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New England College of Optometry, NECO, prepares the next generation of eye care providers, educators, and innovators through a rigorous curriculum and extensive clinical experiences. NECO graduates compassionate and skilled optometrists prepared to practice in diverse settings. Our mission is "Changing the way people see the world through optometric education, discovery, and service." New England College of Optometry will continue to be a leading college of optometry in the rapidly evolving professional education and healthcare world. At NECO, the experience is everything. We believe that the key to training great doctors lies in providing innovative, enlightening experiences that shape the earliest stages of your career. From invaluable clinical work to vibrant classroom discussions and research opportunities, every moment of your NECO training will pay dividends for a lifetime. Discover your passion in the field as you find your place in the profession. At New College of Optometry, we educate students for careers in eye care delivery, research, and education. We challenge students to think creatively about vision and sight and contribute to the field's future. In doing so, we provide quality optometric care to more than 150,000 individuals annually and serve the community through a network of health care organizations and access to vision screenings. Our comprehensive vision centers, NECO Center for Eye Care, are part of the NECO Clinical Network, the patient care, and the clinical education affiliate of the College. New England College of Optometry is a small, independent graduate institution that currently enrolls students from 34 states and eight countries. Our Boston location provides access to a richly innovative and active higher education and the Boston area's healthcare community. We are looking for agile, committed people to join our community to support our world-class optometric education and patient care experience programs. Although our school is small, our impact is enormous. Through community partnerships such as the Boys and Girls Club of Boston, clinical rotations in our network of community health centers, and medical missions to provide eye care in other countries, our students have the opportunity to impact the health care of the communities in which they serve. We provide vision care to more than a quarter of a million people in the world each year. New England College of Optometry has an active Board of Trustees that provides leadership and oversight to the College and advises the President. Members of the Senior Administrative Team also support the President. For over 120 years, the New England College of Optometry has been educating optometrists. Initially founded in 1894 as the Klein School of Optics, NECO is the oldest continuously operating Optometry school in the United States. At New England College of Optometry, we prepare future doctors for the complexities of practicing in the real world by providing students with great professional experiences. Whether through comprehensive patient care in team-based health delivery models, intense cultural immersion within our extensive clinical network, research focused on improving patients' lives, or debating public policy for eye care, we educate and prepare the profession's future leaders. Throughout their education, our students make an immediate and lasting impact on the community while serving their patients. At the heart of our commitment to preparing students for successful careers is our applied approach to learning – we provide students with early and diverse clinical experiences to reflect and reinforce the knowledge they acquire in the classroom. Students receive a strong academic foundation in visual, ocular, and systemic care. At the same time, they experience various patients and community settings through clinical work in community health centers, private practices, schools, and veteran's hospitals. New England College of Optometry is located in the heart of Boston. This vibrant city allows students to intern in hospitals, community health centers, medical centers, and private practices and gain access to the world's best medical facilities. The opportunities for applied learning in a clinical setting are unparalleled in diversity and number. Students have an experience as diverse as Boston itself. Clinical rotations throughout the city and the country allow students to prepare for their careers, not just seeing patients, but through the whole process of patient care. At New England College of Optometry, we believe experience is everything. We provide great academic, clinical, research, and student experiences to help you become a great doctor. We provide education not for those merely looking to start a career but for those looking to lead the profession. At NECO, we give optometry's future leaders the confidence, skill, and knowledge to practice effectively and expertly anywhere in the world. At NECO, we foster a community that provides opportunities to question, challenge, and explore. We believe great optometrists are compassionate and skilled practitioners, thoughtful collaborators, innovative diagnosticians, and lifelong learners. Our curriculum is designed and continually enhanced to reflect the optometric profession's evolving needs and public health. We combine classroom learning with extensive work in a variety of health care settings throughout our clinical network. These allow you to learn, explore, and hone your abilities as a doctor of optometry in Boston's innovative and active healthcare community. Great doctors understand the people and communities they serve, the ever-changing inter-professional health care environment, and the new technologies for diagnosing, treating, and managing vision and visual disorders. We prepare doctors for optometry practice today but ready to adapt to discoveries, innovations, and patient expectations for future practice. We offer seven-degree programs to meet the needs of our students. These programs are carefully designed to prepare future optometrists by providing a strong foundation in visual, biomedical, and clinical science and integrating this with diverse patient care experiences. View full university

The Illinois College of Optometry is one of the world’s leading optometric institutions. Our size and reputation often precede us, and we think that is a good thing. It means our students are making a real difference in optometry and the world. Located in Chicago, ICO has earned its popularity. We have been perfecting our curriculum and craft since 1872. Thanks to our distinguished faculty, collaborative student community, and unmatched clinical resources, ICO graduates enter the real world best prepared to practice optometry. Practicing doctors often say they “can just tell” when an optometrist comes from ICO. An OD from our school is not just a piece of paper; it means you have seen diverse ocular conditions, can practice with confidence, and are backed by the largest alumni support network anywhere. At the Illinois College of Optometry, we help you answer this question with one word: “Prepared.” We are committed to you, the student of optometry- not just the great doctor you will become but also the whole person you are destined to be. ICO is dedicated solely to optometry- and proud of it. Our top-notch faculty and courses promise to support you from day one. In your first year at ICO, you will get hands-on clinical experience with real patients in the Illinois Eye Institute. Imagine what you can achieve by Commencement. At ICO, we do our best to cultivate lifelong collaborators. Our campus offers a convenient space to live and study in- not to mention proximity to the heart of Chicago. After graduation, the same teammates you explored the city will become your lifelong colleagues. So, WHY, ICO? By the time you graduate, you will have a strong academic, clinical, and cultural foundation. Our students agree. See success from their perspective with our exam scores, testimonials, and student blog. Choose ICO, and you will be prepared- for optometry, for life. The mission of the Illinois College of Optometry is to develop highly qualified clinical optometrists through excellence in optometric education. You have already chosen optometry. Now, it is time to find the perfect place to earn your OD. Students from all over the world seek out ICO for our commitment to future optometrists. Our curriculum, clinical resources, alumni network, and student community all come together to prepare effective doctors. In short, we are ready for you. We hope your next big choice is ICO. If you are interested in the ICO application process, please read through our Course Requirements, Cost of Attendance, and How to Apply. We have plenty of information for International candidates, as well as individuals seeking Financial Aid. Of course, nothing beats a campus visit, so we hope to see you in Chicago soon. ICO welcomes enthusiastic candidates from all over the world. We do our best to make the international application process easy to understand. So, no matter where you are from, you can smoothly transition into a fantastic doctor. To apply, international candidates must fulfill all general admission requirements, including the OAT and recommendation letters. You must have earned a bachelor’s degree or equivalent with at least 90 semester credit hours of undergraduate coursework. If you have completed college-level coursework at schools outside the United States or Canada, or if your transcripts are not in English, the transcripts must be submitted to an official evaluation service. ICO accepts transcript evaluations from World Education Services and Educational Credential Evaluators. The evaluation board must send the official copy of the evaluation directly to ICO’s admissions office. ICO’s Student Financial Services is here to help you find the most affordable ways to finance your education and manage your student loans. Feel free to contact us directly at any time. We look forward to working with you through this important decision. When you apply for admission, your application is automatically reviewed for academic scholarships. You do not need to apply separately. Scholarships are based on academic merit, and recipients are notified at the time of acceptance. Forget the days of undergrad education, where general classes were taken to earn credit hours. Every second of ICO’s 4-year program is optometry-focused. Our students receive an unmatched clinical experience, including hands-on patient care in the IEI beginning in their very first year. Of course, we know that being a doctor extends beyond eye care. ICO offers courses in financial literacy, practice management, and other real-world aspects of optometry. Our top-notch resources expose students to tomorrow’s technologies and modes of practice. In addition to a rich clinical education, ICO gives its students a firm foundation rooted in biomedical science. Introductory biomedical courses are spread across our program's first two years: human anatomy, immunology, and pharmacology. Interactive laboratories complement many of these. From basic human sciences to high-level ophthalmic studies, every ICO course is presented through the lens of primary eye care. Our curriculum visits optics, ocular anatomy, physiology, visual perception, neuroanatomy, sensory aspects of vision, and color vision. Thus, every moment ICO students spend in a classroom is a moment spent preparing for real life. Students gain high-quality experiences in primary eye care, pediatric optometry, binocular vision, low vision rehabilitation, contact lenses, emergency care, and ocular disease in the clinical program. The clinical program is student-centered, beginning in the lecture-laboratory setting and advancing to a one-to-one relationship between students and patients. ICO’s faculty works both in the lecture hall and in the clinic. So, students receive supportive, personalized education in every environment. View full university

SCO is one of the nation's leading optometry schools. Southern College of Optometry's students consistently outscores the national average in board scores and graduation rates. The College is committed to academic excellence and cutting-edge clinical training. Students and faculty enjoy the opportunity to learn and practice optometry in The Eye Center, one of the largest and most clinically advanced vision and eye care centers in the country. Founded in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1932, SCO's influence knows no boundaries. Our students represent a broad cross-section of demographics and regional areas of our nation. Our alumni live and practice in all 50 states and abroad. Many of our faculty received their optometric education at other schools and optometry colleges but chose to teach and practice at SCO. SCO and its clinical presence also have meaning for the greater Memphis community. More than 60,000 patient encounters are recorded each year at The Eye Center. These patients rely upon quality vision care overseen by nearly 60 faculty members. Our students benefit from hands-on learning as they accompany faculty on community outreach initiatives at school vision screenings and regional health care settings. SCO students even travel abroad to take eye care to those in need around the globe. Whether you are a prospective student, faculty or staff member, a local patient needing vision care, or just an interested visitor to the SCO web site, we invite you to explore and learn more about Southern College of Optometry. Southern College of Optometry embraces the idea that optometry is a service-oriented profession, so we are here to answer your questions or provide the service you need. The mission of Southern College of Optometry is to lead the profession by: Educating the best possible healthcare providers. Promoting lifelong learning. Fostering a personal commitment to service. Prospective students are also encouraged to learn all they can learn about optometry in advance of applying to attend Southern College of Optometry. Talking or visiting your local optometrist is a good idea. Some optometrists may allow you to job shadow them to learn more about optometry. Your level of exposure and interest in optometry will be necessary for the admissions process. Above all, the Student Services staff at SCO can assist you with questions you have as you prepare to start your first step on the road to becoming an optometrist. You have chosen to apply to one of the nation's leading optometry schools—alma mater to 13 American Optometric Association Presidents and more than 80 years of graduating the best clinicians in the field. The Admissions Office provides outstanding service throughout the admissions process: prompt and courteous responses to your questions detailed literature that provides facts—not just fluff. We are indeed committed to recruiting and retaining the best optometry school applicants. SCO is dedicated to helping keep optometric education affordable by rewarding top prospects with the scholarships they deserve. Most SCO scholarships are based on academic achievement (GPA and OAT scores), service leadership, and a demonstrated commitment to optometry. There's a reason that so many prospective students choose to apply to SCO each year. SCO enjoys a reputation for providing its students with the academic and clinical education needed to succeed in the profession of optometry. Southern College of Optometry students actively participates in the life of the College. Some of the most recognized names in organized optometry today got their start in an SCO student organization. The Student Government Association takes an active role in helping to set the course for the College. It recommends policies, and its president is an ex-officio member of the Board of Trustees. SCO students are active participants in the American Optometric Student Association, the American Optometric Association's student equivalent. Southern College of Optometry is committed to developing a robust research program in support of lifelong learning among faculty and students. Our motivation is grounded in the belief that optometry's foundation lies in the discovery and distribution of practice-changing knowledge. Faculty at SCO who are engaged in research enjoy sharing the process with students, other faculty, and collaborators. The Department of Information Services is responsible for the overall coordination and development of innovative technologies at the College, especially computer-aided instruction. The Department maintains the Learning Resource Center (LRC), which provides equipment and technical support to enhance the understanding of the substantive and procedural aspects of optometry. Included in the LRC are computers and multimedia equipment for audio and video resources. Students participate in a variety of team sports and athletic endeavors at the Activity Center. Also available for spouses and guests, the Center houses an indoor basketball/volleyball court, two racquetball courts, exercise equipment, lockers and showers, and student organization offices. View full university

Located in Fullerton, CA, Marshall B. Ketchum University is an independent, private, non-profit, accredited educational institution. MBKU is home to the Southern California College of Optometry, the School of Physician Assistant Studies, and the College of Pharmacy. Named after the founder of the optometric institution in 1904, the university structure's change addresses the growing demand for highly skilled health care professionals. The university's Southern California College of Optometry confers a Doctor of Optometry (OD) and a Master of Science in Vision Science (MS) degree. MBKU's School of Physician Assistant Studies under the College of Health Sciences awards a Master of Medical Sciences (MMS) degree. MBKU's College of Pharmacy will welcome its first class in the fall of 2016 and will award a Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) degree. MBKU owns and operates two premier eye and vision care centers: the University Eye Center at Ketchum Health and the University Eye Center at Los Angeles. View full university