Optometry & Vision graduates pursue 2 occupations, with top roles paying $47,260/yr or more. The career cards below break down wages, daily tasks, and 10-year job growth projections for each.
Optometry & Vision is a focused area of study within Health. The program is available at 79 colleges across the U.S., from community colleges to research universities. About 760 students complete this program each year, most earning a associate's. Training is clinical and hands-on, often leading to licensure or certification.
Colleges Offering
79
Graduates / Year
760
Avg Net Price / yr
$12,022
Who Studies This? Credential Breakdown
Of the 760 students who complete Optometry & Vision programs each year, the majority (69%) earn a associate's degree.
The breakdown below shows the full credential distribution.
27%69%
Associate's69%
Certificate27%
Bachelor's2%
What Can You Do With an Optometry & Vision Degree?
Optometry & Vision connects to 2 occupations in the job market. Opticians leads at $47,260/yr median. Expand any card to see daily responsibilities, in-demand skills, and 10-year growth projections.
Design, measure, fit, and adapt lenses and frames for client according to written optical prescription or specification. Assist client with inserting, removing, and caring for contact lenses. Assist client with selecting frames. Measure customer for size of eyeglasses and coordinate frames with facial and eye measurements and optical prescription. Prepare work order for optical laboratory containing instructions for grinding and mounting lenses in frames. Verify exactness of finished lens spectacles. Adjust frame and lens position to fit client. May shape or reshape frames. Includes contact lens opticians.
Measure clients' bridge and eye size, temple length, vertex distance, pupillary distance, and optical centers of eyes, using measuring devices.
Verify that finished lenses are ground to specifications.
Evaluate prescriptions in conjunction with clients' vocational and avocational visual requirements.
Active ListeningSpeakingWritingSocial PerceptivenessReading Comprehension
Day-to-day responsibilities
Assist ophthalmologists by performing ophthalmic clinical functions. May administer eye exams, administer eye medications, and instruct the patient in care and use of corrective lenses.
Take and document patients' medical histories.
Conduct tonometry or tonography tests to measure intraocular pressure.
Operate ophthalmic equipment, such as autorefractors, phoropters, tomographs, or retinoscopes.
Top Colleges for Optometry & Vision
The 20 colleges below are ranked by how many Optometry & Vision students they graduate each year. Scroll right to compare acceptance rate, net price, and median earnings side by side.
Decide with data, not guesswork. These tools turn the numbers on this page
into a personal plan. Estimate the real cost of a Optometry & Vision program, compare colleges side-by-side, weigh the long-term payoff, and find
schools that match your profile.
The data on Optometry & Vision shows 2 measurable strengths and 1 real trade-offs. All points are sourced from College Scorecard earnings, BLS projections, and IPEDS graduate counts.
PROS
Fast-growing fieldRelated careers are projected to grow up to +19.8% over the next decade, with Ophthalmic Medical Technicians among the fastest-growing roles.
Strong hiring volumeRelated occupations generate more than 19,300 job openings per year combined, creating consistent demand for graduates.
CONS
Licensure often requiredMost roles in this field require state licensure or certification before you can practice. Budget time and costs for board exams alongside your degree.
What jobs can you get with a Optometry & Vision degree?
Optometry & Vision degree holders pursue careers including Opticians, which pays a median of $47,260/yr. Scroll down to the Career Paths section to see wages and job growth projections for every related occupation.
How long does a Optometry & Vision program take?
A Optometry & Vision associate degree typically takes two years full-time at a community college. Many students transfer to a four-year university afterward to complete a bachelor's.
How many colleges offer Optometry & Vision?
79 colleges and universities in the United States offer Optometry & Vision programs. Options range from community colleges with certificates and associate degrees to research universities with doctoral tracks.
What is the difference between Optometry & Vision and Health?
Optometry & Vision is a focused concentration within the broader Health field. The Health major covers the full discipline; this program narrows the curriculum to Optometry & Vision-specific courses, skills, and career tracks. If you already know this is the direction you want, the specialized program gives you a more targeted credential.
What skills do employers look for in Optometry & Vision graduates?
Employers hiring Optometry & Vision graduates consistently prioritize clinical judgment, patient communication, and evidence-based decision-making. Licensure, certifications, and supervised clinical hours are typically required or strongly preferred in most roles.
Is graduate school worth it for Optometry & Vision graduates?
In health fields, advanced degrees (nurse practitioner, physician assistant, doctor of physical therapy) typically unlock significantly higher salaries and expanded scope of practice, making graduate education a strong investment for most students. The right answer depends on your career goals, program cost, and whether your target role explicitly rewards an advanced credential.
What is the job outlook for Optometry & Vision graduates?
The job outlook for Optometry & Vision graduates is strong overall. Related occupations project an average of +11.4% job growth over the next 10 years. Ophthalmic Medical Technicians is among the strongest-growth roles at +19.8%. Growth varies by role and location, so check the Career Paths section for projections on each specific occupation.
Related Health Programs
Other programs in Health. Compare earnings, credentials, and career paths before committing to a specialization.
Free, data-backed guides to help you decide, built on the same federal data as this profile.
H
How to Choose a Major Pillar
A decision framework for picking a college major using your interests, aptitudes, and federal earnings data to reach a defensible choice before applying.
The real cost of a second major, when it pays back and when it doesn't, and why a focused single major with a relevant minor often beats a double major.
Why the 10-year job-growth outlook often matters more than today's salary, what the BLS projections measure, and how to use them to weigh the future of a field, not just its present.
Original data analyses built on the same federal data as this profile. Rankings, outliers, and patterns, no opinions.
All 38 Majors, Ranked by What Graduates Earn
The highest-earning college major out-pays the lowest by a factor of two and a half. The full ranking of all 38 fields by median graduate earnings, with job growth alongside.
Major earnings
Highest paying majors
Job growth
STEM
Field of study
Does Engineering Tech Out-Earn Engineering? The Data Says No
A popular claim holds that the applied engineering-tech degree pays more than the theoretical one. Across every program, engineering wins by about $10,000.
Engineering tech
Engineering
Program earnings
Applied degree
Technician careers
STEM Is Not One Thing: The Pay Gap Within STEM
Across 88 STEM programs the top one out-earns the bottom by $65,000 a year. Operations research pays $122,531; environmental design pays $57,461.
STEM earnings
Engineering pay
Computer science
Program earnings
Major choice
Continue Exploring
Browse our full directory: every college, major, program, and career we track, all built from verified government data.
