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Overview
Guide to entry cut-offs
OP 2
Rank 98
Not all applicants with this rank/OP received an offer; ie additional ranks and OP field positions were used to select applicants with the minimum rank/OP
- After completion of Master of Optometry, graduates are able to practise as an optometrist and register with the Optometry Board of Australia.
- Receive individual attention from experienced lecturers in small classes.
- Prepare for a career in private practice, contact lens practice, paediatric vision, occupational/public health vision or low vision.
- QUT's state-of-the-art Optometry Clinic allows you to acquire and practise clinical skills under the supervision of registered optometrists.
| QTAC course code | 425312 |
| QUT course code | OP45 |
| Attendance | Full-time |
| Course duration | 3 years full-time |
| Start month | 2013 February |
| Deferment | You can defer your offer and postpone the start of your course for one year. |
| Delivery |
On campus
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| Faculty |
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| Course contact |
Student Business Services (SBS) Admissions:
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| CRICOS code | 065380A |
| Careers |
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Details
Why choose this course?
QUT offers the only optometry training in Queensland and is one of five universities in Australia to offer optometry. Class sizes are small so you will receive individual attention from experienced lecturers. Our staff maintain strong professional and organisational relationships within the industry, and our guest lecturers are optometrists from private practice and allied health disciplines such as medical and pharmacy professions. The Optometry Clinic, located in the state-of-the-art QUT Health Clinics, allows you to acquire and practise clinical skills under the supervision of registered optometrists.
Course summary
QUT’s Optometry program is a dual award program, the three-year Bachelor of Vision Science followed by the two-year Master of Optometry. On successful completion of the dual award, you can apply for registration as an optometrist in Australia.
As a student in the Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry, you will work with a range of complex instruments and learn to use clinical judgement to treat patients in a variety of ways, including contact lenses, spectacles, or advice on lighting and visual habits. The program will provide you with an excellent understanding of general and ocular pharmacology and skills for therapeutic management of eye disease. In the later years of the course, students spend much of their time in QUT's Optometry Clinic, examining and treating patients and also attend other external specialist clinics, to gain hands-on, real-world experience.
Career outcomes
Graduates in optometry are in high demand and have exciting careers in industry, public hospitals, teaching or research positions in Australia and internationally. Many graduates enter private practice with a view to future partnership or the establishment of their own practice.
Graduates of the dual award program (Bachelor of Vision Science/Master of Optometry) can work or specialise in areas such as contact lens practice, binocular vision/paediatric vision, occupational/public health optometry, or low vision/vision rehabilitation.
Optometrists have an important responsibility to detect and diagnose eye disease and either manage the condition or refer the patient for medical advice. They employ a variety of complex instruments and techniques to test vision for defects such as short-sightedness, far-sightedness and astigmatism, and exercise clinical judgement to advise and treat their patients accordingly. Optometrists with appropriate training are also able to use a number of therapeutic drugs to manage a range of eye conditions.
Students may choose to not complete the Master of Optometry, exiting with a three-year Bachelor of Vision Science, to pursue a research career (following completion of an honours year), or find employment in the ophthalmic industry.
Student registration
QUT automatically registers students enrolled in this course with the Optometry Board of Australia in accordance with the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law Act 2009. Details about student registration are available from the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency at www.ahpra.gov.au
Professional recognition
You must complete the Bachelor of Vision Science and the Master of Optometry to be eligible for registration as an optometrist with the Optometry Board of Australia. Graduates are also eligible for membership of Optometrists Association Australia.
Graduates of the dual degree program will be able to apply to the Optometry Board of Australia for therapeutic endorsement. However, the use of therapeutic medicines by suitably-qualified optometrists is subject to relevant State and Territory legislation.
Continuing education
Optometrists have a responsibility to attend formal continuing education seminars after they have finished their university training. This is essential to keep in touch with new developments in the profession.
Units
All course structures
Entry requirements
Guide to entry cut-offs
OP 2
Rank 98
Not all applicants with this rank/OP received an offer; ie additional ranks and OP field positions were used to select applicants with the minimum rank/OP
Assumed knowledge
Before you start this course we assume you have sound knowledge in these areas:
- Physics
- Maths B
- English
- Chemistry
We assume that you have knowledge equivalent to four semesters at high school level (Years 11 and 12) with sound achievement (4, SA).
Course fees
Your actual fees may vary depending on which units you choose. All fees are based on current fixed fee prices. We review fees annually.
2013: CSP $4200 (indicative) per Semester (48 credit points) (subject to annual review)
Student Services and Amenities Fee
You'll need to pay the Student Services and Amenities Fee (SSAF) as part of your course costs.
HECS-HELP: loans to help you pay your course fees
You may not have to pay anything upfront if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan.
Find out if you're eligible for a HECS-HELP loan
Scholarships and financial support
You can apply for scholarships to help you with study and living costs.
These scholarships are available for this course:
You may also be eligible for Centrelink payments
Apply
How to apply for Bachelor of Vision Science
You apply through QTAC for all our undergraduate courses.
Are you ready to submit your application?
You're ready if you've:
- Found all the courses you want to apply for - you can apply for up to 6.
- Checked important dates.
- Checked you meet the entry requirements.
- Checked your course costs and if you're eligible for financial support.
All done? Then you're ready to apply.
Important: Make a note of the QTAC code for this course (425312) because you'll need to enter it as part of your QTAC application.
After you've submitted your application to QTAC
If you've studied before or if you have at least two years' work experience, you may want to apply for credit for prior learning.
