India's Periyar EVR Government College, in Tiruchi, has approved a two-year master's degree program in photonics through its Postgraduate and Research Department of Physics, according to the online edition of India's National Newspaper The Hindu. Eligible candidates -- undergraduates in physics, applied physics and electronics -- will be prepared for careers in remote sensing, digital image processing, digital signal processing, biomedical instrumentation, telecommunication engineering, fiber optic communication, astrophysics, nuclear imaging or laser applications. P.S. Joseph, who heads the physics department, is the coordinator of the photonics program. At present, only the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT), in Kochi, and the Indian Institute of Technology, New Delhi, offer masters and PhD courses in photonics, The Hindu said. Joseph said the physics department will collaborate to develop the photonics program with the International School of Photonics at CUSAT; Madurai Kamaraj University; the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi; the Indian Space Research Organization; and the Indian Institute of Astro Physics, Bangalore.