Optics and Optometry Degree

The Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry from the USC aims to train highly qualified graduates in Optics and Optometry for the care of visual health through the development of activities aimed at the prevention, detection, evaluation and treatment of vision disorders, which respond to the demands of society. To this end, students will acquire learning outcomes aimed at carrying out visual and eye examinations, design, verification and adaptation of optical systems, design and development of visual training programmes and design and proposals for ergonomic advances. All of this is based on a commitment to the ethical and deontological principles of the profession of Optician-Optometrist (https://coocv.com/codigo-deontologico/). The objectives of the degree, as defined in Ministerial Order CIN/727/2009, are as follows:
1. To know, design, and apply prevention and maintenance programmes related to the visual health of the population.
2. To perform visual examinations effectively in each phase: anamnesis, selection and performance of diagnostic tests, establishment of prognosis, selection and execution of treatment, and, if necessary, writing referral reports that establish levels of collaboration with other professionals to ensure the best possible care for the patient.
3. To advise and guide the patient and their family throughout the treatment.
4. To be able to critically reflect on clinical, scientific, ethical, and social issues involved in the professional practice of Optometry, understanding the scientific foundations of Optics-Optometry and learning to critically assess the terminology, clinical trials, and research methodology related to Optics-Optometry.
5. To issue opinions, reports, and expert assessments when necessary.
6. To evaluate and incorporate the technological improvements necessary for the proper development of their professional activity.
7. To be able to carry out planning and management activities in an Optics-Optometry service or small business.
8. To be able to plan and conduct research projects that contribute to the production of knowledge in the field of Optometry, conveying scientific knowledge through common channels.
9. To expand and update their capabilities for professional practice through continued education.
10. To be able to communicate visual health therapeutic indications and conclusions to the patient, their family, and other professionals involved in their care, adapting to the sociocultural characteristics of each interlocutor.
11. To place new information and its interpretation in context.
12. To demonstrate an understanding of the general structure of optometry and its connection with other specific and complementary disciplines.
13. To demonstrate and implement methods of critical analysis, theory development, and their application to the field of Optometry.
14. To demonstrate knowledge, skills, and abilities in patient healthcare.
15. To demonstrate the ability to act as a primary visual care provider.
16. To demonstrate the ability to effectively participate in both unidisciplinary and multidisciplinary teams in Optometry-related projects.
17. To incorporate the ethical and legal principles of the profession into professional practice, respecting the autonomy of the patient, their genetic, demographic, cultural, and socio-economic determinants, integrating social and community aspects into decision-making, and applying principles of social justice in professional practice within a transforming global context.
18. To acquire the ability to perform patient-centred clinical management, health economics, and the efficient use of healthcare resources, as well as the effective management of clinical documentation with special attention to confidentiality.

Mobility

The mobility of own and host students is regulated at the USC by the Regulations for inter-university student exchanges, approved by the Governing Council on 26.10.2012, and amended in 2019, the content of which can be consulted at the following link:
https://www.usc.gal/en/institucional/goberno/area/normativa/alumnado

Internships

External academic internships are part of the curriculum and the training project. In the current study plan it corresponds to a compulsory subject in the second semester, called "Tutored Practices" with a teaching load of 15 ECTS, whose implementation is guaranteed by the agreement between the USC and the College of Opticians-Optometrists of Galicia, and others that may be promoted.
In accordance with RD 822/2021, external placements are an activity of a formative nature carried out by students and supervised by the university, with the aim of allowing them to apply and complement the knowledge acquired in their academic training. Contact with the profession is highly recommended and internships will be the object of special promotion and monitoring. The centre ensures that internships have an essentially formative function and that they are not abused or distorted.
The Tutored Work Placement is a compulsory subject in the curriculum of the Degree in Optics and Optometry, which aims to provide the student with the possibility of applying the knowledge acquired in accordance with the competences set out in the ministerial record. The aim is for the future optician-optometrist to integrate into the professional environment, preparing them to carry out the activities they will be involved in in their future professional practice.
Bearing in mind the competences set out in the ministerial form for supervised placements, and the fact that the contents are a compulsory part of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry study plan, it is essential for the centre to be fully involved in the organisation, monitoring and assessment.
The selection of admitted students, when it corresponds to the centre, is carried out by means of a public call for applications. Degree internships are scheduled throughout the second semester and until the end of the academic year. The maximum time spent at the training destination is limited to a maximum of 35 hours per week up to a maximum of 257 hours during the internship period (approximately 8 weeks).
Placements are offered in Optical Health Care Establishments. The list of agreements in force at the Faculty of Optics and Optometry for supervised placements can be consulted in the Internships section of the website: https://www.usc.gal/en/center/faculty-optics-and-optometry/work-placeme… . In addition, both lecturers and students may propose new agreements between the USC and other companies or institutions, which must be signed before the students join.
The conditions of the agreements with external institutions for tutored internships include the requirement that they have at least one external tutor, an optician-optometrist, who will act as a tutor for the interns during their stay at the optical health establishment, an academic tutor linked to the university (lecturer with an optician-optometrist qualification), and a monitoring committee responsible for the joint development of the agreement and for resolving any problems that may arise.

The Final Dissertation (TFG) consists of 9 ECTS. The definition, completion, defence, grading and administrative processing of the Final Dissertation is carried out in accordance with the regulations in force at the University and the specific regulations of each centre. The Centre organises and manages the students’ Final Dissertations, guaranteeing their quality, academic recognition and achievement.
The Academic Committee is responsible for dealing with issues related to the management of the Final Dissertation. The Final Dissertations also have a tutor who assists the students in carrying out the work and who is part of the Research Teaching Staff (PDI) of the areas that teach in the degree. At the beginning of the academic year, a call for the assignment of Final Dissertation proposals will be published, with a list of open proposals formulated by the teaching and research staff who wish to participate in the tutoring of Final Dissertation of the Bachelor’s Degree in Optics and Optometry. The assignment of tutors to students, the thematic line of the work and the evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the TFG regulations of the USC. The public defence of the work requires the previous and mandatory report of the tutor, and the student will deposit the Final Dissertation at the Centre, in accordance with the general regulations and the teaching guide of the subject. The final mark is public and, once it is definitive, it is included in the student’s transcript.
The Final Dissertation is oriented towards the evaluation of the competences associated with the degree. The Final Dissertation must be related to any of the subjects covered in the degree subjects. In this project, students must demonstrate the knowledge and skills acquired throughout the degree course. The student must carry out and present an original work in which he/she demonstrates the skills acquired throughout the studies. The work must include literature search and review, critical analysis, systematisation and integration of information, writing and oral and written presentation.
The Final Dissertation shall be assessed by means of a public defence of the work in accordance with the corresponding regulations, such as the TFG and TFM Regulations of the USC, and the TFG Regulations of the centre. The assessment must take into account the evaluation report issued by the tutor. In the evaluation of the Final Dissertation, the quality, written presentation and oral presentation of the Final Dissertation will be assessed.