Master's degree in Health Care, Clinical Optometry (MOptom) 

Life expectancy has increased dramatically in recent decades. Healthcare priorities shift from infection and acute care to chronic disease care and the management of disabilities. These circumstances begin to challenge health care systems and providers. Increased health care costs drive the need for diverse public health strategies. Future eye care needs specialized clinical professionals who are skilled to work in multidisciplinary health care teams. Become Master of Health Care, Clinical Optometry at Oamk!

Join our webinar on January 10 2022 at 12.00–13.15 pm Finnish time! The webinar is in English. We talk about our Bachelor´s and Master's degree programmes and how you can apply to them. You can send us questions during the webinar and we will answer them in English. Welcome! 

Link to the webinar

Educational and professional objectives

This education provides biomedical and specialized ocular sciences at the advanced level and gives you further competency to practice clinical optometry. In addition, you will learn to recognize ocular signs of systemic diseases that can be used as information for treating patients' general health, or that may lead to the previous detection of unidentified systemic health disorders. A multidisciplinary approach to manage patients who require treatment for their chronic and/or acute conditions and the need for appropriate referrals will also be taught.

Career opportunities

After graduation, you will be able to work independently as a clinical eye specialist; clinical instructor and lecturer, or a clinical researcher in different kind of eye care organizations as a part of a multidisciplinary health care team on a national and international level.

Possible job titles after graduation

  • Lead eye clinician / Lead optometrist
  • Hospital optometrist
  • Clinical instructor and lecturer
  • Clinical researcher

Study contents

The key content areas are

  • Assessment, management and sympotm-based treatment of the ocular and related systemic health conditions
  • Acting in a multidisciplinary healthcare organization
  • Conducting evidence-based research and using that for enhancing evidence-based clinical decision-making skills in an interdisciplinary healthcare organization

This education is offered as a flexible part-time-based education, partly online, and partly on-campus. Education consists of 6 theory modules (clinical biomedicine and advanced ocular sciences) that also include clinical work-shops. Four modules are offered annually. Contact teaching on campus lasts 2 days. After completion of theory modules, students will complete their mentor-guided research activities.

Structure of studies

  • Methods of research and knowledge production module 10 ETCS
  • Clinical biomedicine 10 ETCS
  • Advanced ocular sciences 10 ETCS
  • Neurology and neuro-optometry 10 ETCS
  • Pharmacology 10 ETCS
  • Electives: Binocular vision; Pediatric optometry; Specialty contact lenses; Low vision; Ocular surgery; Diagnostic pharmacology; Clinical biomedical research; Special training in primary eye care 10 ETCS
  • Research 30 ETCS

Oamk keeps the rights what electives are offered in the current year.

Didactic work will be evaluated competency area-based using multiple choice question examinations. Scientific work will be evaluated based on the written work and oral examinations.

Final project

The studies include a 30-credit research-oriented research development task, ie Master thesis. Students will start to work with their Master thesis immediately at the beginning of studies. The thesis is typically a work-oriented development project that produces novel research data for the field of eye care. You can do your Masterwork in your workplace, or even as a start-up plan for your own business. You can also do your thesis in the Oamk project.

Preparing the master thesis requires a systematic approach, content expertise, independent judgments on how to limit the work, methodological competence, collaboration, and interaction skills as well as presentation and publishing skills.

Master thesis is a mentor-guided research project that represents students’ individual work. The final thesis, including the consultation and topic approval with the instructing lecturer, is started at the beginning of the studies. Students will continue their thesis throughout their studies until the second intensive period when the thesis should be finished. The number of online meetings and consultations with instructing lecturer are offered to help students with their thesis project.

Internationalization

Course instructors from multiple medical and health care disciplines have an international level of degrees and working experience, providing an exciting learning environment. You will mainly perform your clinical work at your workplace. Oamk encourages students to arrange international clinical replacements that complement the international aspect of their individual work. Students have a possibility for an international externship rotation.

Application practicalities

Content of studies

This education is offered as a flexible part-time-based education, partly online, and partly on-campus. Education consists of 6 theory modules that also include clinical workshops. Four modules are offered annually. Intensive contact teaching on campus will last for two (2) days. After completion of theory modules, students will complete their mentor-guided research activities. Higher education studies require you to commit yourself to an active and independent working approach The commencement dates of Oamk Master's degrees and the contact days for the academic year 2021-2022 will be announced later.

Eligibility criteria

Applicants must have completed an Optometrist's bachelor's degree or higher. Finnish vocational-level optician degree or an international Optometrist's diploma degree and Optician's diploma degree from the field of optometry also fulfill the application criteria. In addition, the applicants must have an education that allows them to use diagnostic pharmaceutical medications, license to fit contact lenses as well as two (2) years of work experience in a relevant field. The relevant field is considered to be the area for which you are now applying for and the field from which the degree will be awarded.

International applicants who have not obtained the education that provides them the rights to use the diagnostic pharmaceuticals in their home country will perform pharmacology and diagnostics course as their elective module. All qualification criteria must have been completed by 16 July 2021. Universities of applied sciences also accept work experience obtained after completion of a post-secondary or higher vocational level diploma in Finland (in any field of education) but prior to taking the higher education degree. In such cases, too, at least two years of work experience obtained in a relevant field is required.

Advance assignment

New degree program students will be selected based on the written assignment, which includes the following documents: 1. Cover letter 2. Curriculum vitae 3. Preliminary study plan describing the master thesis´ development The documents should be submitted in the online application in English and as a pdf format electronic document by 27 January 2021 at 3 pm Finnish time. The advance assignment is evaluated on a scale of approved/rejected.

1. The cover letter (min 600 words) The purpose of the cover letter is to outline the applicant's motivation and to share his/her interests and goals and the readiness to study in the program. In practice, it explains the reason why the applicant should be accepted as a student. The applicant describes his/her career and plans and how the studies are related to it. The applicant also presents how he/she intends to organize the studies taking into account work and life situation. The applicant also evaluates his/her current skills in relation to the curriculum of applied education.

2. The curriculum vitae The curriculum vitae should be presented in a tight format. It should show, among other things, completed studies, work history and a list of publications if applicable.

3. The preliminary plan describing a development challenge (min 600 words) The preliminary plan should demonstrate at least one key challenge from the applicant's previous (or current) workplace environment which is in need of an innovative solution that improves clinical delivery of eye care. One of the most important evaluation criteria of the preliminary plan is the concreteness of the plan. The plan demonstrates the applicant's capability to approach working life-based development assignment. The development assignment can be the theme of the master thesis.

Online interview

Applicants that pass the advance assignment are invited to the individual online interview. The interview is evaluated on a scale 0-100 points. To meet the admission criteria, applicant must fulfill all admission requirements and receive min 20 points from the the interview.

Interviews take place in April 2021. 

Interview topics include: 1) Clinical work experience 2) Future challenges of eye care 3) Basic ocular anatomy and physical-and pathology- related questions.

Applicants' English language skills are evaluated in the interview.

Student stories