Troy, New York, USA – The Lighting Research Center (LRC) at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is now accepting applications for its Fall 2024 graduate education program. This unique and specialized program is for those interested in the fields of lighting technology, design, human factors, and applications. The 9-month, multidisciplinary Master’s degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute allows students to work closely with world-class faculty experts in architecture, engineering, and lighting design and to conduct advanced research.
The LRC’s program is geared toward students who wish to gain a broad education in lighting engineering, research, and design while working closely with LRC faculty and staff, said LRC Graduate Program Director, Professor Nadarajah Narendran, Ph.D. Course instructors include experts in lighting design, electrical and mechanical engineering, thermodynamics, and physics, creating a well-rounded education program.
In the lighting design class, students learn how to perform conceptual analyses and develop lighting designs for various applications. Through courses in human factors, lighting technologies and applications, and the physics of light, students consider how people perceive and react to the illuminated environment and learn how to select state-of-the-art, energy-efficient lighting technologies when developing lighting design solutions. Lighting leadership and workshop classes introduce the business side of lighting and allow students to learn from and network with senior lighting industry leaders. A final master’s project rounds out the program. Guided by faculty, students select and work on projects focused on topics of high interest in the industry.
Dr. Narendran noted that the program is also ideal for people with an entrepreneurial spirit who want to turn new, innovative ideas into viable lighting products or services. “The program is designed to help students better identify and understand industry opportunities and the innovation process with a focus on lighting product design, manufacturing, and sustainability,” he said. For example, he says that one of the advanced research fields available for students in the program is 3D printing of lighting, an area that is poised to revolutionize manufacturing and where the LRC has been developing high-level expertise through novel research and industry collaboration.
Because lighting is a research area that crosses many fields, in the M.S. program students learn a broad array of topics such as electronics, optics, thermomechanics, 3D printing, sensors, metrology, business, and entrepreneurship. This foundation allows students to seek employment not only in the lighting industry but also in semiconductors, electronics, software, 3D printing, and engineering companies.
Students applying to the program should have a bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, lighting, industrial, or product design, physics, or another related field. The priority application deadline is March 1, 2024. Scholarships and tuition discounts are available to qualified applicants on a first-come, first-served basis.
For more information and to apply, visit https://www.lrc.rpi.edu/education.asp.
