Program Overview

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Color Science Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) Degree

Overview

The Color Science Ph.D. program at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) is designed for students whose undergraduate degrees are in physics, biology, chemistry, mathematics, computer science, engineering, neuroscience, experimental psychology, imaging, or any applied discipline pertaining to the quantitative description of color. The program allows students to contribute to knowledge creation and practical application of color science, conducting extensive research that encompasses diverse fields and multiple disciplines of science.

Plan of Study

The curriculum is a combination of required courses in color science, elective courses, a research project during the second year of study, and a research dissertation. Students must pass a qualifying examination during their second year of study and a candidacy examination at least one year prior to completing their dissertation.

Core Courses

• Principles of Color Science (CLRS-601)
• Computational Vision Science (CLRS-720)
• Color Physics and Applications (CLRS-602)
• Modeling Visual Perception (CLRS-820)
• Historical Research Perspectives (CLRS-750)
• Research and Publication Methods (CLRS-751)

Electives

Elective courses are selected depending on the student's interests and background. The program director must approve all electives.

Second Year Project

During the second year, students engage in graduate-level research under the supervision of a graduate program faculty member. The topic may or may not be the same as the dissertation topic.

Years Three and Beyond

After completing the required courses, students follow their study plan, which consists of research and thesis credits and elective courses.

Qualifying Examination

All students must pass a qualifying examination, which determines whether the student has a sufficient depth of knowledge in color science and the ability to perform research at the doctoral level.

Dissertation Research Advisor and Committee

After students pass the qualifying examination, a dissertation research advisor is selected from the graduate program faculty based on the student's research interests, faculty research interests, and discussions with the color science graduate coordinator.

Admission to Candidacy

When the student thoroughly understands the dissertation research topic, the dissertation committee administers an examination to determine if the student can be admitted to candidacy for the doctoral degree in color science.

Final Examination of Dissertation

Once the dissertation has been written, distributed to the dissertation committee, and the committee agrees to administer the final examination, the doctoral candidate can schedule the final examination.

Teaching Experience

All candidates for the Ph.D. must serve as a teaching assistant for a minimum of one course before scheduling the final examination of the dissertation.

Public Presentation Experience

All candidates for the Ph.D. must present research in a public forum before scheduling the final examination of the dissertation.

Publication Requirement

Prior to scheduling the Ph.D. dissertation defense (final examination), all candidates for the Ph.D. must have at least two refereed journal publications on the dissertation research accepted for publication (or published).

Research

Research conducted in the color science doctorate program revolves around the activities of the Munsell Color Science Laboratory, which is the pre-eminent academic laboratory in the country devoted to color science. Research areas include:

• Color appearance modeling
• Lighting
• Image quality
• Spectral-based image capture
• Archiving
• Reproduction of artwork
• Color management
• Computer graphics
• AR/VR
• Material appearance

Faculty

• Mark Fairchild, Professor
• Susan Farnand, Associate Professor
• Michael Murdoch, Head of the Integrated Sciences Academy
• Elena Fedorovskaya, Research Faculty

Facilities

• Munsell Color Science Laboratory

Curriculum

Color Science, Ph.D. degree, typical course sequence

• First Year
  • CLRS-601: Principles of Color Science
  • CLRS-602: Color Physics and Applications
  • CLRS-720: Computational Vision Science
  • CLRS-750: Historical Research Perspectives
  • CLRS-751: Research and Publication Methods
  • CLRS-820: Modeling Visual Perception
  • Graduate Electives
• Second Year
  • CLRS-890: Research & Thesis (and/or Electives)
• Third Year
  • CLRS-890: Research & Thesis (and/or Electives)
• Fourth Year
  • CLRS-890: Research & Thesis (and/or Electives)

Admissions and Financial Aid

This program is available on-campus only.

Application Details

To be considered for admission to the Color Science Ph.D. program, candidates must fulfill the following requirements:

• Hold a baccalaureate degree (or US equivalent) from an accredited university or college.
• Satisfy prerequisite requirements and/or complete foundation courses prior to starting program coursework.
• Submit a current resume or curriculum vitae.
• Submit a statement of purpose for research.
• Submit two letters of recommendation.
• Entrance exam requirements: None
• Submit English language test scores (TOEFL, IELTS, PTE Academic), if required.

Cost and Financial Aid

Ph.D. students typically receive full tuition and an RIT Graduate Assistantship that will consist of a research assistantship (stipend) or a teaching assistantship (salary).