Optometry
Our degree programmes will provide you with the scientific and clinical knowledge to register as an optometrist with the General Optical Council.
Why study with us?
Embedded higher professional qualifications
Embedded higher professional qualifications in our programmes enable you to specialise in a particular area of interest.
96% employment
96% of our graduates were in highly skilled jobs 15 months after their course ended.(Graduate Outcomes 2020/21 survey)
£22 million optometry facility
Our School is housed in a dedicated £22 million optometry facility with in-built eye clinic.
New MOptom Optometry programmes
Our new MOptom programmes are registerable degrees, meaning that no separate pre-registration year is required and you will qualify as an optometrist when you graduate.
Research-active staff involved in course design and delivery
Most of our teaching staff are practising researchers and, in many cases, leading experts in their fields.
Studying optometry at Cardiff has been a great experience for me. Alongside using advanced optometric technologies and working with real patients, the stand-out aspect is the sense of community between students, lecturers and supervisors.
Courses
Entry year
Our videos
Hear what our students say
We are a friendly, innovative and welcoming School with a passion for optometry. We’re proud of our strong student community and both our students and graduates often describe studying here as a ‘family like environment’. Hear what some of our students say about studying here.
What is an Optometrist?
The role of an optometrist is expanding – discover more about this exciting healthcare profession.
Our School
Our School is based in a £22 million purpose-built optometry facility and is situated at the Maindy Park Innovation Campus. We are conveniently located close to the other academic buildings, the Students’ Union, city centre shops, attractive parkland and several of the student residences.
Along with our outstanding research facilities, we also have dedicated undergraduate facilities to ensure you have the best experience possible, including our own eye clinic which is open to the public and provides in-house placements for students.
Our School
An undergraduate practical session
An undergraduate eye examination.
Undergraduate students in our teaching clinics.
An undergraduate clinic tutorial.
Students outside our School
An optometry tutorial
Our undergraduate students conducting an Optical Coherence Tomography (OCT) examination.
Undergraduate optometry students.
Undergraduate students practicing their examination techniques.
Your career
As a qualified optometrist, you will have a wide range of career options available to you with excellent progression opportunities. Private practice, the hospital eye service, teaching, and research are just some of the careers available for optometry graduates. Registration also opens possibilities to work abroad as an optometry qualification from the UK is highly regarded worldwide.
You may also wish to complete further study in order to specialise. We offer a wide range of postgraduate opportunities available for optometry graduates.
Discover more
The optometry course at Cardiff is second to none. The quality of research being conducted is outstanding, and that manifests itself in the quality of teaching; I always felt as though I was surrounded by professors, lecturers and supervisors that are truly passionate about what they do.
Explore Cardiff University
Next steps
How to apply
Everything you need to know about our application process.
View all optometry courses
Explore our courses.
Get in touch
If you have any questions - big or small - don't hesitate to get in touch. We would love to hear from you.
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For even more news and updates - follow us @SchoolOfOptom.
Undergraduate
With over 300 courses to choose from, join us and benefit from our excellent facilities, a great student experience and as a graduate, be in demand by leading employers.
Undergraduate prospectus 2024
Order or download a copy of our prospectus, subject brochures and other guides.