INVESTIGATIVE OPHTHALMOLOGY AND VISION SCIENCES
&
ADVANCED CLINICAL OPTOMETRIC PRACTICE
MSc/PG Diploma/PG Certificate
PROGRAMME HANDBOOK
2025-26
Division of Pharmacy and Optometry
School of Health Sciences
Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
Introduction to MSc/PG Diploma/PG Certificate in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences
Welcome to the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry at the University of Manchester. The MSc in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Science/ Advanced Clinical Optometric Practice sits in the Pharmacy and Vision Sciences PGT Consortium in the School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health
This programme handbook provides details of the University of Manchester Programme leading to the MSc or Postgraduate Diploma in Investigative Ophthalmology and Vision Sciences/Advanced Clinical Optometric Practice. It includes information about the aims and learning outcomes, structure, content, admissions, assessment and programme management. It should be read in conjunction with the School of Health Sciences Student Handbook and related University documentation.
We hope that your time studying with Manchester will be productive and enjoyable.
Programme Director:
Dr Catherine Porter
Email: catherine.porter@manchester.ac.uk
3.017 Carys Bannister Building
Divisional Director of Education
Dr Ruth Ledder
Email: Ruth.ledder@manchester.ac.uk
School Administrative Teams:
Student Hub: shs.hub@manchester.ac.uk
Wellbeing: shs.wellbeing@manchester.ac.uk
Attendance monitoring: shs.attendance@manchester.ac.uk
Disability support: shs.dc@manchester.ac.uk
Mitigating Circumstances: shs.mitcircs@manchester.ac.uk
Programmes team: shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk
Assessments team: shs.assessment@manchester.ac.uk
General information about the Division of Pharmacy and Optometry, staff listings and research interests are contained in this handbook, but more information can be obtained from the following web sites:
The Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health home page:
https://www.bmh.manchester.ac.uk/
The University of Manchester home page:
http://www.manchester.ac.uk/
Communication with Students
Please note that only Canvas, the University e-learning platform and your allocated student university email address will be used as official communication by University staff. It is your responsibility to ensure that you can access and read email from this source.
Students are required to keep the University informed of any change to their personal circumstances such as change of name or address. Changes can be recorded by the student via their own personal online record, accessed via the MyManchester portal. It is also essential to inform the Programme Administrator if you do not intend to return to the next session of the course, if, for example, you are moving away.
Section A: Programme Structure
Rationale, General Description, Postgraduate Taught Degree Regulations for Students
Postgraduate Taught degrees at the University of Manchester are based on the National Framework for Higher Education Qualifications (FHEQ). This framework requires students to achieve credit at master’s level in order to get an award. For a standard postgraduate taught master’s programme this will normally mean passing 180 credits. A standard Postgraduate Diploma will normally have 120 credits and a Postgraduate Certificate 60 credits. The way in which you study these credits will be defined later in the programme handbook and the programme specification.
The University sets standards relating to your performance on every unit but also on your progression through the programme. Your programme and course unit specifications will set out the requirements for passing the credit on individual units.
The full PGT Degree Regulations can be accessed at:
http://www.regulations.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate-degree-regulations/.
The following guidance should be read in conjunction with the Introduction to the Postgraduate Degree Regulations for Students:
http://www.tlso.manchester.ac.uk/degree-regulations/
Examinations
Examinations run in the standard University exam period. The University publishes the dates of each examination period two years in advance, please refer to:
https://www.manchester.ac.uk/discover/key-dates/
Please be aware that you may be tested on any topic from within a unit. Do not presume that because a piece of coursework has covered one area of a unit that it will not also appear in the exam. Past papers (where appropriate) are available on Canvas in the Assessment folder for each course unit. Do not assume that exams will take the same format as previous years. Academic staff should not indicate what will/ will not feature in an exam as this may not be accurate. Staff may have submitted questions that may not, necessarily, appear on the final exam paper. You should presume that anything can appear on the exam paper unless informed officially by the Assessment and Progression Administrator or Programme Directors.
Monitoring Progress
For students progressing on to study for the MSc, further information regarding supervision will be in the Dissertation handbook and on the OPTO61262 Dissertation space on Canvas. In order to monitor their progress, students will have regular, scheduled meetings with their dissertation supervisor. Progress forms should be completed at these meetings.
Programme Management
The Programme Committee will be primarily responsible for monitoring the programme and will report directly to the Pharmacy and Vision Sciences Postgraduate Consortium Committee. This committee in turn reports to the School of Health Sciences PGT Committee. Special responsibility for the programme will be taken by the Programme Director, the Divisional Director of Education Teaching, and the Head of Division. The Programme Committee will, in liaison with the School Postgraduate Committee, take responsibility for programme structure, development and delivery. The Programme Director will be responsible for admissions to the programme.
The Programme Director, in liaison with the Divisional Lead for Teaching and the Postgraduate Programmes Manager, will be responsible for Quality Assurance for the programme.
Responsibilities of the Student
The responsibilities of the student include:
- pursuing the programme with a positive commitment, taking full advantage of the resources and facilities offered by the academic environment and, in particular, contact with the staff and fellow students
- ensuring that he/she is aware of the health and safety regulations and academic rules and regulations and codes of practice of the University
- successfully completing any training programme arranged within the prescribed time period
- taking the initiative in raising problems or difficulties, however elementary they may seem, bearing in mind that prompt discussion and resolution of problems can prevent difficulties and disagreements at a later stage.
Role and Responsibilities of Unit Leaders
To develop and update the unit specification in consultation with specialists and programme directors, ensuring a coherent selection of teaching material and assessments to fit with the overall aim of the programme and its specifications
To liaise with programme administrators and the specialists on their unit to ensure that the information on their unit in the programme handbook is accurate
To liaise with programme administrators and specialists to organise examining, marking and student feedback
To develop and monitor the Canvas e-Learning site for their unit, in liaison with specialists for the sessions in their unit
To liaise with students concerning queries relating to teaching and assessments for the unit that are not specific to an individual teaching session
To attend programme meetings and the programme exam board in order to liaise with programme directors and student representatives
To consider and act upon student feedback, staff feedback, and external examiner feedback, in order to modify the structure, content and processes within their unit, in discussion with the programme team.
Role of the External Examiner
External Examiners are individuals from another institution or organisation who monitor the assessment processes of the University to ensure fairness and academic standards. They ensure that assessment and examination procedures have been fairly and properly implemented and that decisions have been made after appropriate deliberation. They also ensure that standards of awards and levels of student performance are at least comparable with those in equivalent higher education institutions.
External Examiners’ reports relating to this programme will be shared with student representatives at the programme board, where details of any actions carried out by the programme team/School in response to the External Examiners’ comments will be discussed. Students should contact their student representatives if they require any further information about External Examiners’ reports or the process for considering them.
The External Examiner for this programme is: Dr Rebekka Heitmar
Name of Institution: University of Huddersfield
Position at current Institution: Reader in Optometry and Vision Sciences
Please note that it is inappropriate for students to make direct contact with External Examiners under any circumstances, in particular with regards to a student’s individual performance in assessments. Other appropriate mechanisms are available for students, including the University’s appeals or complaints procedures and the UMSU Advice Centre. In cases where a student does contact an External Examiner directly, External Examiners have been requested not to respond to direct queries. Instead, External Examiners should report the matter to their School contact who will then contact the student to remind them of the other methods available for students. If students have any queries concerning this, they should contact their Programme Office (or equivalent).
Important information with regards to this course will usually be emailed to you. If you have any queries or concerns at any time during your period of study in Manchester, there is a range of people you can approach. Your Programme Administrator will be your first port of call for general issues. If your Programme Administrator is unable to help you, your query will be passed onto one of the Programme Directors. If all else fails or you wish to raise a confidential matter at Divisional level, you should approach the PGT Consortium Lead – contact details below.
The Programme Committee will be primarily responsible for monitoring the programme and will report directly to the Pharmacy and Vision Sciences Postgraduate Consortium Committee. This committee in turn reports to the School of Health Sciences PGT Committee. Special responsibility for the programme will be taken by the Programme Director, the Consortium Lead for Postgraduate Taught Programmes and the Head of Division. The Programme Committee will, in liaison with the School Postgraduate Committee, take responsibility for programme structure, development and delivery. The Programme Director will be responsible for admissions to the programme.
The Programme Director, in liaison with the Consortium Lead and the Postgraduate Programmes Manager, will be responsible for Quality Assurance for the programme.
Teaching Staff
The MSc course draws upon the expertise of a large number of academic and clinically qualified staff. Each module is led by one or two academic staff, but lectures may be delivered by invited guest speakers with specific expertise in that area. In total there are over 30 staff members contributing to the 6 modules (see syllabus for further details).
| Name of Unit | Unit Lead | |
| Medical Retina | Prof Tariq Aslam | Tariq.aslam@manchester.ac.uk |
| Refractive Management | Dr Hema Radhakrishnan | Hema.Radhakrishnan@manchester.ac.uk |
| Low Vision | Prof Christine Dickinson | Chris.dickinson@manchester.ac.uk |
| Glaucoma | Prof Robert Harper | Robert.Harper@mft.nhs.uk |
| Clinical Science of Contact Lenses | Prof Philip Morgan | Philip.morgan@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dissertation | Dr Ketan Parmar | ketan.parmar@manchester.ac.uk |
| Evidence Based Practice | Dr Paula Whittaker | paula.whittaker@manchester.ac.uk |
| Fundamentals of Epidemiology | Dr Mark Johnson | mark.johnson-8@manchester.ac.uk |
| Qualitative Research Methods | Dr Christine Greenhalgh | christine.greenhalgh@manchester.ac.uk |
| Dementia A Person Centred Approach | Dr Simon Burrow | Simon.Burrow@manchester.ac.uk |
Programme Information
The course, which can lead to the award of an MSc, PG Diploma or PG Certificate, brings together the research expertise of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health and the clinical expertise within Manchester Royal Eye Hospital to provide students with a firm grounding in the knowledge needed to pursue a higher degree and to follow a research/academic career in ocular health/vision sciences. It also gives an opportunity for vision related professionals to advance their knowledge on the scientific foundations of ophthalmology and vision sciences.
A copy of the Programme Specification is available on the PGT Canvas Community Space is available at the following link: COMMUNITY-SHS-OPTOPGT.
Section B- Course unit specifications
Information about all course units is given on the following pages. Please also see the information on the MSc IOVS website and the MSc ACOP website.
Timetable information for the academic year will be uploaded onto Canvas. You can access individual unit timetables and week-by-week lecture information on each unit’s Canvas space. Please note that you must be enrolled on a unit to access its Canvas site.
OPTO 71300/ OPTO 71301 – Professional Certificate in Medical Retina (ACOP)/ Medical Retina (IOVS)
OPTO70422 – Refractive Management
POPH63121 – Qualitative Research Methods
POPH60991 – Fundamentals of Epidemiology
NURS63570 – Dementia: A person-centred approach
OPTO70311 – Low Vision
OPTO 70352 – Clinical science of contemporary contact lenses
OPTO70362/ OPTO 71362 – Glaucoma/ Prof Cert Glaucoma
OPTO61262 – Research Dissertation