Master of Science Degree in Vision Science
Course Requirements
A total of 30 credit hours is required, of which 15 must be didactic hours in vision science or in approved substitutes. Students holding the OD degree, or enrolled in the OD program, may apply up to 4 credit hours to this requirement of 15 didactic credit hours.
Thesis Requirements
Early in the program, students participate in a research project under the direction of a faculty advisor. The advisor is chosen by the student after consultation with the director of the graduate program. Research toward the thesis is guided by the advisor and a committee. After completion of the thesis, at least three members of the graduate faculty give it final approval.
IU Office of Research and University Graduate School (RUGS) provides a guide to the preparation of theses and dissertations. Related forms may be acquired from the IU School of Optometry Office of Student Administration.
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Doctor of Philosophy Degree in Vision Science
Course Requirements
A total of 90 credit hours is required, of which 30 must come from didactic courses with grades of B or higher. Students holding the OD degree, or enrolled in the OD program, may apply up to 6 credit hours to this requirement of 30 didactic credit hours. When the grade point average of a student falls below 3.0, the student will be placed on academic probation.
Each semester, students are required to register for and participate in the weekly Vision Science Seminar (V 765) known as "Oxyopia." Participation implies that the seminar will be taken for credit and that students will make presentations.
During the first year, students will complete two Vision Science survey courses (V 700 and V 701).
Students will select at least one minor subject in any relevant field of study, subject to approval by their advisory committee. The requirements for the minor are determined by the department or program offering the minor.
A detailed description of the IU Graduate School general requirements for a PhD degree is given at www.indiana.edu/~bulletin/iu/grad/2007-2008/GeneralRequirements0708.pdf.
Vision Science PhD Degree Requirements
In order to ensure adequate progress toward the PhD degree, all students must achieve the following milestones at the end of years 1, 2, and 3 of the program.
- Advancement to second-year exam: At the end of the first year in the program, each student must pass a written examination covering a wide selection of vision science topics in order to advance to the second year of the program. By this time, students should also have demonstrated an appropriate command of spoken and written English.
- Advancement to third year: By the end of the second year, all students should have identified the area of study and the specific experiments that will eventually constitute their PhD thesis. This requirement will be met by submitting a formal abstract describing the proposed experiments to the Graduate Program coordinator. This abstract must be accompanied by written approval of the PhD advisor.
- Advancement to candidacy: By the end of the third year, each student must complete a written and oral qualifying examination. These examinations are administered by the student's advisory committee. The written component is the dissertation proposal, and can be in the form of a grant application. The requirement of 30 credit hours of didactic course work must be fulfilled before the qualifying examination. After successful completion of the qualifying exam, each student will be advanced to candidacy for the PhD degree. Participation in the PhD program will be terminated if a student fails the qualifying examination twice.
- The final milestone is completion of the dissertation.
Completion of dissertation: After completion of the written dissertation, it is presented and defended at a scheduled seminar meeting. The dissertation must be approved by the student's research committee.
IU Office of Research and University Graduate School (RUGS) provides a guide to the preparation of theses and dissertations. Related forms may be acquired from the IU School of Optometry Office of Student Administration.
References
Following are references to relevant pages on Indiana University's Website. The regulations on this Vision Science Web page supercede any related regulations on the following Web pages.
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