BOptom (Hons) in Optometry

Take the first steps towards a career as an optometrist by studying for our General Optical Council accredited 3-year degree in Cambridge.

Please note that the General Optical Council (GOC) has revised the standards for Optometry and this BOptom may be replaced by a 4-year integrated Masters course starting in September 2023.

As a BOptom (Hons) Optometry student at ARU, you’ll study in our specialist eye care facilities, learning how to perform eye examinations, diagnose sight problems, improve people’s vision and manage a range of eye conditions.

You’ll spend much of your time in our University Eye Clinic. A working clinic that’s open to the public, it boasts 16 fully-equipped testing rooms and the latest optometric equipment such as an optical coherence tomographer, video slitlamps, and videokeratoscopes.

With support from expert tutors and the chance to gain work experience, this is the perfect place to train as an optometrist.

What does an Optometry degree involve?

Qualified optometrists are hands-on, spending lots of time examining patients and managing their visual needs and eye health. And we know that it’s important for you to gain this kind of practical experience.

That’s why more than 50% of your learning time is spent in clinical and lab sessions, practical demonstrations, and our University Eye Clinic.

There’s the chance to visit local hospital clinics too and get work experience in the community, spending time with eye care charities such as Cam Sight.

In the lecture theatre, we’re often joined by visiting professors, orthoptists and optometrists working in diabetic clinics, hospitals and their own practices. They’ll share their professional insights – as will our expert tutors, who are trained optometrists and dispensing opticians.

As a BOptom (Hons) Optometry graduate, you’ll be ready to take on a pre-registration clinical placement before registering as a fully-qualified optometrist.

What’s the difference between an optometrist, an ophthalmologist, an optician and an orthoptist?

• In the UK, an optometrist can examine the eyes and is trained to recognise abnormalities. They can prescribe glasses or contact lenses, offer clinical advice and refer patients for further treatment relating to their eyes. They are also known as ophthalmic opticians.
• An ophthalmologist is a doctor who has completed their seven years of basic and foundation medical training then further training specialising in medical and surgical care of the eyes.
• An orthoptist specialises in diagnosing and non-surgically managing squints and eye movement disorders.
• A dispensing optician cannot examine the eyes but can advise on and fit glasses and lenses. We offer a foundation degree to become a dispensing optician.

How long is an optometry degree?

This bachelor’s degree in optometry lasts for three years. Other UK optometry schools call their undergraduate optometry degree a BSc in Optometry – these courses are equivalent.

Please note that the General Optical Council (GOC) has revised the standards for Optometry and this BOptom may be replaced by a 4-year integrated Masters course starting in 2023. The details of such a course will not be known until at least September 2022.

All module, fee and entry requirement information is subject to change and will be published as soon as these are known. The module, fee and entry requirement information is for 2022 entry and is subject to change as noted above.

The University reserves the right to alter or withdraw courses at any time.

Is Optometry hard to study?

You need to have high grades to study an Optometry course, and the A-levels needed for Optometry are outlined here. We’re proud that all of our Optometry graduates go on to highly skilled work. Who better to get a sense of the course than our current students? You can read a list of blogs by our Optometry students here.

Are optometrists doctors?

No, in the UK an optometry degree does not make you a doctor - an ophthalmologist is a doctor who has undergone full medical training. For students who complete their first year of BOptom Optometry, there may be the opportunity to transfer to Year 1 of MBChB Medicine.

Other countries call an optometrist a “Doctor of Optometry”, and there is a postgraduate qualification called that in the UK, but this title is not that of a medical doctor.

ARU is an innovative global university with students from 185 countries coming to study with us. We've once again been named as one of the top 350 institutions in the world in The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021 – and one of the top 40 universities in the UK.

Our community is incredibly important to us, and we're proud of the role we play in our cities and the wider region – including the positive effect on jobs and the local economy.*

Students, businesses, and partners benefit from outstanding facilities, which include our new School of Medicine in Chelmsford, and the Science Centre in Cambridge. Many of our facilities, activities, and events are open to the wider community.

Why choose ARU?

There are many reasons.

Ambition

We’re not only academically ambitious for ourselves but for our students.

We’ve been named one of the top 350 institutions in the world in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2021, for the fifth successive year – and one of the top 40 universities in the UK. We're also listed in the Top 10 for social inclusion in The Times Good University Guide 2021.

Students are at the heart of our University, and we're delighted that our final-year undergraduates also rate their educational experience highly

Excellence

We were named as the UK’s leading university for education and sports science courses in the 2021 Guardian League Table. We're especially pleased to be one of the Guardian's top 20 UK universities for ‘Value added’, which measures how well we support our students, regardless of background, towards achieving their potential.

As well as this, our Teaching Excellence Framework (TEF) Silver award recognizes the quality of our courses and high levels of student satisfaction.

Collaboration

We’re a place where collaboration, research, and scholarly activity inform everything we do. Many of our courses are recognized by industry and a large number are professionally accredited, making our students career-ready.

Each year, we also help 2,000 businesses grow with interns, training, research, and collaborative programs.

Impact

We’re purposeful, challenging, and curious about our world. Our academic excellence has been recognized by the UK’s higher education funding bodies, with 12 areas classed as generating world-leading research. We deliver impactful research that tackles pressing issues and makes a difference, from saving lives to conserving water.

Enterprise

While our head is full of ambition, our feet are planted in the world around us. We pride ourselves on being as enterprising as we are innovative and nurture those qualities in our students, with mentorship, support, and start-up funding on offer through the Anglia Ruskin Enterprise Academy.

Enthusiasm

Our sheer can-do attitude sets us apart from others. We find that enthusiasm is infectious, letting the results speak for themselves and being the only UK university to be named a global 'rising star'.*

* Research carried out by Hatch Regeneris for the University and College Union, 2020

Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2014

* Higher education consultants Firetail, table published in the Times Higher Education, August 2016

Our History

Our story starts in 1858 when the art critic, patron, and philanthropist John Ruskin opened the Cambridge School of Art. The art school grew to become Anglia Ruskin University, shortened to ARU, and it’s still at the heart of our modern-day campus in Cambridge.

Becoming ARU

Over the years, a number of colleges and institutes have become part of ARU. They include the Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (CCAT) and the Essex Institute of Higher Education (formerly the Chelmer Institute – itself formed from the Mid-Essex Technical College and the Brentwood College of Education). At first, these colleges combined to become Anglia Polytechnic, and then Anglia Polytechnic University in 1992.

A national and international presence

As well as our four main campuses, we have a number of partner institutions in the UK and overseas, giving you the chance to study for an ARU qualification near to home. The first partnerships were formed in the early 1990s.

Our International Office, set up in 1992, fosters further links and makes sure that our international students receive the support and information they need.

Courses

Our early expertise in the arts and education has broadened, and today we offer courses in computing and technology, engineering, law, business, economics, life sciences, and more.

We’ve been a leader in the field of health and social care since 1992 when nursing training was transferred from local health authorities to ARU. As well as our three highly regarded nursing courses, we train midwives, paramedics, operating department practitioners, and social workers.

Of course, the arts and education are still important to us. We train early-year professionals on our Chelmsford campus and at our partner college in Peterborough. Our MA Children’s Book Illustration is a world-renowned course that builds on the long tradition of the Cambridge School of Art. We’ve embraced 21st-century variations on our more traditional arts courses, too – including computer games art, and music technology.