Application and Admission
Admission to the combined Doctor of Optometry (OD) – Master's degree program is restricted to students with a consistently good academic record at the end of the first year who are granted "conditional admission" to the Master of Science (MSc) Academic Plan.
"The condition to be fulfilled is satisfactory completion of the requirements of the OD degree with at least a cumulative B average." In granting admission to the program both the academic record in the OD program and in any pre-optometry program and any research experience will be considered. Students must have a minimum B average within any pre-optometry program to be eligible for admission, and would normally have an A standing in their pre-optometry program.
Students must have all application forms completed and be conditionally accepted into the combined program by the beginning of the 4th year. As in any program culminating in a Master's degree, a faculty supervisor is appointed on admission. Students are encouraged to consult faculty members regarding their research interests.
Course Programs
Although the supervisor advises students, all course selections and other academic administrative matters concerning each student are subject to the approval of the School's Undergraduate Advisor and the Graduate and Research Committee.
The courses chosen by the student (with the advice of the supervisor and approval of the Undergraduate Advisor and Graduate and Research Committee) should form a coherent series which (together with the thesis) complete the requirements of the OD and, ultimately, the Master's degrees.
In 3rd or 4th year, one or two 600-level courses may be chosen for credit to the MSc degree. These courses are in addition to the normal academic program for the OD level. Technically, it is necessary for students to register for these courses as "extras" in order to avoid counting them towards the requirements of the OD degree. Advanced standing in these courses will be granted following acceptance to the graduate program. Students will register in OPTOM 441/451 (Research Project).
A student proceeding to an MSc will normally complete the balance of the four required graduate courses in the one or two terms following 4th year.
Summer Research Terms
It is expected that most of the students proceeding to the MSc degree will be involved in summer research terms following first and second years. During these summer terms they are not required to register and they may be hired as associate researchers for the purposes of various research grants, without the restriction of student salaries. This combination can be attractive from the points of view of available research time, income generation for the student, and total research cost from a grant. Work done during these summer research terms may be included in the thesis.
During summer research terms, students may register as part-time undergraduate students if they wish to pursue a graduate level course for which they are deemed to have adequate undergraduate preparation.
Fourth-Year Projects
For students in the combined OD – Master's program, OPTOM 441/451 (Research Projects) may be integrated with their summer terms as well as with their work following 4th year. The requirements of OPTOM 441/451 must be met. The thesis must contain a substantial research contribution in addition to that submitted for credit in OPTOM 441/451, such that the total normal research requirements of OPTOM 441/451 and the MSc thesis are met.
Granting of Degrees
The OD degree will be granted at the normal time, i.e., at the Spring Convocation following the 4th year. The program, however, culminates in the MSc. A minimum of two terms full-time enrollment in the MSc is required subsequent to the granting of the OD Degree. It is expected that the MSc degree will be completed more quickly than in the regular MSc program and would normally be granted at the following Spring convocation. Additional time may be required to complete the thesis or coursework.
Postgraduate Scholarships
Students in the combined OD – Master's program may apply for graduate scholarships (Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Ontario Graduate Scholarship (OGS), etc.), at the same time as their colleagues in the regular programs. They are also eligible for Optometry undergraduate scholarships during the summer terms.
Withdrawal or Failure
Students may remain in the combined OD – Master's program provided they maintain sufficiently high academic standards. The minimum is a cumulative B average (70% in undergraduate courses to the end of 4th year, 70% in graduate courses) and no conditional standing.
A student who fails to maintain this standard will be required to withdraw from the combined degree program. In such a case, all courses taken up to the end of 4th year, including those originally intended to fulfil part of the Master's degree requirements, will be counted towards the OD degree program elective course requirements and these grades included in the 4th year averages as appropriate. Should the student have then satisfied the requirements for the OD degree, it will be granted at the next Convocation. Such students will not be permitted to enter the regular MSc program.
If a student maintains at least the minimum standard mentioned above, but decides to withdraw voluntarily from the combined OD – Master's program the student may choose to count courses towards the OD degree which were originally intended to fulfill part of the Master's degree requirements. When the requirements for the OD degree have been satisfied, the OD will be granted at the next Convocation. Such a student will be allowed (at a later date) to enter the regular MSc program. For these students, graduate courses counted towards the OD degree may not be applied to the Master's degree, but graduate courses not previously counted towards the OD degree may be counted towards the MSc with the approval of the Graduate and Research Committee.
Transfer to the PhD program
Following completion of the OD program, a combined OD/MSc student will be eligible for transfer to the PhD program on the same basis as a regular MSc student.