Optometry MSci Programme Handbook

2025-2026

Division of Pharmacy and Optometry

School of Health Sciences

Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health

Welcome

This Student Handbook contains important information relating to your programme and we encourage you to become familiar with it.

Optometry is part of the wider School of Health Sciences (SHS). You should also become familiar with the SHS Student Handbook – which can be found HERE. Where there are differences between the programme and the school handbook it is the programme one which is followed.

The University also provides a webpage explain how we will support you. It can be accessed HERE.

All this information may seem a little overwhelming when you first start! Please don’t be afraid to ask questions. There are three key contacts for questions:

Programme Director: This person has overall responsibility for the optometry MSci (see below for contact details)

Your Academic Advisor: On your first day of each academic year you will be allocated a member of staff who will act as your first point of contact for questions and support.

The HUB: Based in the Jean McFarlane Building this is a central place for you to access support services, resources to support your day-to-day wellbeing and find answers to common questions. Further information can be found HERE.

Please make sure that all of your communications with the university come through your university email account and not personal accounts. For more information on university emails please see HERE.

We wish you every success in your studies.

PART 1: General Information

Staff Contacts

Head of Optometry

Prof Philip Morgan, 1.004 Carys Bannister Building, philip.morgan@manchester.ac.uk

Programme Director

Will Holmes, 2.009 Carys Bannister Building, w.holmes@manchester.ac.uk

Year 1 Lead

Andy Gridley, 3.019 Carys Bannister Building, andrew.gridley@manchester.ac.uk

Year 1 Academic Team

Prof Hema Radhakrishnan,4.020 Carys Bannister Building, hema.radhakrishnan@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Karen Hampson, 4.014 Carys Bannister Building, karen.hampson-2@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Fiona Cruickshank, 4.004 Carys Bannister Building, fiona.cruickshank@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Liz Sheader, 1.124 Stopford Building, elizabeth.a.sheader@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Bipasha Choudhury, 1.106 Stopford Building, bipasha.choudhury@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Stefan Gabriel, 1.202a Stopford Building, stefan.gabriel@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Catherine Porter, 3.017 Carys Bannister Building, catherine.porter@manchester.ac.uk

Year 1 Clinical Team

Dr Naheed Sadr-Kazemibennett, 3.020 Carys Bannister Building,

naheed.sadr-kazemibennett@manchester.ac.uk

Rachel Freeman, 1.025 Carys Bannister Building, rachel.freeman-2@manchester.ac.uk

Mumta Mistry, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, mumta.mistry@manchester.ac.uk

Ellis Johnson, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, ellis.johnson@manchester.ac.uk

Graham Weir, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, graham.weir@manchester.ac.uk

Andrew Stokes, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, Andrew.e.stokes@manchester.ac.uk

Zahid Bashir, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building

Moxcina Begum, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building

Year 2 Lead

Will Holmes, 2.009 Carys Bannister Building, w.holmes@manchester.ac.uk

Year 2 Academic Team

Prof Philip Morgan, 1.004 Carys Bannister Building, philip.morgan@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Ana Hernandez-Trillo, 3.018 Carys Bannister Building, Ana.HernandezTrillo@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Caroline Thompson, 4.022 Carys Bannister Building, caroline.m.thompson@manchester.ac.uk

Prof Chris Dickinson, 3.011 Carys Bannister Building, chris.dickinson@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Ayse Latif, 3.131 Stopford Building, ayse.latif@manchester.ac.uk

Dr Catherine Porter, 3.017 Carys Bannister Building, catherine.porter@manchester.ac.uk

Georgina Wignall, 3.010 Carys Bannister Building, georgina.wignall@manchester.ac.uk

Sarah Morgan, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, sarah.morgan@manchester.ac.uk

Claire Mallon, 3.005 Carys Bannister Building, claire.mallon@manchester.ac.uk

Year 2 Clinical Team

Mohammed Bhuta, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, mohammed.bhuta@manchester.ac.uk

Aftab Mirza, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, Aftab.Mirza@manchester.ac.uk

Faaiza Patel, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, faaiza.patel@manchester.ac.uk

Robert Tootell, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, robert.tootell@manchester.ac.uk

Gabrielle Ghazzi, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, gabrielle.ghazzi@manchester.ac.uk

Fatima Malik, 3.020 Carys Bannister Building, fatima.malik@manchester.ac.uk

Mumta Mistry, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, mumta.mistry@manchester.ac.uk

Alan Grehan, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, alan.grehan@manchester.ac.uk

Danny Lui, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, danny.lui@manchester.ac.uk

Fiona Flint, 2.010 Carys Bannister Building, fiona.flint@manchester.ac.uk

Technicians

Stephen Craig, 2.014 Carys Bannister Building, stephen.s.craig@manchester.ac.uk

Venus Muscat Craig, 2.014 Carys Bannister Building, venus.muscat.craig@manchester.ac.uk

Key Administrative Contacts CLICK HERE

Key dates

Semester 1 starts Monday 22^nd September 2025

Semester 1 ends Friday 19^th December 2025

Christmas Break 22^nd December to 16^th January 2025/6

Semester 1 continues from 19^th January 2026

Semester 2 starts 2^nd February 2026

Easter Break 30^th March to 17^th April 2026

Semester 2 continues from 20^th April 2026

Assessment period starts 18^th May 2026

Assessment period ends/academic year ends 10^th June 2026

Re-sit assessments usually take place in the last two weeks of August

Timetable

In the first 4 weeks of first year, you will be following the “Focus on Learning” schedule which can be found HERE

In the first 3 weeks of second year, you will be following the “Return to Learn” schedule which can be found HERE

The rota for your practical classes can be found on the Canvas space for Fundamentals of Optometry Part 1 (OPTO10101) if you are in first year. It is located on Introduction to Clinical Optometry 1 (OPTO20101) if you are in second year.

Your personalised timetable contains locations and times for your team-based learning days not your practicals.

Health & Safety

All students are required to complete an annual checklist on health and safety to ensure that they are familiar with processes and procedures. The list can be found on the unit page for Fundamentals of Optometry Part 1 (OPTO10101) and Introduction to Clinical Optometry 1 (OPTO20101).

Overview of the MSci Optometry Programme

The Manchester MSci Optometry course will enable you to gain the knowledge and skills required to register as a UK optometrist. It is available as a full-time on campus course only.

The course uses mixed learning methods, but the key Manchester approach is the study of themed patient cases in an active learning environment that will allow you to integrate scientific understanding, clinical skills and professional skills throughout the course. Facilitated group activities will emphasise enquiry, discussion, self-education, and the development of critical faculties and communication skills, all essential skills for healthcare professionals.

You will cover a broad spectrum of industry-relevant study areas that prepare you for work as a professional optometrist, including:

the key principles of optics;
clinical optics and treating eye and vision disorders;
ocular function and structure;
the science of vision.

We provide a supportive and inclusive learning environment, with each year group looked after by a team of academics and clinicians. Theory assessments are focused on clinical cases and are taken at the end of an academic year, with plenty of opportunity to practise beforehand. Practical skills are monitored and assessed throughout the year rather than using a single set of high-pressure practical tests.

You will meet volunteer patients in your first year and then receive clinical experience in our university optometry clinics from the second year, seeing real patients and working in teams with students from across the course. You will also have the opportunity to gain clinical experience in a wide range of settings external to the University, for example in community, hospital, and domiciliary practice. In your final two years, you can choose to focus on a specialist area of optometry.

Programme Aims

The programme aims to:

1) Meet the requirements of the General Optical Council in order to allow registration as an Optometrist

2) Integrate scientific and clinical learning to enable decision-making and critical thinking in the context of current clinical practice

3) Foster leadership abilities, and a commitment to continuing professional development after graduation

4) Develop the resilience to meet the demands of changing healthcare environments

5) Enable the development of person-centred practice

Programme Outcomes

On successful completion of the programme graduates will have developed knowledge and understanding of:

Person centred approach to patient care
Effective communication with patients and other professionals
Basic and clinical science underpinning the practice of optometry
Evidence based clinical practice
Ethical and legal aspects of optometric practice
Safeguarding patients from harm
Management and clinical leadership

Graduates will be able to:

Analyse critically the scientific and clinical literature of optometry and visual science.
Review the evidence-base for clinical interventions.
Appraise the use of artificial intelligence in the delivery of patient care
Explain uncertainty and the limits of knowledge
Keep up to date with developments in optometric practice
Evaluate their own learning needs and construct a plan to meet them
Work effectively as part of a team
Manage their own clinical and academic workload
Engage effectively with feedback
Facilitate the learning of fellow students
Use word processing and statistical analysis software
Present ideas and arguments to peers

Graduates will be able to manage:

A patient with retinal vascular pathology
A patient with an ocular emergency
A patient with glaucoma
A patient with macula pathology
A patient with anterior eye pathology
A patient with neuro-ophthalmic pathology
A patient with specific needs
A patient with cataract
A patient with refractive error
A paediatric patient
A patient with binocular vision abnormality
A patient with contact lenses
A patient with visual impairment
A patient requiring spectacle dispensing

Programme Structure

Unit Specifications

The unit specifications for the first- and second-year units listed below can be access on Canvas.

Fundamentals of Optometry Part 1 (OPTO10101)

Fundamentals of Optometry Part 2 (OPTO10202)

Introduction to Clinical Optometry 1 (OPTO20101)

Introduction to Clinical Optometry 2 (OPTO20202)

Accrediting body

The General Optical Council (GOC) is the statutory regulator for optometry in the United Kingdom. By law all qualifications which lead to registration as a UK optometrist must be approved by the GOC. The the Manchester MSci has GOC approval and is subject to all the requirements found HERE. All Manchester MSci students must register with the GOC since Students studying for a qualification leading to registration as an optometrist are required by law to do so. Further details can be found HERE. Failure to register and keep up with renewals will result in removal from all learning activities and any assessments taken whilst not registered will be void. Student registrants are bound by the GOC standards for optical students which can be found HERE. The GOC will apply these standards to you if someone raises a concern about your fitness to train. This may occur if the GOC wish to take further action against you having been informed about the outcome of a School or Faculty fitness to practise case.

External Examiners

Dr Andrew Logan, Programme and Subject External Examiner, Glasgow Caledonian University

Prof Irene Ctori, Programme and Subject External Examiner, University of Hertfordshire

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 programmes within the Division will be shared with student representatives at the Student/Staff Liaison Committee(SSLC), where details of any actions carried out by the 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. Students should not make direct contact with External Examiners under any circumstances, and in particular with regards to a students 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 will 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 the Student Support Office in the first instance.

PART 2: Teaching, Learning & Assessment

Teaching and Learning

The teaching and learning philosophy for the MSci optometry is learner centred with an emphasis on building knowledge by working as part of a team through considering clinical scenarios. Learning is structured to maximise guided self-directed learning, with team-based learning (TBL) events provided to support greater conceptual understanding of the material. Practical clinical skills are developed alongside clinical scenarios in a supportive environment with an emphasis of learners being able to carry out Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) in a real clinical environment and make a positive contribution to patient care.

TBL is a collaborative learning teaching strategy designed around units of instruction that are taught in a three-step cycle: preparation, in-class readiness assurance and application focussed exercises. The pre-work that learners will do is centred on patient cases that are released once every 2 weeks with a full day TBL learning event every 2 weeks. A TBL clinical case-based approach allows students to develop team working skills which are essential for modern optometric practice. The LAMS system allows for the academic team to respond to areas of weakness during learning events and tailor delivery in real time. The whole programme incorporates team-based learning (TBL) activities, supported by the online system LAMS. You will be registered on LAMS in advance of the first TBL session, and you will receive an email notification to provide a password to complete the registration process

Clinical Practical teaching will take place in small groups in sessions where students are introduced to practical procedures with increasing opportunity as the programme progresses to examine real patients in our University Teaching Clinic, at the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital and on external placements. Working in the clinics gives students the opportunity to apply their knowledge and develop practical skills in an authentic environment – preparing them for independent practice. The primary way in which students receive feedback and decisions about competence are made is through the use of EPAs.

The keeping of a reflective portfolio on clinical experience and periodic review with academic staff is designed to promote the planning of self-directed learning.

One of the University’s three core goals is “To provide a superb higher education and learning experience to outstanding students, irrespective of their backgrounds, and to produce graduates distinguished by their intellectual capabilities, employability, leadership qualities, and their ability and ambition to contribute to society” (from the University of Manchester Strategic Vision 2020). Our Student Charter, developed jointly by the University and the Students’ Union, is an important part of how we establish and maintain clear mutual expectations for the experience of all undergraduate. It sets out what we can expect from each other as partners in a learning community. It can be accessed HERE.

Personal Development Planning

Throughout your studies you will maintain a reflective log which will help you identify areas of strength and areas that require further work. Your academic advisor, clinical supervisors and academic staff will support you in identifying areas for improvement and developing action plans. Engaging with this process will help you become an effective, independent and confident self-directed learner. It will enable you to improve your general skills for study and career management.

Peer Assisted Study Sessions

PASS (Peer-Assisted Study Sessions) describes small group learning sessions led and facilitated by second and third-year students from the same course, who are known as ‘PASS Leaders’. These sessions aim to facilitate the transition to university-level studies and inspire first-year students to become engaged and proactive learners. Further information can be found HERE.

Assessment

TBL learning events every two weeks provide the opportunity for regular formative individual assessment (sessions start with an MCQ test) and allow for regular exercises in applying this knowledge. This data is used to monitor student progress and allows supportive interventions. It also prepares students well for the end of year integrated summative assessment which will follow a similar format – MCQs and application exercises (done individually). An end of year integrated assessment ensures that students maintain and integrate their knowledge. Basing the summative assessment on clinical cases ensures that the assessment is authentic. MCQs and application exercises are well suited to assessing the ability to apply knowledge. The summative assessment mark is released after the semester 2 exam period.

The programme uses EPAs to track the development of clinical abilities and competence committees to make high stakes decisions on progress and graduation. The concept of EPAs was developed by Olle ten Cate in 2005 (ten Cate, 2005). An EPA has been defined as “a unit of professional practice that can be fully entrusted to a trainee, once he or she has demonstrated the necessary competence to execute this activity unsupervised” (ten Cate and Taylor, 2021). The 2021 AMEE guide (No. 140) describes the recommended way to specify EPAs. They are focussed on the ‘work to be done’ rather than learner focussed, they are more like a job description than a person specification. The programme uses two sets of EPAs – one for first/second year and another for third/fourth year. These can be found in the programme specification.

Supervising clinicians make real time judgements on how much trust they have in a trainee performing an EPA when it is undertaken. This involves making a judgement using the scale below:

1 – Observation only

2- Direct supervision

3- Reactive supervision

4 – Unsupervised

During a clinical placement a trainee will receive a stream of these trust scores across all or some of the EPAs. This data will span different times, clinical presentations and originate from a variety of clinician supervisors. This data stream is then periodically examined by the year team who will instigate supportive interventions. A competence committee makes the decision on progress through the programme at the end of each year. The competence committee draws its membership from across clinical and academic practice. EPAs rely on a community making a qualitative high stakes judgement about whether a learner is ready to be trusted with a particular activity – a competence committee makes a non-algorithmic decision based on trust scores gained in a real clinical environment.

Students receive feedback in the following ways. Two weekly TBL sessions contain formative assessments with immediate feedback and EPA judgements also provide immediate feedback. Both of these approaches lead to individualised feedback with a focus on what need to be improved and how. The keeping of a reflective portfolio and academic review of this facilitates effective use of the feedback. Year teams provide individualised feedback on the end of year summative integrated assessment, and the competence committee provides feedback on summative progression decisions.

Clinical Placements

The General Optical Council (GOC) requires that programmes integrate 48 weeks/1600 hours of patient facing experience into the programme. For most students it is anticipated that close to half of this will occur within the University Clinics/Manchester Royal Eye Hospital. The other half will occur during placements external to the university.

Internal Placements: Students begin seeing real patients in our Teaching Clinics in the Carys Bannister Building from the beginning of their second year. Working as part of a mixed year clinical team students take on an increasingly senior role as they progress. This experience will include working in Eye Hospital Clinics within the Carys Bannister Building and a one-week placement at the Hospital.

External Placements: Students will have the opportunity to apply for placements with external partners. These will occur from the end of second year (short placements, approx 2-6 weeks) and in fourth year (longer approx 6-month placement).

Turnitin

The University uses electronic systems such as TurnitinUK to detect plagiarism and other forms of academic malpractice. Please note that when work undergoes a plagiarism check via TurnitinUK, it may be copied and stored in a database to allow appropriate checks to be made.

Academic Malpractice

Academic malpractice is any activity – intentional or otherwise – that is likely to undermine the integrity essential to scholarship and research. It includes plagiarism, collusion, fabrication or falsification of results, examination malpractice, contract cheating and anything else that could result in unearned or undeserved credit for those committing it. Academic malpractice can result from a deliberate act of cheating or may be committed unintentionally. Whether intended or not, all incidents of academic malpractice will be treated seriously by the University. More information about academic malpractice and how to avoid it can be found in the SHS Student Handbook HERE.

Note that since optometry is a professional programme you may also be referred to a Concern Review Panel should the programme judge the act of academic malpractice to raise concerns in relation to Fitness to Practise. Procedures for fitness to practise can be found HERE. As a student registrant of the General Optical Council their policy takes precedence over the university policy found in Annexes HERE.

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI)

AI tools have the potential to enhance learning and can support inclusivity and accessibility when used appropriately. It is important that you understand the potential risks and benefits of these tools if you plan to use them during your studies.

You may use AI tools like any other resource to help you generate ideas, key themes, and plan your assessment, and you may also cite or quote content generated by AI systems. However, passing off work generated by AI as your own is plagiarism, and will be treated as seriously as plagiarism of another person. Some Course Units or assignments may vary this position. In these cases, you will be given detailed instructions on what is and isn’t allowed and may be asked to sign a code of conduct. If you are unclear about what is permissible, contact the course unit lead. For more detail on the University’s position on the use of AI in teaching and learning, see Artificial Intelligence (AI) Teaching Guidance HERE. For advice on how to acknowledge and cite content generated by AI see HERE.

Academic Appeals

Students have a right of appeal against a final decision of an Examination Board, a progress committee, a graduate committee or equivalent body which affects their academic status or progress in the University. There are a number of grounds on which an appeal may be made; however, an appeal which questions the academic or professional judgement of those charged with assessing your academic performance or professional competence will not be permitted. More information can be found in the SHS Handbook HERE.

Complaints

If you would like to make a complaint, you can speak to your Academic Advisor, Programme Director or Student Reps in the first instance. The majority of issues are resolved at programme level. However, if you are unhappy with the outcome you can pursue this further by submitting a formal complaint. More information can be found in the SHS Handbook HERE.

PART 3: Student Progression

Progression from level 4 to level 5

To progress the following criteria must:

Achieve a pass mark of 40% on the end of year integrated case based assessment covering Fundamentals of Optometry 1 and 2 (60 credits)
Satisfy the competence committee (Pass/Fail) that the specified levels of entrustment have been reached for level 4/5 EPAs (60 credits)
Complete a reflective portfolio (Pass/Fail)
Have maintained continuous GOC registration

Should the criteria not be satisfied then the exam board may:

Offer a referral attempt if the integrated case-based assessment has not been passed at 40% provided the competence committee is satisfied that the appropriate levels of entrustment have been achieved
Offer the opportunity to resit level 4 in full if the competence committee is not satisfied that specified levels of entrustment have been reached. This is irrespective of the mark achieved in the integrated case-based assessment and subject to capacity and the board’s assessment of the ability to successfully complete the year
Recommend an alternative, non-registrable exit awards (see section 5) where this is appropriate.

Note that GOC does not allow compensation to be applied. Mitigating circumstances for the integrated case-based assessment will usually be taken into account by permitting a deferral.

Progression from level 5 to level 6

To progress the following criteria must:

Achieve a pass mark of 40% on the end of year integrated case-based assessment covering Introduction to Clinical Optometry 1 and 2 (60 credits)
Satisfy the competence committee (Pass/Fail) that the specified levels of entrustment have been reached for level 4/5 EPAs (60 credits)
Complete a reflective portfolio (Pass/Fail)
Have maintained continuous GOC registration

Should the following criteria not be satisfied then the exam board may:

Offer a referral attempt if the integrated case-based assessment has not been passed at 40% provided the competence committee is satisfied that the appropriate levels of entrustment have been achieved
Offer the opportunity to resit level 4 in full if the competence committee is not satisfied that specified levels of entrustment have been reached. This is irrespective of the mark achieved in the integrated case-based assessment and subject to capacity and the board’s assessment of the ability to successfully complete the year
Recommend an alternative, non-registrable exit awards (see section 5) where this is appropriate.

Note that GOC does not allow compensation to be applied. Mitigating circumstances for the integrated case based assessment will usually be taken into account by permitting a deferral.

Progression from level 6 to level 7

In order to progress the following criteria must:

Achieve a pass mark of 40% on the end of year integrated case based assessment covering Introduction to Clinical Practice 1 and 2 (55 credits)
Pass selected UCIL unit (40%) or gain AFHEA status (10 credits)
Have an average of 50% up to level 6
Satisfy the competence committee (Pass/Fail) that the specified levels of entrustment have been reached for level 6/7 EPAs (55 credits)
Complete a reflective portfolio (Pass/Fail)
Have maintained continuous GOC registration

Should the following criteria not be satisfied then the exam board may:

Offer a referral attempt if the integrated case-based assessment has not been passed at 40% and/or the UCIL unit/AFHEA has not been passed at 40%, provided the competence committee is satisfied that the appropriate levels of entrustment have been achieved
Offer the opportunity to resit level 4 in full if the competence committee is not satisfied that specified levels of entrustment have been reached. This is irrespective of the mark achieved in the integrated case-based assessment and subject to capacity and the board’s assessment of the ability to successfully complete the year.
Recommend an alternative, non-registrable exit awards (see section 5) where this is appropriate.

Note that GOC does not allow compensation to be applied. Mitigating circumstances for the integrated case-based assessment/UCIL/AFHEA will usually be taken into account by permitting a deferral.

Award of MSci Optometry (Level 7)

To qualify for the award of MSci Optometry, students must complete all the programme requirements.

To qualify for the award the following criteria must be satisfied at level 7:

Achieve a pass mark of 40% on the end of year integrated case based assessment covering Advanced Clinical Practice 1 and 2 (30 credits)
Achieve a pass mark of 40% on each selected clinical specialist unit (2 x 15 credits) or research project (30 credits)
Satisfy the competence committee (Pass/Fail) that the specified levels of entrustment have been reached for level 6/7 EPAs (60 credits)
Complete a reflective portfolio (Pass/Fail)
Have maintained continuous GOC registration

Should the following criteria not be satisfied then the exam board may:

Offer a referral attempt if the integrated case based assessment has not been passed at 40% and/or clinical specialisms/research project has not been passed at 40%, provided the competence committee is satisfied that the appropriate levels of entrustment have been achieved
Offer the opportunity to resit level 7 in full if the competence committee is not satisfied that specified levels of entrustment have been reached. This is irrespective of the mark achieved in the integrated case based assessment and subject to capacity and the board’s assessment of the ability to successfully complete the year.
Recommend an alternative, non-registrable exit awards (see section 5) where this is appropriate.

Marks from all years will contribute towards the final degree classification. The weighting from each level being: Y1:Y2:Y3:Y4 0.06:0.19:0.375:0.375.

A student is only entitled to receive a GOC approved award (MSci Optometry degree) if they meet both the academic and professional (outcomes and patient experience) requirements as follows:

Achieve all the General Optical Council (GOC) outcomes for optometry
Have 1600hrs/48 weeks of patient facing clinical experience
Have maintained registration with the GOC for the duration of their study

Note that ‘Special Compensation’ is not available in the final years of the MSci Optometry programme

The Examination Board may recommend alternative, non-registrable exit awards where this is appropriate.

Full University Degree Regulations can be found HERE.

Attendance Requirements

Students are expected to attend all scheduled teaching and learning sessions in every year of study, unless alternative arrangements or flexibility in attendance has been agreed for individual students, if unavoidable circumstances such as illness prevents you from attending, or if absence has been authorised. This includes both on-campus teaching as well as online/blended, distance, or remote learning modes of delivery.

You will log your attendance at Team Based Learning Sessions using a QR code and a register will be used for practical sessions. Registers will also be used for the first four weeks of the programme “Learning to Learn”. More information on attendance can be found in the SHS Handbook HERE.

Note that for the MSci Optometry the Competence Committee will carefully scrutinise attendance and will take this into account when deciding whether to recommend progression. Baring a unavoidable circumstances you should aim for 100% attendance.

Interruptions and Withdrawals

If at any point in your studies you feel that you need to take some time away from your degree, you can interrupt your studies and return once you are ready. You need to be aware of the below implications when considering taking an interruption, so it is best to discuss any queries you may have with the Student Support and Wellbeing Team/Programme Director/Year Tutor/Academic Advisor. Further information can be found HERE. If you decide that you are unable to continue your programme, you can withdraw from your studies. Further information can be found HERE.

Part 4: Student Representation

Your participation in shaping our learning community is essential. In addition to involvement within the Division, there is student representation at Faculty and Senate level. From time to time during the programme, you will be asked to nominate students from your year of study to serve on committees within the Division. These include:

School Staff Student Liaison Committee (SSLC) which acts as a forum for the exchange of ideas on any problems which relate to the programme or general arrangements in the Division

Division Board which is concerned with all aspects of Division affairs

Undergraduate Teaching Governance Committee which ensures that the teaching, learning, and assessment methods used in the programs are effective and relevant. They monitor student performance, evaluate feedback from students and stakeholders, making improvements and updates to the programme.

Division Safety Committee which considers matters of Health and Safety.

In the absence of nominations, a direct approach may be made to individual students to serve on these various committees.

Collecting feedback

During all years of the degree programme you will be asked to complete surveys designed to help us assess the quality of individual course units. The data obtained from the completed surveys is used by the academic staff to assess both course content and structure. This enables us to make improvements, if and where required. We would ask for your co-operation in completing these surveys, as the more data we receive, the more meaningful will be the conclusions. You will not be asked to identify yourself when completing the questionnaire. At the end of your studies you will be asked to complete the National Student Survey. More details can be found HERE.

Part 5: Student Support and Learning Resources

Find below links to various support and learning resources.

Students’ Union information HERE
Counselling Service information HERE
Disability Advisory and Support Service information HERE
Careers Service information HERE
Library resources and information HERE
Social spaces information HERE

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