Medicine and healthcare
Optometry
BSc or MOptom
Overview
Optometry trains you to examine eyes, detect signs of disease and prescribe glasses and contact lenses. You study optics, anatomy and clinical techniques, and you see patients in university clinics. It is not medicine, and it is not the same as dispensing optics. Registration and a period of pre-registration practice sit around the degree. Students who enjoy it like precise measurement, physics of light, and short clinical consultations with a clear outcome.
You want to train as an optometrist.
Ophthalmology is a medical speciality. Dispensing optics is a different qualification.
People who like physics and careful clinical measurement.
What you will study
Universities do not teach the same modules. The lists below are a general shape, not a syllabus.
Early years
- Optics
- Visual science
- Clinical techniques
Later years
- Ocular disease
- Contact lenses
- Patient clinics
Skills
Useful before you start
- Physics or biology
- Precision
- Communication
Developed during the degree
- Eye examination
- Optical prescribing
- Recognising disease
Teaching and assessment
Teaching often includes Lectures, Clinic, Practical optics.
Assessment often includes Exams, Clinical assessments, Practicals.
Typical weekly commitment
Estimate. Clinic sessions lengthen later years.
Entry requirements
Indicative patterns from published UK admissions information. Not an offer. Actual requirements vary by course, university and year. Pearson Edexcel International A Level and Cambridge International A Level are not treated as the same qualification as GCE A level.
Indicative requirements by qualification
The A-level band is the catalogue reference. IB and American lines come from the named university guides under the table. They are not a conversion every university uses, and they are not an offer.
| Qualification | Indicative requirements |
|---|---|
| A Levels | ABB–AAB. Two sciences, often including biology or physics, are a common pattern. Check the school. |
| IB Diploma | UCL publishes 34 points for ABB and 36 for AAB, including 16 or 17 across three Higher Level subjects. A required A-level subject must be Higher Level in UCL's rule. Each Higher Level subject in that table is at least 5. UCL equates A* to 7, A to 6 and B to 5. This is one university's table. |
| American curriculum | That Manchester guide gives AP 5, 4, 4 for ABB and AP 5, 5, 4 for AAB, with GPA 3.0/4.0. Bristol publishes a GPA of 3.2, or 3.4 for competitive courses, and does not use one AP pattern for every degree. |
- University College London: Undergraduate entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, School of Social Sciences: Americas country guide. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Manchester, Civil Engineering: USA country entry requirements. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
- University of Bristol: USA international qualifications. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Not a universal rule.
A-level subjects
Two sciences, often including biology or physics, are a common pattern. Check the school.
Often recommended: Physics, Biology.
Useful preparation: Mathematics.
GCSE and IGCSE
Many healthcare courses expect English language and mathematics, and often sciences, at GCSE or IGCSE. Grade thresholds differ. No single grade is stored as a national rule. International GCSEs are not automatically treated as GCSEs by every university.
Indicative only.
Other ways in
- Pre-registration practice is separate from the degree at many schools.
Admissions tests and extra requirements
No admissions test is stored as usual for this course. A university can still set one for a particular year.
Course costs
For many standard full-time courses in England, the home-fee maximum in 2026 to 2027 is Up to £9,790. This is the maximum standard full-time fee published for approved English providers with a TEF award and an access and participation plan. It is not the fee a named university charges, and it does not decide whether you pay home or international fees.
Clinical, laboratory and studio courses are not given a different home-fee figure here, because the regulated maximum is not the same thing as an international or clinical fee.
International tuition is set by each university and is not stored here. Clinical courses are often much higher than classroom-based courses. A school in Qatar does not decide home-fee status.
Source: Changes to tuition fees: 2026 to 2027 academic year. Retrieved 2026-10-14. Living costs, field trips and professional fees are not included.
Where you could study
UK degrees in this subject are numerous. This page does not list every university, because a list without a checked entry requirement would look more certain than it is.
No individual UK course page is stored yet for this subject. Use the university site.
No overseas course has been checked for this subject yet.
Where could this degree take you?
Optometrist
Direct qualifying route
Registration follows an approved degree and the required practical period.
Explore your pathway
A course sits between school subjects and a career. It does not guarantee either admission or a job.