Doctor of Optometry
Worcester, USA
DURATION
4 Years
LANGUAGES
English
PACE
Full time
APPLICATION DEADLINE
Request application deadline *
EARLIEST START DATE
Request earliest startdate
TUITION FEES
USD 47,100 / per year **
STUDY FORMAT
On-Campus
* applications are reviewed on a rolling basis; applicants are encouraged to apply early, as space is limited
** this program offers merit-based scholarships up to a maximum of $12,000 per year
Introduction
As an optometrist, you have the power to help patients improve their vision and see the world through a brighter lens. This innovative program helps you provide comprehensive eye care and promote healthy vision to patients of all ages in diverse settings. Through cutting-edge instructional technologies in both classroom and clinical environments, you will learn how to diagnose and manage a wide range of ocular and systemic conditions.
In this four-year, full-time program, you will begin seeing patients in the first year and progressively increase your time in the clinic for four straight years, including summers. Our expert and dedicated faculty will work with you individually as you engage in more challenging and frequent patient exposure. You will graduate with the requisite skills, experience, and confidence to practice and advance as a professional optometrist in a wide variety of clinical settings.
Gain Hands-on Experience
The fourth year of the program is exclusively clinical and is designed to expose students to a variety of patient care experiences, as well as to provide a platform in which to explore specialty opportunities.
Our external clinical affiliations are located in over 30 states, from Maine to Alaska, and include a variety of settings, including community health centers, hospitals, military bases, multidisciplinary practices, and private practices. Consisting of three, 16-week rotations, the fourth year is designed to expose students to a multitude of patient care experiences, as well as to provide a platform in which to explore specialty opportunities.
Gallery
Admissions
Scholarships and Funding
This program offers merit-based scholarships up to a maximum of $12,000 per year.
Curriculum
Year I - Fall
- Clinical Anatomy (with lab)
- Geometrical and Physical Optics (with lab)
- Optometry Theory and Methods I
- Optometry Theory and Methods I Lab
- Optometry and Health Care
- Histology and Embryology
- Visual Development
Year I - Spring
- Ocular Biochemistry
- Visual Optics (with lab)
- Optometry Theory and Methods II
- Optometry Theory and Methods II Lab
- Visual Perception
- Neuro Anatomy and Physiology
Year I - Summer
- Optometry Theory and Methods III
- Optometry Theory and Methods III Lab
- Immunology and Microbiology
- Oculomotor Function
- Ophthalmic Optics I (w/lab)
- Systemic Pharmacology
- Systems-Based Physiology
Year II - Fall
- Ocular Pharmacology
- Anterior Segment Ocular Disease I
- Optometry Theory and Methods IV
- Optometry Theory and Methods IV Lab
- Foundations of Binocular Vision
- Primary Care Clinic I
- Pathophysiology
- Ophthalmic Optics II (w/lab)
Year II - Spring
- Clinical Binocular Vision
- Ocular Manifestations of Systemic Disease
- Introduction to Practice Management
- Posterior Segment Ocular Disease I
- Primary Care Clinic II
- Optometry Theory and Methods V
- Optometry Theory and Methods V Lab
Year II - Summer
- Anterior Segment Ocular Disease II
- Contact Lens I (with lab)
- Glaucoma I
- Vision Therapy (with lab)
- Neuro Optometry
- Primary Care Clinic III
Year III - Fall
- Low Vision and Geriatrics (w/lab)
- Contact Lens II
- Posterior Segment Ocular Disease II
- Glaucoma II
- Pediatrics (with lab)
- Primary and Specialty Care Optometry I
Year III - Spring
- Optometry Theory and Methods V
- Optometry Theory and Methods V Lab
- Optometry and Public Health
- Practice and Business Management
- Primary and Specialty Care Optometry II
- Research and Statistical Methods
- Applied Optometric Theory
- Special Populations and Topics
- Professional Ethics
Year III - Summer
Year IV - Spring/Fall
- Online Clinical Seminar
- Externship Rotation I
- Externship Rotation II
- Externship Rotation III
Dual Degree Option
Students accepted into the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program at MCPHS are eligible to apply to the online Master of Public Health in the spring of their first year of the OD program. If accepted, the MPH coursework will begin that summer.
Students in the OD/MPH program will complete a total of 210 credits to earn the dual degree; 180 credits for the OD program and 42 credits for the MPH program. The MPH program consists of a Community Health concentration with an overview of the five core disciplines of public health:
- Biostatistics
- Epidemiology
- Environmental Health Science
- Health Policy and Management
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
As an optometrist with training and experience in public health, you will be fully equipped to assess community needs for eye and vision care services. Optometrists with an MPH could develop, administer, and evaluate eye and vision health programs and participate in and provide leadership to health-related agencies that foster public awareness of the need for eye and vision care.
English Language Requirements
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