Advice needed - Physics undergrad

I’m a Applied Physics undergrad at UW Seattle with less than 1 year left before graduating and really want to get into the optics/photonics industry but Im struggling to keep a high gpa and feel like my chances of graduate school in optics are slipping away.

I have exactly a 3.0 physics gpa. I know grad school in physics is probably out of reach for me with that gpa so I’ve been considering masters programs in EE , optics, or biomedical engineering (imaging emphasis) instead. I have a lot software / data engineering experience but just not much actual optics experience which is why I feel like I need the masters. I’ve taken a microscopy/biophotonics course, optics lab, and photonics course offered by the physics and EE department at my school but don’t have formal research/intern experience. In my microscopy course we did play around however with optics setups and build a microscope which was cool.

Do you think it’s still viable for me to get into an engineering masters program? If so which one? - I know lots of people recommend Arizona state or Rochester for optical engineering but financially it’s easier for me to do a EE masters here in Seattle so I’m curious if either open the same opportunities. I mentioned biomedical because I have an interest in medical imaging applications.

Any advice you can offer me is appreciated.

Posted May 30, 2026, 6:10 AM UTC

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