Our degree offers a professionally recognised qualification preparing you for a flexible and rewarding career in optometry.
Overview
The Optometry degree course at City offers a professionally recognised qualification preparing you for a flexible and rewarding career in optometry.
The course is at the cutting edge of optometry and visual science study in both its curriculum and the way it is taught. Throughout the course, students benefit from a combination of state-of-the-art clinics and laboratories and experienced tutors from a wide range of disciplines.
Our close links with Moorfields Eye Hospital and King's College London School of Medicine also provide students with access to a wide range of patients and pathology. City is the only university that offers a BSc Optometry degree in London making it a unique experience - studying in a rich and diverse capital city.
If you require the MSc in Clinical Optometry please visit the MSc Clinical Optometry page.
Entry Requirements:
- A level: 360 UCAS tariff points
- IB: 34
- AVCE Double Award: A*A in Science
- Access is possible through the Foundation Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing (B511).
- Bachelor Degrees: Other Science or Medically related degrees
- Dispensing Diploma: Over 75% in all theory examinations over the duration of the course.
Course Fees:
- Full-time EU: £9,000 - based on 2012/13 fees, fees for 2013/14 to be confirmed.
- Full-time Non EU: £14,300 - based on 2012/13 fees, fees for 2013/14 to be confirmed.
Start Date:
September 2013
UCAS code:
B510
Entry Requirements
- A level: 360 UCAS tariff points to include GCE A level grades AA in any two of Biology Chemistry or Maths. At least 3 A levels must be included in the points calculation. Please note all applicants must have 5 GCSEs including Mathematics, Science and English Language at A*-C.
- IB: 34 with 6 in each of two sciences and 5 in each of Maths and English
- AVCE Double Award: A*A in Science in combination with a full A-level in Mathematics
- Access is possible through the Foundation Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing (B511).
- Bachelor Degrees: Other Science or Medically related degrees, grades 2:1 to first class Honours, 2:2 in Orthoptics may be considered.
- Dispensing Diploma: Over 75% in all theory examinations over the duration of the course.
Special entry requirements
Students are required to have ebhanced Criminal Records Bureau clearance.
English Requirements
If your first language is not English, we will require evidence of English language proficiency. Minimum requirements are:
- IELTS: An overall band score of 7.0 with a minimum of 7.0 in each component
- TOEFL: 110 internet-based total
Visa Requirements
City University London retains Highly Trusted Status from UKBA, enabling us to sponsor international students to study in the UK.
The way that you apply may vary depending on the length of your course at City, there are different rules for:
- Students on courses of more than 6 months
- Students on courses of less than 6 months
- Students on a pre-sessional English Language course
For more information see our main Visa page.
Course Content
Year one
You will build a foundation in the basic sciences that underpin optometry while at the same time starting your clinical training from day one. Lectures are supported by tutorials and laboratory-based work in our bioscience and optics laboratories, clinical skills suite and dispensary.
Year two
You further expand and enhance your clinical skills so that you are competent to enter the public clinics in the third year. This involves developing an understanding of ocular and systemic disease coupled with the neuroscience of visual perception. Your clinical confidence and competence will be supported by expert guidance in utilizing the latest technologies to investigate ocular abnormalities.
Year three
You will be developing the knowledge and clinical skills that form the basis of modern optometric practice by working under supervision seeing patients in our Fight for Sight Optometry Clinics at Bath Street. You will carry out full eye examinations, under supervision, and gain specialist skills in the paediatric, binocular vision, contact lens, dispensing and visual impairment clinics. You will also attend Moorfields Eye Hospital, where you will examine patients with a range of eye diseases. In addition, you will benefit from a placement scheme with local optometric practices to gain experience in dispensing spectacles and practice management.
Course Structure
Core modules - Year one
- Human physiology and ocular anatomy
- Optics
- Visual optics and Mathematics
- Ophthalmic lenses and dispensing 1
- Clinical skills 1
Core modules - Year two
- Visual Science
- General pathology and eye disease
- Clinical skills 2
- Contact lenses 1
- Ophthalmic lenses and dispensing 2
- Binocular Vision
Core modules - Year three
- Eye disease and therapeutics
- Clinical skills and professional practice
- Binocular vision, paediatrics and visual impairment
- Contact lenses 2
- Dissertation or research project
Read the full programme specification.
Teaching and Assessment
The optometry division at City has an excellent reputation. Our expert staff come from a range of disciplines - optometrists, ophthalmologists, dispensing opticians, orthoptists, physicists, psychologists, neuroscientists and biologists.
You learn through lectures, tutorials, seminars, laboratory work, clinical practice and our web-based virtual learning environment.
We prepare you for a professional career where you will manage primary eye care with ophthalmology and general practitioners.
Assessment is through coursework, written examinations, clinical observation, vivas and practice-based assessment. A project or dissertation of around 6,000 words is required in the final year.
Read the full programme specification.
Recommended Reading
Fees
- Full-time EU: £9,000 - based on 2012/13 fees, fees for 2013/14 to be confirmed.
- Full-time Non EU: £14,300 - based on 2012/13 fees, fees for 2013/14 to be confirmed.
Funding
For up-to-date information about tuition fees, living costs and financial support, visit Undergraduate Fees and Finance or Postgraduate Fees and Finance.
ELQ: EU nationals who have already obtained a degree (BSc/BA or higher qualification, or equivalent) are no longer entitled to public funding (HEFCE). The tuition fee for students in this category is £10,600.
Scholarships
New for 2013 entrants: Up to £2,000 cash each year for at least three years for students on this course. Read more here to see if you might qualify.
Career Prospects
After graduation, you must work under supervision for about one year, then subject to the successful completion of a final assessment, you can register as an optometrist with the General Optical Council (GOC).
Job opportunities are available in private practice, hospital eye departments and in research and teaching. City University London has nearly a 100% employment rate for optometry.
Find out how studying at City University London helps you to improve your job prospects.
Find out more about City University London
Optometry
UCAS code: B510
You can apply via the central UCAS applications system that supports all undergraduate applications within the UK for both home and overseas students.
It is recommended that you submit your application as early as possible.
How do we make our decision?
In reaching our selection decisions we will take into account your:
- Exam performance (actual or predicted)
- Personal Statement and reasons for choice of course / career
- Evidence of intellectual ability
- Tutor references
- Relevant work experience
For more information
Contact us on:
- Tel: +44 (0)20 7040 8384
- optometry@city.ac.uk
