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1st in the East of England for Optometry, Ophthalmics & Orthoptics (Complete University Guide, 2024)
9th in the UK for health science (Daily Mail University Guide, 2025)
Integrated Masters leading to full registration
The MOptom Master of Optometry course at the University of Hertfordshire provides advanced training in eye care, combining clinical placements with academic study to develop expertise in diagnostics, treatment, and patient management. Through hands-on experience in industry-standard facilities and practical placements, students gain the skills needed to excel in optometry practice and research. This program aligns with General Optical Council (GOC) standards, ensuring graduates are prepared for professional registration and careers in diverse settings, including healthcare clinics, research, and community practice.
The MOptom Master of Optometry course at Herts prepares you with advanced skills in eye care diagnostics, patient management, and clinical practice to thrive in the optometry field.
State-of-the-art facilities: Access industry-standard equipment and simulation labs that provide real-world clinical experiences, preparing you with hands-on skills in diagnostics and patient care in a cutting-edge learning environment.
Become industry qualified: We are committed to your professional development, regularly promoting work experience opportunities and hosting workshops tailored to prepare you for a fruitful career in optometry. The incorporation of the College of Optometrists’ pre-registration period means that upon completion of your degree you will be a registered Optometrist.
Strong employment prospects: 98% of Health, Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes, 2021/22).
The Master of Optometry degree is accredited by the General Optical Council. Full registration with the General Optical Council is gained after successful completion of the degree.
MOptom graduates are well-prepared for fulfilling careers in optometry, with skills highly valued in the industry. An impressive 98% of Health, Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work graduates are in work or further study 15 months after graduation (Graduate Outcomes, 2021/22).
Typical areas of work for optometry graduates include:
After completing the Master of Optometry degree, you’ll hold a versatile skill set that leads to career opportunities spanning various sectors. Research and development present another avenue for optometrists. You will also benefit from CV enhancing opportunities such as employer competitions, insight days, digital programmes, volunteering, student leadership roles, and achievement awards.
Throughout this full-time, four-year Master of Optometry degree, you’ll experience a blend of theoretical learning and clinical practice. In preparation for life after graduation, work placements and practice are integrated throughout the programme. This will allow you to gain hands-on work experience, applying theory into practice. Our students will complete work placements in all years including placement in the hospital. These placements are based within local NHS Trust Hospitals, specialist clinics, independent community practices, and with optical companies who manage multiple practice; to give you a taste of the different career paths available to you.
In your first year, you’ll build a foundation in the anatomy, physiology, and optics essential to optometry. This includes hands-on laboratory work to begin developing essential skills in vision assessment.
During your second year, you'll deepen your knowledge through modules on ocular pathology, clinical investigation, and advanced diagnostics. This year further integrates theory with patient-centred practice, focusing on communication and patient management skills in varied optometric scenarios.
In the third year, you'll take on more complex clinical responsibilities, exploring clinical decision-making techniques, inclusivity and gaining advanced clinical practice. This year emphasizes critical analysis as you undertake research on a relevant topic, developing evidence-based approaches to patient care.
In your fourth year, you'll focus on your ophthalmic project, advancing clinical skills and leadership, preparing for professional optometry practice.
You’ll have a personal tutor to guide you throughout your course, all the way to graduation. If you need additional support during your time with us, rest assured that we’ve got you covered. For help with study skills, including referencing, essay writing and presentations, you’ll have access to our academic support services. You can attend workshops, 1-to-1 sessions and online tutorials. Both our LRCs run drop-in study skills sessions. And the best thing is, it’s all free.
Your main campus is College Lane, this is where the creative arts, science and health-related subjects are based. This means you’ll share the campus with future nurses, scientists, artists and more. You can use the common rooms to relax with friends, work out in the 24-hour gym or have a drink in our on-campus pub or cafes. We also have restaurants for you to eat in or grab something on the go. Our Learning Resources Centres are open 24/7, which means you can study whenever suits you best. Want to pop over to the other campus? You can take the free shuttle bus or walk there in just 15 minutes.
Your teachers include experienced optometry practitioners and researchers who bring valuable real-world insights into the classroom. With a teaching approach that emphasizes proactive learning, they will ground your education in practical skills and case studies, enhanced by industry-aligned practices and standards. You’ll gain exposure to advanced clinical techniques, patient-centred care, and diagnostic tools, informed by your tutors’ active engagement in the field.
Alongside this, you'll have support from an academic team, a dedicated well-being team, and a personal tutor.
This combination of academic expertise, industry insight, and hands-on support will guide you in developing both the clinical skills and the professional acumen needed for a rewarding career in optometry.
We offer a range of support services, from childcare to counselling, ensuring that you make the most of your time at Herts and can focus on studying, having fun, and have the support you need.
Neofytos - Why I chose Herts
I am an international student studying at the University of Hertfordshire, which has been a blessing!
I chose Herts because the University itself is such a wonderful place to study! The facilities and the two beautifully designed campuses that the University has made my studies here amazing! For instance, there are two huge Learning Resource Centres (LRCs) on both campuses at the university where it really helps the students with their assignments. Moreover, all the buildings where we have classes at are very new and that proves that the university cares about its appearance and invest a lot of money for the students to have a great environment to study within.
However, except for the excellent facilities that the university has, the University has a great spot for socialising. Cafes, restaurants, common rooms, gyms, and a big University club are factors that make Herts a great place to be. All of them are found near to each other which is very convenient for us as students to socialise easily.
Speaking of location, the University is not far from London which is an amazing thing since London is such a beautiful and diverse city!
All these were the factors that made me choose Herts and I have never regretted my choice!
Dilek Selin - My typical day
A typical day would start off with getting up, catching the University UNO bus and heading towards the forum canteen (they stop serving breakfast around 11:00 but this often changes) to grab a full English breakfast and a coffee at Starbucks (yes, we have a Starbucks on campus!!). During this time, I would regularly check my emails or look at my timetable for the day ahead to find the rooms and prepare my notes for the relevant lectures and tutorials. Generally, after finishing my breakfast I would either grab a meal deal for lunch at the Student union shop since it gets busy towards lunchtime or even because I wouldn’t have time to grab food if I had back to back classes, so having prepped lunch with me or just snacks if I wasn’t feeling too hungry – bringing along food with me was always a must.
Later, if I ever had breaks during my day, I would go to the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) aka the university library. If I didn’t have any upcoming assessments, I would check the active students timetable to see if there were any sports events going on and take part in those sessions where I could participate in sports for free with other students at the uni. After that, I would go to my next classes and then finally when It was home time, I would go back to the bus stop and head home. Since I was a commuting student, by the time I got back home I had enough time to prepare myself for the next day or just wind down from the events of the day. Every student would get at least one day off in the week. For me, in my first year, this was Wednesdays. Including the weekends, I had plenty of time to run errands, book appointments for health checks and even catch up on studies thanks to the extra day off. For the students who lived on campus, they would often take their day’s off as an opportunity to set it as a laundry day!
Dobromir - Week at a glance
Hello! This is what a typical week looks like for me as a student at the University of Hertfordshire!
At first, as a newly arrived second-year student, my week schedule was chaotic but trust me, once three or four weeks of the semester have passed you will have already got used to the pace and will have developed at least a basic schedule for your week, as I did. For me, it is all about the balance between university, part-time work, and social life.
On Mondays, as I have a part-time job, I usually go to work in the morning until lunch and then head back to university for two hours of face-to-face teaching in the early afternoon. After I finish lectures, I dedicate my late afternoon to revisiting lecture notes and working on assignments, sometimes ahead of their time, to avoid falling behind. My evening is usually spent in the gym and then resting.
Tuesdays are quite hectic for me, as I am out from 09:00 to 20:00. I spend the first half of my day at lectures and, after a short break in the afternoon, I head to work and stay there until 20:00. As you can expect, after such a long and exhausting day, all I can do when I’m back home is just to relax and get some good sleep.
My Wednesdays are flipped Mondays, since I go to lectures in the morning, refresh and then head to work, where I spend my afternoon. At evening time, I go through and catch up on lecture and tutorial notes, if I have missed something, and work on assignments. In Engineering, most projects require you to work in a group with other fellow students. The Learning Resource Centre (LRC) is where you will work on group projects as it is most convenient for gathering people. The environment is very relaxing and much of the time is spent chatting and having fun, so be ready to spend a substantial part of your time in the LRC!
My whole Thursdays are spent at university as I have lectures from 09:00 to 18:00 and I am keen on attending all of them. Don’t get intimidated, there are regular breaks between lectures that give students more than enough time to refresh! As you can imagine, after my last lecture, I would rather do some exercise, so I will go to the gym and let go of excessive energy.
On Fridays, as my schedule is quite free, I take my time in the morning to meet up with fellow students and work on assignments. Getting through afternoon lectures is easy and feels like it happens instantaneously as everyone is excited about the end of the work week and wants to go out. And, as you can expect, that is exactly what happens on a Friday afternoon. I go out for a walk with friends, if the weather is nice, and in the evening, we go to a pub and celebrate the end of the work week.
I value my free time and for that exact reason, I spend the first half of my Saturday studying and working on assignments. I avoid distractions, as the sooner, I finish, the sooner I will be able to go out and have fun. Afternoon time is usually spent shopping, going to a café with friends or at the gym
My Sundays are almost identical to my Saturdays with the only difference that at evening I take 30 minutes, sometimes even less, to check my progress with my assignments, make sure I don’t miss any deadlines and plan out a schedule for the upcoming week. Then it is time for a good recharge before the week starts.
At first, all the things you must do as a student sound like a lot to handle, but, trust me, it will all come naturally, and you will eventually learn to handle your tasks with ease!
When you arrive at university, you will be overwhelmed with many emotions: some students get excited about all the new people they are about to meet, others feel intimidated by the new environment. Regardless of how you feel, try not to compare university to anything you have experienced before. I have already gone through this stage and I can tell you that university life is differs a lot from anything I have experienced so far. If you feel nervous, know that you are not alone. You are on the same boat with more than 1500 other newly arrived students, so just open yourself up for this new opportunity and go out and speak to people. You won’t believe how easy it is to make friends, especially during Fresher’s Week and at The Forum.
Many people believe that you can only be a good Engineering student if you have taken A-Levels in Mathematics, but you will be pleased to hear that this is not true. I graduated from high school with a diploma in foreign languages and my knowledge in mathematics has always been average. Nevertheless, my performance in all mathematics and mathematics related modules in university has been excellent so far. The teaching staff is so good and there is so much support at uni, that you can rest assured you will receive the best help you can get if you struggle with studies.
As a student in engineering, you will not be required to read too many articles or books. Do not get me wrong, there will be a lot of work and you will really have to put effort into studying if you want to have good grades. For most of the time, you will be working on various software programs, you will spend a good portion of your time in laboratories and at the Learning Resource Centre (LRC) and you will also, depending on how good you are at maths, have to invest some or a lot of your time into solving exercises. Group projects are also an essential part of your experience at university.
The nature of a job as an engineer in almost any company requires you to work well in a team. University is really good at preparing you for that and therefore most of your assignments will require you to work well in a team. Some people are naturally good at that, others, like me, are not that good at it, but you will learn fairly quickly. Be prepared to spend the majority of your time working on assignments with fellow students. The environment is really relaxing and, often times, working together is so fun that you don’t notice how time flies.
In engineering, you will be assessed mostly through group or individual assignments, practical lab works and exams. The ways of assessing you are very similar to how your performance at a company will be assessed: some of them test your ability to work in a group and others test your performance under pressure. Either way, every type of assessment has benefits that will prepare you for a career as an engineer.
Managing your time wisely is crucial for succeeding at university and later on in life. So, a piece of advice I could give to you would be to learn to regularly check your schedule and plan out your activities at least a week in advance. It’s very helpful that you can download the lecture timetable on your mobile device and easily keep track of your engagements and work other activities around them.
The University of Hertfordshire is committed to welcoming students with a wide range of qualifications and levels of experience. The entry requirements listed on the course pages provide a guide to the minimum level of qualifications needed to study each course. However, we have a flexible approach to admissions and each application will be considered on an individual basis.
| Typical offer (UCAS points) | (enter tariff range) |
|---|---|
| Typical A Level offer | (enter range) |
| Typical IB offer | (enter range) |
| Typical BTEC offer | (enter range) |
| Typical T Level offer | (enter range) |
| GCSE | EG: Grade 4/C in English Language and 4/D Mathematics |
| Access courses | EG: An overall merit profile in 45 credits at Level 3. |
| Additional information | Find out more about our standard and contextual Undergraduate Entry Requirements. |
| English language | All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band. If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level. |
|---|---|
| Additional information | Find out more about International Entry Requirements. |
| Typical offer (UCAS points) | 136–144 |
|---|---|
| Typical A Level offer | AAB–AAA Mandatory subjects: At least two A-Levels from science subjects (i.e. Biology/Human Biology, Mathematics, Physics or Chemistry). One of the science A-Levels must be from Biology or Mathematics. A-Levels in General Studies and the Extended Project are excluded. AS Levels are not included in the tariff calculation. |
| Typical IB offer | 136–144 Pass International Baccalaureate (Diploma) with two science subjects at Higher Level with a minimum of H5 one of which must be either Maths or Biology. Acceptable Sciences are Maths, Biology, Chemistry and Physics. |
| Typical BTEC offer | DDD Mandatory subjects: science based subject to include Maths, Physics, Chemistry, Biology/Human Biology, Applied Science. |
| Typical T Level offer | None |
| GCSE | 5 GCSEs at grade 5/B or above including 5/B in English Language, Mathematics and Double Science. |
| Access courses | Access to HE Diploma in Science, Medicine or Allied Health to include 60 credits overall (must include Biology, Chemistry, Mathematics and Physics) with 45 at Level 3, 30 of which must be at distinction (to include Biology or Mathematics) and the remaining 15 at merit. 15 credits must be in Biology and 15 credits in Mathematics. |
| Additional information | Qualifications must have been achieved within the past five years (professional body requirement). Find out more about our standard and contextual Undergraduate Entry Requirements. |
| English language | All students from non-majority English speaking countries require proof of English language proficiency, equivalent to an overall IELTS score of 6.0 with a minimum of 5.5 in each band. If you do not have the required IELTS or equivalent for direct entry on to your degree programme, our Pre-sessional English and International Foundation courses can help you to achieve this level. |
|---|---|
| Additional information | Find out more about International Entry Requirements. |
| Start date | Study type | Apply |
|---|---|---|
| September 2025 | Full time | Apply via UCAS |
| September 2026 | Full time | Apply via UCAS |
At Herts, we’re dedicated to providing world-class teaching supported by industry-level facilities and incredible social spaces. We believe cost shouldn’t be a barrier to higher education, and we strive to keep both our standard and additional costs as low as possible.
| Study type | Fees | |
|---|---|---|
| UK students | Full time | £9,250 for the 2025/2026 academic year |
| EU students | Full time | £15,965 for the 2025/2026 academic year |
| International students | Full time | £15,965 for the 2025/2026 academic year General Optical Council fee (currently £30) Personal optical equipment will need to be purchased on beginning of your second year (estimated cost £1,500) |
Tuition fees are charged annually. The fees quoted above are for the specified year(s) only. Fees may be higher in future years, for both new and continuing students. Please see the University’s Fees and Finance Policy (and in particular the section headed “When tuition fees change”), for further information about when and by how much the University may increase its fees for future years.
| Scholarships, grants and bursaries | Depending on your circumstances, you may be eligible for a non-repayable scholarship, grant or bursary to support your studies. |
|---|---|
| Disabled Students' Allowance | The Disabled Students’ Allowance can cover any study-related costs you have because of a mental health problem, long term illness or any other disability. |
| Student loans | Find out about securing a student loan, from how much you could be eligible for to when you need to start making repayments. |
| Accommodation costs | We offer a great choice of student accommodation, on campus or nearby in the local area, to suit every student budget. |
| Additional course fees | Read more about additional fees in the course fact sheet. |
| Course fact sheets | |
|---|---|
| Master of Optometry | Download PDF |
| Programme specifications | |
|---|---|
| Master of Optometry | Download PDF |
| Additional information | |
|---|---|
|
Applications open to international and EU students |
Yes |
Course length |
Full Time, 4 Years |
