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Nova Southeastern University’s College of Optometry is
the only optometric academic institution in the state of
Florida. The College of Optometry admitted its charter
class in 1989, and its graduates provide primary eye
care as well as specialty care in such areas as contact
lenses; ocular disease; low-vision rehabilitation; and
binocular, geriatric, and pediatric vision evaluation and
treatment. Furthermore, the college benefits from the
integrated, multidisciplinary health care programs of the
university’s Health Professions Division.
The College of Optometry offers a fully accredited, full-
time, four-year course of study leading to the Doctor of
Optometry (O.D.) degree. The College of Optometry
also has established an extended program leading to
the Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. Students in
the extended program take courses with the full-time
students, but with a reduced course load. Coursework
covered in the first two years of the traditional full-
time program is covered in three years in the extended
program. The last two years of both programs are
identical and are taken concurrently.
Two other unique programs in NSU’s College of
Optometry are a one-year preparatory program and
a certificate in business management offered in
conjunction with the H. Wayne Huizenga School of
Business and Entrepreneurship.
Because the profession is constantly evolving,
optometrists require an educational program that meets
the challenges of technological and medical advances
and supports patient-oriented clinical research. As
primary vision care professionals, students are trained in
pathology, diagnostic and therapeutic drug therapy, and
modern techniques in imaging and lasers. Students also
receive instruction in binocular vision, optics, contact
lenses, and refraction—fields that have traditionally
been the foundation of the profession.
The didactic focus of the first two years of study
encompasses coursework in medical sciences, optics,
and the vision sciences. In preparation for direct patient
care, students also study general optometric theory
and methods; ocular pathology; and the diagnosis,
treatment, and management of vision anomalies. Some
of the medical sciences are taught in classes with other
health care disciplines, reflecting the Health Professions
Division’s philosophy of interdisciplinary education.
In the third and fourth years, students provide
supervised direct patient care in four university-operated
optometry clinical facilities jointly known as the Eye
Care Institute. The fourth year is entirely clinical, with
intensive training within the Eye Care Institute as well
as in affiliated primary care, specialty, and medical/
surgical care facilities. Students in the fourth year can
take advantage of additional opportunities for practical
clinical experience by selecting programs from more
than 40 external clinic sites affiliated with the College
of Optometry.
In addition to the professional program, the college
offers postgraduate residency training in a variety of
clinical settings, including primary care and pediatric
optometry residencies within the Eye Care Institute and
hospital-based and ocular disease residencies at affiliated
clinical sites. The college also offers a master’s degree
in clinical vision research. This online program equips
the optometrist, optometric educator, and other health
professionals with the in-depth knowledge necessary
to conduct scientific research directed at clinically
relevant questions. The program also provides a bridge
between clinical care and vision science.
The college conducts a wide range of research in ocular
disease, optics, contact lenses, and vision science.
These research projects are funded through grants from
internal funds, private companies, and the National
Eye Institute.
Through the Eye Care Institute, the college provides
primary and specialty eye care to the general public,
including services that are offered at reduced cost to
underserved populations who otherwise would not
receive eye care.
College of Osteopathic Medicine
The College of Osteopathic Medicine has a dedicated
faculty, well-established affiliations with medical centers
and hospitals, a nationally recognized rural medicine
program, and a mission to educate the finest osteopathic
physicians possible. The college, accredited by the
American Osteopathic Association and a member of
the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic
Medicine, offers a full-time, four-year course of study
leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (D.O.)
degree. The college also offers a Master of Public Health