Our highest degree offered is the doctoral, or Ph.D., degree. This four-to-five-year degree combines coursework in the first two years with intense research in the remaining years, ultimately leading to students producing a publishable dissertation. Doctoral students tend to work on large, multi-step research projects and often co-author multiple publications with their major professor over the course of their studies. Our doctoral students also have the option to obtain a designated emphases (DE) in a specialized field, such as nuclear science. This is similar in concept to an undergraduate minor, but at the graduate level. After graduation, the majority of our doctoral students go into industry careers or at national labs, but a portion continue in academia with postdoctoral researcher or faculty positions.<br><br>The doctoral (Ph.D.) degree prepares students to solve complex, long-term research problems. You can expect to graduate in four to five years and to work on a large research project, culminating in a dissertation. The majority of our doctoral graduates end up in industry careers or at national labs, usually in research and product development positions. Others go on to careers in academia, either as a postdoctoral researcher or an assistant professor.<br><br>The designated emphasis in Biophotonics and Bioimaging, housed in the Department of Biomedical Engineering, is intended to serve as a hub of biophotonics and bioimaging research and education at UC Davis and includes members across the Davis and Sacramento campuses, including the College of Engineering, School of Medicine, and College of Letters and Science. The DE in Biophotonics and Bioimaging offers specific training in fundamental principles of the interaction of light with biological organisms, tissues, cells, and molecules and develops new technology for basic science and applications based on these principles in biology and medicine.