Science Foundation funded Regional Center for Next Generation Manufacturing and the CCAT Laser Applications Laboratory. Dual EET/LFOT majors will be in demand by laser systems manufacturers throughout the region and across the nation. Students with dual majors have also transferred successfully to Southern CT State University (Physics) and Central CT State University (Electronics Technology.)

What is involved in obtaining the dual degree? It's easier than you think! The two programs have many courses in common and we've included some course substitutions to make the dual degree even easier to complete. Most students require a fifth semester to finish all the program requirements but it has been done in four semesters and two summers by particularly hard working and well-prepared students and students with four College Career Pathway (Tech Prep) courses from high school.

Is sounds great! How do I get started? The dual degree is much easier to complete if you start with your very first semester at Three Rivers, to take advantage of freshman course substitutions. Contact Professor Donnelly for more information.

 

A student builds a fiber optic data link in the Lightwave Communications laboratory

List of courses required to earn both degrees: Electrical Engineering Technology and Laser and Fiber Optic Technology. Note that some courses are not offered every semester and other courses may only be offered at night during certain semesters. To best coordinate your path through Three Rivers, see your academic advisor!

 

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