Overview 

The MCPHS School of Optometry offers a student-oriented, learner-centered program designed to provide a world-class education leading to a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree. Our four-year program uses the latest in instructional technology to assure that its graduates possess a state-of-the-art education necessary to diagnose and manage the wide variety of ocular and systemic conditions encountered in today’s intense clinical settings.

Program Highlights

• Four-year program emphasizing clinically relevant instruction and patient care
• For students with an earned baccalaureate degree (or sufficient credits) and who have satisfactorily completed prerequisite courses
• Fall semester start
• Instruction conducted in state-of-the-art facilities at the Worcester campus
• Dedicated faculty who place a high importance on teaching, advising and individual student development
• Dual degree option to receive Master of Public Health from MCPHS Online
• Merit scholarships for qualified students
• Clinical experiences The Eye and Vision Center, our on-campus eye clinic and in selected clinical facilities as well as Veterans Administration Centers, health departments, hospitals and community agencies in and beyond the greater Worcester region

For more information on The Eye and Vision Center click here.

Program Details

The Doctor of Optometry (OD) program features the following benefits to its students:

• Formal education. Using both the classroom and the clinic, the program presents a comprehensive, measured, calibrated and stepwise learning system in both ocular and systemic conditions through true multi-disciplinary instruction and learning.
• Cutting edge technology. The Eye and Vision Center, our on-campus clinic, features state-of-the-art equipment and a variety of clinical technologies from automated refractors and visual acuity systems to electronic health records to name a few.
• Informal learning opportunities. The program emphasizes learning achieved in small-group discussions, laboratories, and seminars with expert clinician faculty.
• Service-based training. Local, regional or international, free clinics and other volunteer service opportunities allow students to serve others while receiving course credit.
• Personally adjusted curriculum. Select electives to emphasize an area of interest such as ocular disease, pediatrics, visual rehabilitation or contact lenses.
• Clinic, clinic, and more clinic. Students receive an early introduction into clinical training during their first year and progressively increase their time during their MCPHS education. The program provides a wide variety of patient types in a host of clinical settings including our on-campus clinic, The Eye and Vision Center.  

For more information on The Eye and Vision Center and 10 Optical, click here.

Curriculum

Year 1 - Fall Semester

Year 1 - Spring Semester

Year 1 - Summer Semester

Year 2 - Fall Semester

Year 2 - Spring Semester

Year 2 - Summer Semester

Year 3 - Fall Semester

Year 3 - Spring Semester

Year 3 - Summer Semester

Year 4 - Fall Semester

Year 4 - Spring Semester

Clinical Component

The Doctor of Optometry program emphasizes the importance of clinical training so students can gain experience in patient care across a variety of optometric practices.

Interesting clinical settings.

The program provides opportunities for patient care in a host of settings such as The Eye and Vision Center, our on-campus clinic, free health clinics, health departments, private and corporate practice, the Veterans Administration clinics, the Indian Health Service, hospitals, rehabilitation hospitals and others.

Widely ranging patient types.

The program provides a wide variety of patients ranging from school children of the Worcester Public School System to impaired patients of many types to athletes, diabetics and seniors and refugees as well as many others.

Early introduction into clinic.

Students begin seeing patients in vision screening activities and non-technical assistance in our Eye and Vision Center during their first year and progressively increase their time in clinic during their entire curriculum at MCPHS.

Our Vision for Your Vision

The Eye & Vision Center at MCPHS University's School of Optometry offers accessible, comprehensive, state-of-the-art eye and vision care to patients in Worcester and the surrounding communities. Knowledgeable, highly skilled optometrists work together with dedicated interns to provide you with the best care available.

Learn more about scheduling an appointment, services, hours, or our retail store, 10 Optical, below.

As a patient, you’ll benefit from advanced technology, and professional staff with a wealth of experience in virtually all aspects of eye care.

Video slit lamps: These devices photograph eyes externally and internally, so you can see what our doctors see.

OCT and ultrasound: Our methods for visualizing complex structures of the eye.

Pre-operative assessments: Advanced technology determines your eligibility for cataract, LASIK, and other refractive surgeries.

• Primary Care
• Pediatric and binocular vision
• Cornea and contact lens
• Ocular disease
• Vision rehabilitation

The Eye & Vision Center’s professional staff includes residency trained, Board Certified optometrists, Fellows in the American Academy of Optometry, and researchers. Our providers have published papers in professional journals, authored textbooks, and are active in local community organizations.  

Monday – Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.

We accept most major insurance and vision plans.  If you do not have insurance, we have payment plans and sliding fee schedule options available to ensure that you are able to receive the care that you need.

Bus Routes:

#567 (Outbound from City Hall) at Lincoln Square and Major Taylor Boulevard.

#649 (Inbound to City Hall) stopping at Main Street and George Street, across from the Worcester courthouse.

Routes that service these stops: 

Outbound at #567: Routes 23, 24, 26, 30, and 31

Inbound at #649: Routes 23, 24, 26, and 30

Driving Directions:

From Points East and West: Take the Mass Pike (I-90) to Exit 10 (Auburn). After the tollbooth, bear left at the fork. Take I-290 East. Get off at Exit 17. At the top of the ramp, turn left at the traffic light. At the second set of lights at the bottom of the hill, make a left onto Major Taylor Boulevard. MCPHS University will be on your right.

From Points North and South: Take I-93 or Route 3 to I-495. Exit to I-290 W. Exit 18 for MA-9 towards Ware/Framingham. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for Downtown. Merge onto Lincoln Street. Continue onto Major Taylor Boulevard. Take your first right to 10 Lincoln Square on the left.

For driving directions from additional locations, please click here.

Via Google Maps

When you come to our facilities there are three parking options available.

MCPHS University Visitor Lot: FREE parking located in front of the 10 Lincoln Square garage. Handicapped parking is also available.

Street Parking: Meters located on School Street and Main Street, next to the University.

Major Taylor Garage: A block and a half from the University. It offers an hourly rate.

The Eye & Vision Center
MCPHS University-Worcester
10 Lincoln Square
Worcester, MA 01608
Phone: 855.393.2687 or 508.373.5830
Clinic Fax: 508.519.5512
Store Fax: 508.519.7886

Retail Store (10 Optical) Phone: 508.373.5820
Retail Store Fax: 508.519.7886 

10 Optical  

10 Optical is a complete retail store located at the Eye & Vision Center, which offers personalized service, the latest lens technology, and a wide selection of frames to fit any budget. Get a great look and the clearest, most comfortable vision possible at 10 Optical. At 10 Optical you can find a complete pair of glasses as low as $99. Have questions? Call 508.373.5820 for more information.

The MCPHS University School of Optometry offers a student-oriented, learner-centered program designed to provide a world-class education leading to a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree. 

Our school features the latest instructional technology to ensure that graduates obtain the necessary education to diagnose and treat the wide variety of ocular and systemic conditions encountered in today’s intense clinical settings.

Doctor of Optometry (OD) / Master of Public Health (MPH) Dual Degree

Overview

Students accepted into the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program at MCPHS University on the Worcester, MA campus are eligible to apply to the dual degree (OD/MPH) program offered through the School of Optometry and MCPHS Online. The OD/MPH program option would allow matriculated OD students to also earn a Master of Public Health degree with shared credit between the two programs.

Benefits

Optometrists with training and experience in public health are equipped to provide assessment of community needs for vision care services; they are able to:

• Assist in the definition of factors that contribute to the treatment and prevention of visual system abnormalities
• Develop and apply quality assurance systems
• Participate and provide leadership in health-related agencies
• Foster public awareness of the need for vision care

An individual qualified in optometry and public health is expected to have the capability to:

• Develop, administer, and evaluate eye and vision health programs in research projects
• Design and conduct epidemiological filed studies
• Use statistical methods in data analysis of case-control and cohort studies
• Develop and implement vision health education programs
• Develop occupational health and eye safety programs

Curriculum

The OD program consists of 180 credit hours. The MPH program consists of 42 credit hours with a concentration in Community Health with an overview of five core disciplines of public health:

• Biostatistics
• Epidemiology
• Environmental Health Science
• Health Policy and Management
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Click here to visit MCPHS Online for additional details about the MPH program.

Admission Requirements

In order to be considered for admission into the OD/MPH program, students must be accepted into the OD program and have a minimum 320 Reading Comprehension on the OAT subsection, or 1100 on the combined quantitative and verbal GRE.

Contact

Accepted OD students seeking additional information about the OD/MPH dual degree can speak with the program coordinator by calling the School of Optometry at 508.373.5813.

MCPHS School of Optometry Scholarships

MCPHS University has established merit-based scholarship programs that are awarded to students by the Admission Office without regard for financial need. Recipients of merit-based funding will be considered for additional need-based financial aid, if eligible, upon receipt of a completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Please contact the Admission Office for more information regarding merit-based scholarships.

Students accepted into the Doctor of Optometry (OD) program at MCPHS University for fall 2013 will be awarded scholarship as follows:

Presidential Scholarship: $16,000

Awarded to accepted OD students who have exceptional levels of academic achievement. This scholarship is disbursed over a four year period ($4,000 annually) and will automatically be renewed provided students maintain a progression GPA of 2.50 while enrolled in the OD program. Students will automatically be awarded the Presidential Award at the time of acceptance, based on the following criteria:

• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.40 or higher
• Academic average on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) of 300 or higher

Academic Achievement Scholarship: $12,000

Awarded to accepted OD students who have high levels of academic achievement. This scholarship is disbursed over a four year period ($3,000 annually) and will automatically be renewed provided students maintain a progression GPA of 2.50 while enrolled in the OD program. Students will automatically be awarded the Academic Achievement Award at the time of acceptance, based on the following criteria:

• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00 – 3.39
• Academic average on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) of 300 or higher

Health Care Professions Scholarship: $3,000

Awarded to accepted OD students as a one-time, first year award to be disbursed over the first three semesters of the OD program ($1,000 per semester) to students who meet either of the following criteria:

• Cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.00 or higher, or
• Academic average on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) of 300 or higher

Dr. Shilpa Register Fund for Future Optometric Leaders: $1,000

This scholarship is awarded to one (1) future optometric leader who has exemplified their leadership skills within significant community service activities. To apply for this scholarship, students are required to submit a two-page essay that describes your plan to serve the optometric profession and future patients. The essay should include how you will utilize both your education and your leadership experience within past community service involvement. If selected, you will receive a $1,000, one-time, non-renewable scholarship.

Essays must be submitted by May 1, 2013 to:

MCPHS School of Optometry
Associate Dean of Academic Programs
19 Foster Street
Worcester, MA 01608

Technical Standards

In order to fully describe elements required for successful completion of its professional optometric degree program, the MCPHS School of Optometry has adopted guidelines developed and adopted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). All students are expected to demonstrate each of the competencies contained within these functional guidelines:

Functional Guidelines for Didactic and Clinical Optometric Education at MCPHS

To provide guidance to those considering optometry as a profession, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) has established functional guidelines for optometric education. The ability to meet these guidelines, along with other criteria established by individual optometric institutions, is necessary for graduation from an optometric professional degree program.

One of the missions of each school and college of optometry is to produce graduates fully qualified to provide quality comprehensive eye care services to the public. To fulfill this mission, each institution must ensure that students demonstrate satisfactory knowledge and skill in the provision of optometric care. Admission committees, therefore, consider a candidate’s capacity to function effectively in the academic and clinical environments, as well as a candidate’s academic qualifications and personal attributes.

The functional guidelines in optometric education require that the candidate/student possess appropriate abilities in the following areas: 1) observation; 2) communication; 3) sensory and motor coordination; 4) intellectual–conceptual, integrative and quantitative abilities; and 5) behavioral and social attributes. Each of these areas is described in this document.

In any case where a student’s abilities in one of these areas are compromised, he or she must demonstrate alternative means and/ or abilities to meet the functional requirements. It is expected that seeking and using such alternative means and/or abilities shall be the responsibility of the student. Upon receipt of the appropriate documentation, the school or college will be expected to provide reasonable assistance and accommodation to the student.

Observaton Abilities

The student must be able to acquire a defined level of required knowledge as presented through lectures, laboratories, demonstrations, patient interaction and self-study. Acquiring this body of information necessitates the functional use of visual, auditory and somatic sensation enhanced by the functional use of other sensory modalities. Examples of these observational skills in which accurate information needs to be extracted in an efficient manner include: Visual Abilities: (as they relate to such things as visual acuity, color vision and binocularity):

• Visualizing and reading information from papers, films, slides, video and computer displays
• Observing optical, anatomic, physiologic and pharmacologic demonstrations and experiments
• Discriminating microscopic images of tissue and microorganisms
• Observing a patient and noting non-verbal signs
• Discriminating numbers, images, and patterns associated with diagnostic tests and instruments
• Visualizing specific ocular tissues in order to discern three-dimensional relationships, depth and color changes

Auditory Abilities:

• Understanding verbal presentations in lecture, laboratory and patient settings
• Recognizing and interpreting various sounds associated with laboratory experiments as well as diagnostic and therapeutic procedures

Tactile Abilities:

• Palpating the eye and related areas to determine the integrity of the underlying structures
• Palpating and feeling certain cardiovascular pulses

Communication Abilities

The student must be able to communicate effectively, efficiently and sensitively with patients and their families, peers, staff, instructors and other members of the health care team. The student must be able to demonstrate established communication skills using traditional and alternative means. Examples of required communications skills include:

• Relating effectively and sensitively to patients, conveying compassion and empathy
• Perceiving verbal and non-verbal communication such as sadness, worry, agitation and lack of comprehension from patients
• Eliciting information from patients and observing changes in mood and activity
• Communicating quickly, effectively and efficiently in oral and written English with patients and other members of the health care team
• Reading and legibly recording observations, test results and management plans accurately
• Completing assignments, patient records and correspondence accurately and in a timely manner

Sensory and Motor Coordination Abilities

Students must possess the sensory and motor skills necessary to perform an eye examination, including emergency care. In general, this requires sufficient exteroception sense (touch, pain, temperature), proprioceptive sense (position, pressure, movement, stereognosis, and vibratory) and fine motor function (significant coordination and manual dexterity using arms, wrists, hands and fingers). Examples of skill required include but are not limited to:

• Instillation of ocular pharmaceutical agents
• Insertion, removal and manipulation of contact lenses
• Assessment of blood pressure and pulse
• Removal of foreign objects from the cornea
• Simultaneous manipulation of lenses, instruments and therapeutic agents and devices
• Reasonable facility of movement
• Injections into the eye, lids or limbs

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities

Problem solving, a most critical skill, is essential for optometric students and must be performed quickly, especially in emergency situations. In order to be an effective problem solver, the student must be able to accurately and efficiently utilize such abilities as measurement, calculation, reasoning, analysis, judgment, investigation, memory, numerical recognition and synthesis. Examples of these abilities include being able to:

• Determine appropriate questions to be asked and clinical tests to be performed
• Identify and analyze significant findings from history, examination, and other test data
• Demonstrate good judgment and provide a reasonable assessment, diagnosis and management of patients
• Retain, recall and obtain information in an efficient manner
• Identify and communicate the limits of one’s knowledge and skill

Behaviorial and Social Attributes

The student must possess the necessary behavioral and social attributes for the study and practice of optometry. Examples of such attributes include:

• Satisfactory emotional health required for full utilization of one’s intellectual ability
• High ethical standards and integrity
• An empathy with patients and concern for their welfare
• Commitment to the optometric profession and its standards
• Effective interpersonal relationships with patients, peers and instructors
• Professional demeanor
• Effective functioning under varying degrees of stress and workload
• Adaptability to changing environments and uncertainties
• Positive acceptance of suggestions and constructive criticism

Candidates with questions or concerns about how their own conditions or disabilities might affect their ability to meet these functional guidelines are encouraged to meet with an optometry school counselor prior to submitting an application.

Approved by the ASCO Board of Directors on March 20, 1998 Revised: March 31, 2009

MCPHS School of Optometry Entry-to-Practice Guideline

The MCPHS School of Optometry has adopted the "Attributes of Students Graduating from Schools and Colleges of Optometry" (Smythe and Daum, 2011) as its Entry-to-Practice (ETP) Guideline. This document defines the requirements for its graduates including knowledge, skills and ethical values for entry level practice of optometry as defined by the faculty of the School of Optometry. The ETP Guidelines contain multiple sections, representing the essential optometric areas of endeavor for entry into the professional workforce. Within each section, the knowledge, skills and ethical values required for entry to practice of that area are delineated as either objectives or action items. Attributes of Students Graduating From Schools and Colleges of Optometry was developed and adopted by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). All students graduating from the MCPHS School of Optometry and entering practice are expected to demonstrate each of the competencies contained within these functional guidelines.

View the "Attributes of Students Graduating from Schools and Colleges of Optometry" report here»

Outcomes

Optometrists serve patients of all ages and may practice in a variety of settings including private practice, multidisciplinary practice, hospitals, military institutions, teaching institutions, community health centers and the ophthalmic industry. They also provide a variety of different types of vision and eye care such as contact lenses, low vision, vision therapy, ocular disease, neuro-optometry, pediatrics and geriatrics.

Today’s optometrists are increasingly sought after health care professionals with an impressive earning trajectory. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the optometry job market is expected to grow by 24 percent through 2018. Additionally, the average annual income for self-employed optometrists was cited as $175,329 in 2007 by the American Optometric Association.

Accreditation

Optometry
The Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) has granted the pre-accreditation classification of “Preliminary Approval.” The classification of “Preliminary Approval” is granted to a professional optometric degree program that has clearly demonstrated it is developing in accordance with Council standards.

Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences (MCPHS) is chartered by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is authorized to grant undergraduate and graduate degrees in the health sciences and related fields. MCPHS is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Inc. through its Commission on Institutions of Higher Education.

Admission Requirements

Many of our programs have different admission requirements and deadlines. To see the specific admission requirements for this program, please click on the link below.

Admission Requirements for Optometry (OD) (Worcester)

We recognize that applying to graduate school can be a daunting process; our Admission staff is here to help you. Contact us if you have questions along the way.