2025 - 2026 Catalog
Optometry (OPT-OD-OPT) OD
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Doctor of Optometry
The curriculum at the Michigan College of Optometry at Ferris State University is designed to produce doctors of optometry who are qualified to practice full-scope optometric care in any state and practice setting. This includes classroom, laboratory, and clinical training under the supervision of nationally recognized faculty. The college, which is a member of the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry and is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and the Higher Learning Commission, offers its four-year, doctoral-level professional education program in a modern facility that includes an on-campus clinic which serves patients from the community and around the state. There are multiple off-campus clinical assignments, assuring a comprehensive, full-scope experience in a variety of practice settings.
The Doctor of Optometry program is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE)(theacoe.org).
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Professional
Students will demonstrate honesty and integrity:
P1. Professional Behaviors - Demonstrate behaviors expected of optometrists, including compassion, accountability, and patient confidentiality.
P2. Personal Limitations - Recognize personal limitations of knowledge and skill regarding optimal patient care. Ethical
Students will demonstrate professional ethics, keeping the patient’s welfare foremost:
E1. Ethical Conduct - Conduct themselves as expressed in the Optometric Oath, American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Code of Ethics, and American Osteopathic Association (AOA) Standards of Professional Conduct.
E2. Dignity - Demonstrate respect for the dignity of every patient and a commitment to empathetic and confidential care.
E3. Conflicts of Interest - Demonstrate an understanding of the conflicts of interest inherent in health care delivery and the ability to incorporate those principles into decisions affecting patient care.
E4. Honesty and Integrity - Demonstrate honesty and integrity in all interactions with patients and their families, colleagues, and others with whom the optometrist must engage in their professional life. Knowledge
Students will demonstrate understanding in practice management, basic and clinical sciences including medical, vision and optical science, and the health care delivery system.
Students will exhibit knowledge of:
K1. Anatomy and Physiology
K2. Binocular Vision and Visual Perception
K3. Contact Lenses
K4. Environmental Vision
K5. Vision and Human Development; Pediatric through Geriatric
K6. Lasers, Injections, and Minor Surgical Procedures
K7. Ocular and Systemic Pathology
K8. Optics and Ophthalmic Optics
K9. Pharmacology
K10. Public Health
K11. Vision Rehabilitation
K12. Vision Therapy
K13. Practice Management Skillful
Students will perform skills essential to patient care:
S1. Anatomy and Physiology
S2. Binocular Vision and Visual Perception
S3. Contact Lenses
S4. Environmental Vision
S5. Vision and Human Development; Pediatric through Geriatric
S6. Lasers, Injections, and Minor Surgical Procedures
S7. Ocular and Systemic Pathology
S8. Optics and Ophthalmic Optics
S9. Pharmacology
S10. Public Health
S11. Vision Rehabilitation
S12. Vision Therapy
Students will provide the highest quality patient care with effective communication, cognitive and motor skills to prevent, diagnose, treat, and manage clinical conditions:
S13. Clinical Reasoning - Use clinical reasoning to determine diagnoses with differentials, appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic interventions, and appropriate management plans.
S14. Management - Prescribe ophthalmic materials, contact lenses, vision therapy, vision rehabilitation, pharmaceuticals and perform, refer, and co-manage surgical procedures, as applicable by state law.
S15. Critical Thinking - Demonstrate problem-solving and critical-thinking skills that integrate current knowledge and research, and the human dimensions of patient care to assure the highest quality of care for each patient.
S16. Communication - Demonstrate effective, efficient, and sensitive communication with patients, their families, and university personnel. Culturally Competent
Students will demonstrate sensitivity and responsiveness to a diverse patient population by providing high quality, culturally appropriate care to all patients:
CC1. Cultural Awareness - Recognize how cultural differences impact doctor-patient interactions, health behaviors and health outcomes among different populations.
CC2. Social Determinants - Describe how social determinants contribute to health disparities.
CC3. Self-Awareness - Demonstrate self-awareness of personal beliefs and biases which may negatively influence patient interactions or outcomes.
CC4. Legal Requirements - Adhere to legal requirements which address cultural and linguistic issues in health care. Interprofessionally Engaged
Students will demonstrate interprofessional communication and partnership for the most effective patient care:
IPE1. Interprofessional Practice - Work with individuals of other professions to maintain a climate of mutual respect and shared values.
IPE2. Roles and Responsibilities - Apply knowledge of one’s own role and those of other professions to appropriately assess and address the health care needs of patients, initiate referrals and participate as a member of the patient care team.
IPE3. Interprofessional Communication - Communicate with colleagues, communities, and professionals in health and other fields in a responsive and responsible manner that supports a team approach to the promotion and maintenance of health and the prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation of disease. Life-Long Learner
Students will demonstrate basic research principles, application of evidence-based research to patient care and develop a mindset of retaining and enhancing clinical knowledge and skills:
LL1. Self-Directed Learning - Exhibit self-directed learning and acquisition of new skills.
LL2. Engaging - Describe the importance of being actively engaged in life-long learning practices within the dynamic landscape of the profession.
LL3. Research Approaches - Apply qualitative and quantitative approaches to Optometric research.
LL4. Evidence-Based Medicine - Apply the latest evidence-based research to patient care.
LL5. Professional Development - Demonstrate awareness of professional development and/or advocacy opportunities outside of the curriculum. References
ASCO: Attributes of Students Graduating from Schools and Colleges of Optometry 2011
Admission Requirements
Please contact the Michigan College of Optometry at [email protected] or 231-591-3703 for admission requirements. All Major Requirements - 172 Credits Required
Major Courses - 172 Credits Required
These courses are used to calculate the major 2.00 GPA requirement. Prefix Code Course Title and Notes
- Students who return to the university after an interrupted enrollment, must normally meet the requirements of the curriculum which are in effect at the time of their return, not the requirements which were in effect when they were originally admitted.
- Credit Variance - Credits required may vary based on course placement, prerequisites, etc. If you have questions, contact your advisor.
Graduation Requirements
In order to graduate from Ferris State University, students must meet both University and Programmatic Graduation Requirements. University Graduation Requirements
These are the minimum graduation requirements for a professional degree at Ferris State University: - A minimum of 70 percent of the degree requirements must be earned from Ferris State University to meet the Residency requirement.
- Degree requirements shall be completed within 6 years from first enrollment in a graduate course following admission.
Programmatic Graduation Requirements
These are the additional graduation requirements mandated by the program: - All requirements as specified in the All Major Requirements section must be met.
- A 2.00 or higher cumulative Ferris State University GPA in Major Courses section is required.
- Complete all courses outline in the Optometry curriculum.
- A minimum grade of C or higher must be earned in each course.
- Successfully complete all external clinical rotations.
- Complete all parts of the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) licensing examination, or its foreign equivalent.
Suggested Semester Layout
Consult Advisor to Approve Your Customized Plan in MyDegree Summer Courses- None Required Second Year
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