BSc Hons Degree in Ophthalmic Dispensing - Year Three
Overview
Duration
The whole program is 3 years. A 2 year course as your Foundation Degree followed by a final year at BSc Hons level delivering your BSc Hons and FBDO qualifications.
Course structure
Students learn through a variety methods. A combination of weekly assignments, teaching at the College as well as learning under an in-practice supervisor. Students complete 32 weekly assignments and attend the College in Godmersham, Kent, for 2 residential blocks each lasting a fortnight, each academic year. The Degree programme also requires students to complete module based assessments including exams, essays and other academic tasks. Students also complete in practice tasks with their supervisors to re-enforce and demonstrate the skills learnt.
Entry Requirements
Students must have successfully completed the Foundation Degree element of the program. To those students already in the 2nd Year of the Foundation Degree, we recommend you apply early. There is no need to wait for your exam results before applying as we can issue a provisional place. Should you not be able to continue into this year, we will issue a refund for any fees paid for the up and coming year.
Course requirements
Students are required to be working in practice for a minimum of 30 hours per week under a GOC registered supervisor. Students must apply to the GOC for student membership and retain this registration, along with complying with all relevant GOC regulations throughout their studies - this includes ensuring that all patients are made aware of their student status. Students must also be ABDO members for the duration of their study. The distance learning element of the course requires some essential textbooks. The booklist is available at the bottom of this page as well as the prices and order form for ABDO College Bookshop.
Cost
Year Three: £6,470 (including 1st sitting of exams) The BSc Hons course is Student Finance applicable - please see the guidance document at the bottom of this page for further details.
Application Deadline
28/07/2024
Course start date
13/08/2024
Foundation Degree / BSc (Hons) in Ophthalmic Dispensing Programme
This course is for you if you want to train and work as a Dispensing Optician, and gain a degree at the same time.
Provided by ABDO College working in conjunction with Canterbury Christ Church University, this a three year course. The first 2 years form your ‘Foundation Degree’ which is then followed by a third year on the BSc Degree course in Ophthalmic Dispensing – leading to BSc (Hons) and the ABDO Level 6 FBDO qualifications.
Please note: due to the partnership detailed above, candidates must apply to both ABDO College (using the ‘Apply Now’ function on this page) as well as through the UCAS application system (www.ucas.com). The required course code for the UCAS application is B500.
This means that those students currently studying in the second year of the Foundation Degree element need to apply through the College and UCAS for their 3rd and final year.
Details
ABDO College specialises in the provision of Ophthalmic Dispensing education for the optical
profession. The BSc Hons Ophthalmic Dispensing course is for trainee Dispensing Opticians working
in optical practice in the UK, Ireland or overseas who are interested in advancing their optical
knowledge to achieve a professional qualification.
The assignments will be delivered through a virtual learning environment (VLE). It
is a requirement therefore that you have regular access to a computer, with internet connection, a
scanner and Microsoft Word/PDF software.
The course comprises of the following elements:
Coursework – 32 weekly units and specific degree modules assessed via essays, exams and other academic means. Students will be expected to study for aminimum of 15 hours per week.
Block release – four weeks. Students will be required to attend ABDO College in Godmersham for two weeks twice each academic year for face to face learning in a classroom setting.
There are six, twenty credit, modules in each year of this course. They are all compulsory. In the third year the modules are:
• Principles of Refractive Management
• Principles of Contact Lens Wear
• Concepts of Low Vision
• Ophthalmic Practice Theory
• Low Vision of Ophthalmic Dispensing
• Independent Study
The dispensing courses are periodically reviewed by the General Optical Council (GOC) who have
recorded their approval of the College as a recognised training institution in accordance with the
Optician’s Act.
Theory exams are online. Advice from ABDO Exams regarding the computer setup to run the assessment system is below:
- Laptop / computer with 4GB of available memory. The app will not work on phones, chrome books, or iPads/tablets. We cannot guarantee service on touchscreen devices as some devices might be incompatible with the app. We recommend that candidates source a non-touchscreen device for their exams.
- A Windows v7.0+ or Mac10.10+ operating system, and MacOS BigSur users need to upgrade to 11.3+.
- Intel Core i3 (or equivalent).
- A working webcam that can be used to scan the room, microphone and speakers.
- Minimum candidate internet speed of 2 Mbps.
- Recommended screen size of at least 13″ and a resolution of 1024 x 768.