MOptom (IP) Optometry with Independent Prescribing
| Program start date | Application deadline |
| 2024-09-01 | - |
Program Overview
GCU's integrated master's program in Optometry with Independent Prescribing equips students with comprehensive training in optometry, enabling them to diagnose and manage eye conditions and prescribe corrective aids. The program emphasizes clinical skills development through pre-clinical facilities, on-campus Vision Centre, and external placements. Graduates are eligible for independent prescribing registration with the GOC, expanding their career opportunities in optometry.
Program Outline
Degree Overview
Optometrists
detect sight problems and prescribe and dispense spectacles, contact lenses, and other aids to vision. They also play a key role in diagnosing and managing a wide range of eye conditions, including infective and inflammatory disorders, cataracts, and glaucoma.
GCU's integrated master's course in Optometry with Independent Prescribing provides comprehensive training in the theory and practice of optometry to enable graduates to deliver a range of core and enhanced eyecare services to communities across Scotland and beyond.
The course is unique and designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge that will enable them to undertake advanced clinical practice upon graduation.
Beyond registration with the General Optical Council (GOC) as an Optometrist, graduates will be eligible to join the GOC's specialty register of independent prescribing optometrists.
From the outset of the course, students receive training in fundamental vision science as well as clinical care, to facilitate the development of skills in critical thinking and clinical decision-making. Students develop their clinical skills from Year 1 in our purpose-built pre-clinical facilities and the on-campus Vision Centre, which provides a wide range of core and specialist clinical services to the public. Students also gain extensive clinical experience through external placements.
GCU has been Scotland's main provider of education in the non-medical eyecare professions for more than 50 years.
The programmes offered in the Department of Vision Sciences are highly rated by students and our teaching is informed by research. In the most recent Research Excellence Framework exercise (REF2021), 91% of GCU's health research was rated as world leading or internationally excellent and its impact was ranked second in the UK.
Outline
Year 1
- Biology of the Human Eye and Supporting Structures
- Biology of the Retina and Visual Pathways
- Clinical and Professional Studies 1
- Foundations of Optics
- Principles of Spectacle Dispensing
- Visual Optics, Refraction and Binocular Vision
Year 2
- Clinical and Professional Studies 2
- Diagnostic Instrumentation and Techniques A
- Diagnostic Instrumentation and Techniques B
- Advanced Refraction and Binocular Vision
- Introduction to Ocular and Systemic Disease
- Ocular Pharmacology
Year 3
- Clinical and Professional Studies 3
- Contact Lens Studies
- Further Ocular Disease
- Neuro-ophthalmology and Eye Movement Disorders
- Visual Development and Paediatric Eyecare
- Visual Perception and Methods of Enquiry in Vision Science
Year 4
- Clinical and Professional Studies 4A
- Clinical and Professional Studies 4B
- Management of Ocular Disease A
- Management of Ocular Disease B
- Project/Dissertation
Year 5
- Learning and Experience in Practice
- Practical Prescribing
- Theory of Prescribing 2
Assessment
The programme uses a variety of methods to assess student knowledge and skills. These include:
- Written examinations
- Online quizzes
- Lab reports
- Practical assessments
- Objective structured clinical examinations (OSCEs)
- Clinical portfolios
- A substantive research project or dissertation
Teaching
The learning and teaching methods used in the program ensure that it is both vocationally relevant and academically challenging. The approach is student-centered, practical, participative, and relevant to the needs of employers. The program encourages students to develop critical thinking skills through an independent learning approach.
Careers
Employment prospects for optometry graduates are excellent and varied. Graduates may choose roles in:
- Community and hospital practice
- Industry
- Teaching
- Research
Other
- The course is subject to GCU and regulator approval.
- Students must meet entry requirements, including GCSEs, A-levels, or equivalent qualifications.
Annual full-time tuition fees 24/25 Home: £1,820
RUK: £9,250
International: £19,300
- Scottish student tuition fees are subject to confirmation by the Scottish Government and may change once confirmed.
Part-time fees Home (Scottish): £1,800 Additional costs View additional costs While studying on the course, students are required to cover the cost of: Membership of the Protecting Vulnerable Groups scheme (PVG). New applications cost £59 Registration with the General Optical Council (GOC) as a Student Optometrist. New applications cost £30 and the annual renewal fee is £30 Costs of accommodation and travel related to clinical placements (Note that in Year 5 these costs will be offset by payment of a salary for work carried out while on placement).
