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Optometrist/practice owner education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an optometrist/practice owner. Optometrist/practice owners usually study psychology, biology, or nursing. 41% of optometrist/practice owners hold a bachelor's degree, and 25% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 526 real optometrist/practice owner resumes to see exactly what optometrist/practice owner education sections show.
The most common colleges for optometrist/practice owners are the University of Florida and the University of Florida.
There are also many online optometrist/practice owner courses to help get the education required to be an optometrist/practice owner.
There are certain optometrist/practice owner certifications that you should consider. These optometrist/practice owner certifications include Certified Medical Interpreter - Spanish (CMI) and Board Certification in Pediatric Dentistry (PD).
What education do you need to become an optometrist/practice owner?
What degree do you need to be an optometrist/practice owner?
- Bachelor's, 41%
- Master's, 25%
- Doctorate, 25%
- Associate, 5%
- Other Degrees, 4%
What should I major in to become an optometrist/practice owner?
- Psychology, 13%
- Biology, 10%
- Nursing, 8%
- Other Majors, 62%
Most common colleges for optometrist/practice owners
| Optometrist/practice owner common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| University of Florida | 15.38% |
| Michigan State University | 8.79% |
| Ohio State University | 7.69% |
| Southern Illinois University Carbondale | 5.49% |
| Fordham University | 5.49% |
Best majors for optometrist/practice owners
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Psychology | 13.2% |
| 2 | Biology | 10.3% |
| 3 | Nursing | 8.1% |
| 4 | Veterinary Medicine | 7.4% |
| 5 | Law | 7.1% |
Best colleges for optometrist/practice owners
The best colleges for optometrist/practice owners are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Boston College.
An optometrist/practice owner with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for optometrist/practice owners. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become optometrist/practice owners.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Wisconsin - Madison
Madison, WI • Private
In-state tuition
$10,555
Enrollment
30,360
3. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities
Minneapolis, MN • Private
In-state tuition
$14,760
Enrollment
31,451
4. Ohio State University
Columbus, OH • Private
In-state tuition
$10,726
Enrollment
45,769
5. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Enrollment
34,564
6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
7. University of Washington
Seattle, WA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,207
Enrollment
30,905
8. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
9. University of Georgia
Athens, GA • Private
In-state tuition
$11,830
Enrollment
29,474
10. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL • Private
In-state tuition
$15,094
Enrollment
32,974
20 best online courses for optometrist/practice owners
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Top 10 most affordable universities for optometrist/practice owners
The most affordable schools for optometrist/practice owners are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and california state university - bakersfield.
If the best universities for optometrist/practice owners are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for optometrist/practice owners.
1. University of Florida
Gainesville, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,381
Cost of attendance
21,034
2. Hunter College of the City University of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,182
Cost of attendance
13,998
3. California State University - Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$7,309
Cost of attendance
16,714
4. Brigham Young University
Provo, UT • Private
In-state tuition
$5,620
Cost of attendance
18,136
5. Florida International University
Miami, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,556
Cost of attendance
19,434
6. Florida State University
Tallahassee, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$5,656
Cost of attendance
21,623
7. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
8. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
9. SUNY Farmingdale
Farmingdale, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$8,306
Cost of attendance
16,091
10. California State University - Fullerton
Fullerton, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,886
Cost of attendance
17,645
Top 10 hardest universities to get into for optometrist/practice owners
The hardest universities for optometrist/practice owners to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Boston College.
Some great schools for optometrist/practice owners are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for optometrist/practice owners based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,492
2. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,512
3. Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA • Private
Admissions rate
28%
SAT average
1,429
4. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
13%
SAT average
1,445
5. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
6. New York University
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
20%
SAT average
1,419
7. Boston University
Boston, MA • Private
Admissions rate
22%
SAT average
1,420
8. Tufts University
Medford, MA • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,461
9. Washington University in St Louis
Saint Louis, MO • Private
Admissions rate
15%
SAT average
1,506
10. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
Admissions rate
23%
SAT average
1,398
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for optometrist/practice owners
The easiest schools for optometrist/practice owners to get into are Barry University, mount saint mary's university, and university of the incarnate word.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an optometrist/practice owner without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for optometrist/practice owners.
1. Barry University
Miami, FL • Private
Admissions rate
91%
SAT average
1,006
2. Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,031
3. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
4. Wayland Baptist University
Plainview, TX • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
1,003
5. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
6. Felician University
Lodi, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
81%
SAT average
999
7. Our Lady of the Lake University
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,002
8. Saint Martin's University
Lacey, WA • Private
Admissions rate
96%
SAT average
1,111
9. Nyack College
New York, NY • Private
Admissions rate
98%
SAT average
999
10. AdventHealth University
Orlando, FL • Private
Admissions rate
87%
SAT average
1,016
Average optometrist/practice owner salary by education level
| Optometrist/practice owner education level | Optometrist/practice owner salary |
|---|---|
| Doctorate Degree | $125,240 |
Optometrist/practice owner education FAQs
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Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025