Overview

Our Ophthalmic Dispensing degree gives you the practical experience and training needed to succeed in an important healthcare profession. You can help people see the world more clearly and build a rewarding career in eyecare.

Glasgow Caledonian is Scotland’s main provider of eyecare education with over 50 years of experience training eyecare professionals. This is the only course for Dispensing Opticians (DOs) in Scotland.

As a DO, your role is to provide patients with tailored visual solutions to enable them to see clearly. This includes standard spectacles to specialist corrections, protective eyewear, and low vision aids. You’ll work with optometrists, orthoptists, and ophthalmologists to ensure each patient gets the help they need.

This professionally focused degree integrates academic study with real-world clinical experience in practice. You’ll develop practical skills by applying your learning to real-life case scenarios, strengthening your clinical decision-making throughout the programme.

It uses a blended learning model, incorporating:

distance learning
intensive teaching blocks on-campus in Glasgow
clinical experience in optical practices.

This course is accredited by the General Optical Council (GOC).

Clinical Training

From first year, the clinical training is provided within our on-campus Vision Centre. The Vision Centre provides a wide range of core and specialist clinical services to the public with modern facilities. Here you will develop decision-making, patient care, and practical skills that are essential for your future career.

This registrable degree programme is designed to allow you to integrate clinical experience in practice directly into your learning.

Across the three years of the programme, you will complete 1600 hours of clinical experience in an optical practice environment under supervision of experienced professionals. This enables you to meet regulator (GOC) requirements for registration as a Dispensing Optician at the point of graduation.

Why study Ophthalmic Dispensing at GCU?

This is a registrable degree programme.
Flexible blended learning helps you fit study around your life.
We have over 50 years of experience training eyecare professionals, and we are Scotland's main provider of ophthalmic education.
91% of our health research has been ranked as world-leading or internationally excellent (REF2021).

General Optical Council

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What you will study

Please note that full module information is in the process of being finalised for publication and will be made available here shortly.

In the meantime, you can view and download the Programme Specification at the bottom of this page. This document provides an overview of the course structure, including indicative modules, learning content and further key information. The modules listed on the Programme Specification are for the current academic year and are intended to give you an idea of what you may be able to study on this course.

Careers

Upon graduation, you will be able to register as a Dispensing Optician, registering directly with the General Optical Council (GOC) and be eligible to join the Association of British Dispensing Opticians (ABDO). This opens up opportunities across a range of settings, including optical practice, hospital services, teaching and academia throughout the UK.

The programme also supports professional networking throughout your studies. During on-campus teaching blocks, you’ll have opportunities to engage with local and national industry representatives, including:

optical businesses
lens manufacturers
professional and regulatory bodies such as the GOC.

In addition, shared teaching and social activities provide opportunities to connect with other students across all vision science programmes within the department.

Course information

Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location	UCAS
BSc	Full Time	3 Years	Sep 26	Glasgow	B525	Enquire Apply
Award	Mode of study	Duration	Start date	Location	UCAS
BSc	Full time	3 years	Sep 27	Glasgow	B525	Enquire Apply

Please note that admission to GCU is considered on a competitive basis, and the academic entry requirements stated here may be the minimum required to be eligible for an offer.

International students can get information on entry requirements specific to their country in our International Study section.

Year 1

Scottish Higher: BCC or equivalent. including one science from Physics, Chemistry, Biology, or Human Biology plus National 5 English and Maths at B

Minimum entry requirement: Higher CCC or equivalent, including one science from Physics, Chemistry, Biology or Human Biology plus National 5 English and Maths at B

A level: BC or equivalent, including one science plus GCSE Maths and English at B

A level minimum entry requirement: CC or equivalent, including one science plus GCSE Maths and English at B

We recognise that some applicants may bring valuable experience from optical practice alongside non-standard qualifications. These applications will be reviewed individually to assess suitability for degree-level study.

English language: IELTS of 7.0 with no element less than 6.5

Disclosure requirement

All students are required by the General Optical Council to have been cleared by Disclosure Scotland at the advanced level to work in a clinical situation. Disclosure is sought for the clinic here at Glasgow Caledonian University and applications will be made during enrolment in the first week of the first year of the course.

This Disclosure certificate, once obtained, will last for the duration of the course for the GCU clinic premises only.

Professional body registration

All students must be registered with the GOC (General Optical Council) throughout their time on the programme.

Additional information for international applicants

Entry requirements by country
Application deadlines
English language tests
Knowledge of English - Applicants from a majority English speaking country may not be required to provide further proof of your English language proficiency. Information about this requirement is available on the Student Visa section of the gov.uk website.

Additional information for all applicants

Relevant experience (Recognition of Prior Learning)

GCU's flexible entry policies exist to allow relevant work experience and prior learning to be considered towards standard entry or advanced entry into a course.

If you do not have the typical academic entry qualifications, but can demonstrate relevant work experience and/or credits from recognised professional bodies, you may be eligible to enter this course via the University's Recognition of Prior Learning (RPL) scheme.

Minimum entry requirements

Minimum entry requirements are for widening access students only. If you are from a group that is not currently well-represented in higher education you may qualify as a widening access student. This includes living in a target postcode area, attending a target school or college, attending SWAP, are care-experienced or provide care for someone else, have refugee status or are an asylum seeker.

Download the programme specification

In addition to the core modules that all students must undertake, some courses offer students a choice from a selection of optional modules to shape the focus their degree. Optional modules where available, form part of the overall credit structure of the course.

Download the programme specification for a detailed breakdown of the course structure, including modules, what you'll learn and other useful information.

Terms and Conditions

Details of the University’s terms and conditions are available here.