Color Science (MS)

Color science is broadly interdisciplinary, encompassing physics, chemistry, physiology, statistics, computer science, and psychology. The curriculum, leading to a master of science degree in color science, educates students using a broad interdisciplinary approach. This is the only graduate program in the country devoted to this discipline and it is designed for students whose undergraduate majors are in physics, chemistry, imaging science, computer science, electrical engineering, experimental psychology, physiology, or any discipline pertaining to the quantitative description of color.

Graduates are in high demand and have accepted industrial positions in electronic imaging, color instrumentation, colorant formulation, and basic and applied research. Companies that have hired graduates include Apple Inc., Benjamin Moore, Canon Corp., Dolby Laboratories, Eastman Kodak Co., Hallmark, Hewlett Packard Corp., Microsoft Corp., Pantone, Qualcomm Inc., Ricoh Innovations Inc., Samsung, and Xerox Corp.

The color science degree provides graduate-level study in both theory and practical application. The program gives students a broad exposure to the field of color and affords them the unique opportunity of specializing in an area appropriate for their background and interest. This objective will be accomplished through the program’s core courses, selection of electives, and completion of a thesis or graduate project.

The program revolves around the activities of the Munsell Color Science Laboratory within the College of Science. The Munsell Laboratory is the pre-eminent academic laboratory in the country devoted to color science. Research is currently under way in color appearance models, lighting, image-quality, color-tolerance psychophysics, spectral-based image capture, archiving, reproduction of artwork, color management, computer graphics; and material appearance. The Munsell Laboratory has many contacts that provide students with summer and full-time job opportunities across the United States and abroad.