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Professional ProgramThe professional optometry program includes the didactic and the clinical aspects.
The first two years of the program focus on basic health and vision sciences with an introduction to clinical practice. The school has used the strengths of health-related programs at Indiana University to make cooperative arrangements with departments and programs outside of the School of Optometry to enhance its basic health sciences curriculum. The school's clinical program provides experiences for the students in primary care as well as secondary and tertiary care. This diversity is provided in the school's Bloomington clinics at Atwater Eye Care Center, Community Eye Care Center, Urgent Eye Clinic at the IU Health Center as well as the Indianapolis Eye Care Center. Interns gain additional clinical experiences at Veterans Administration hospitals, prestigious health care centers, and community-care centers in cities and locations throughout the United States. In addition, the interns are encouraged to engage in serving humanity through such activities as the Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (VOSH) to Mexico where they learn to manage vision and ocular health problems in an under-served population. All optometry students are required to participate in research and creative activities, initiated by the student or a faculty member, as part of a requirement for graduation. 
The school prides itself in attracting some of the best students from the United States and from around the world to its professional program. Graduates of the professional program are extremely competitive for the most prestigious residency programs in the country. The school has an established residency program in optometric specialties including contact lenses, ocular disease, binocular vision/pediatric optometry, low vision, and primary eye care. Many of them have gone on to excel in private practice and some are enjoying careers in optometric educationfollowing the completion of their residency programs. For details about the various IU School of Optometry degree programs, visit our Programs page and follow the links.
Graduate and Research ProgramsThe school's graduate program has a tradition of producing excellent graduates. Since the early 1950s when the program was first established, it has graduated 59 Ph.D. and over 85 M.S. candidates (as of March 2000). Many of its graduates have gone on to academic and research careers where they have been recognized for their excellence in basic and clinical vision research and for providing academic and professional leadership in national and international organizations. The program continues to evolve as it adapts to changing needs of the expanding role of the profession. The present program is in the midst of rebuilding with four new faculty members joining the ranks of graduate faculty in the past few years and three new members arriving within the year 2000. The well-recognized vision science research laboratories in conjunction with the Borish Center for Ophthalmic Research have rejuvenated enthusiasm in clinical/basic science research at Indiana University. This unique program attracts outstanding graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from around the world. The program is enhanced through close associations with other disciplines such as Psychology, Speech and Hearing, Cognitive Sciences, Neurosciences, Medical Sciences, and Ophthalmology at Indiana University.
For details about the various IU School of Optometry degree programs, visit our Programs page and follow the links.
Optician/Technician Program
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