Ulster and Cardiff Uni’s meet new requirements

GOC notes Ulster University and Cardiff University as first to meet new education and training requirements

The General Optical Council (GOC) has noted that Ulster University and Cardiff University will be the first to deliver the Master of Optometry undergraduate qualifications under the GOC’s new education and training requirements.

Both universities will begin to deliver the adapted qualifications to the first cohort of students in September 2023 and will continue to deliver BSc (Hons) Optometry with the last cohort of students commencing from September 2022.

Providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications are required to submit detailed plans of how their adapted qualifications will meet the new education and training requirements, with the GOC reviewing and noting these changes.

The updated qualifications will still be subject to the GOC’s routine quality assurance processes to ensure they satisfy the GOC’s requirements.

Samara Morgan, GOC Head of Education Development, said: “This is an exciting time for us as we begin to see how providers of existing GOC-approved qualifications will adapt to meet the new education and training requirements. The adapted qualifications will ensure that all optical professionals continue to be equipped to deliver eye-care services in a rapidly changing landscape and meet the needs of patients in the future.”

Professor Kathryn Saunders, Academic Lead for Optometry at Ulster University, commented: “Our team are hugely proud that Ulster University’s Optometry course is the first qualification to be noted under the GOC’s new education and training requirements.

This achievement reflects not only the hard work of the academic staff, but important, ongoing support from our students, the wider University and other key stakeholders including the College of Optometrists, employers, commissioners, and academic colleagues on the Optometry Schools Council. We look forward to commencing the new MOptom programme in September 2023 and to maintaining and enhancing Ulster University’s reputation as a provider of high-quality optometric education.”

Professor John Wild, Head of the School of Optometry and Vision Sciences at Cardiff University, commented: “The School is delighted that the new MOptom qualification, commencing in September 2023, is one of the first to be noted by the GOC.

This is an outstanding achievement for the School and is a further indication of Cardiff University as a leader of optometric education and research in Wales, the UK and internationally.”