StudentHandbook

course of a semester: 50 minutes of lecture and two hours of out-of-class work per week 2 hour of laboratory and one hour of out-of- class work per week 3 hours of clinical activity per week. Student Coursework If the student is required to take coursework totaling more than 12 credits, during the first or second half of a semester, the student is responsible for the full semester tuition. If a student attends less than 12 credit hours they will be charged the per-credit-hour fee. Degrees The SUNY College of Optometry confers the Doctor of Optometry (OD), Doctor of Philosophy in Vision Science (PhD) and the Masters of Science in Vision Science (MS) degrees.. The conferral of degrees will be to students who satisfactorily complete all academic requirements, are not on probation and do not have outstanding financial obligations. National Board Examination for the Doctor of Optometry The National Board examination shall not be considered a substitute for the standards and criteria set by the College for promotion within or graduation from the Doctor of Optometry program at the College. The faculty of the College reserves the right--indeed has the responsibility--to set standards for promotion and graduation which are independent of external testing agencies such as the National Board of Examiners in Optometry. However, the National Board examinations are required by most state boards in lieu of the written state examinations for optometric licensure. All students who register for and take the examinations offered by the National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO) will be required to request, on their NBEO application form, that scores be sent to the SUNY College of Optometry. All scores will be kept confidential and will only be used for conducting institutionally approved educational research. Such studies will only report statistical information and will not, in any way, identify individuals. Requests for exceptions to this policy should be directed to the vice president and dean for academic affairs. For more information about the NBEO, please visit: www.optometry.org National Board Examination Part III Travel Policy For the National Board Examination Part III (Clinical Skills Exam), students will travel to an off-site location to complete the clinical portion of the exam. Students will be allowed two days of excused absence from their assigned clinic. If a third day is necessary, then the time would have to be made up with no penalty. All students are responsible for informing and communicating travel arrangements with their clinic supervisor to ensure clinic operations are not impacted. State Licensure for the Doctor of Optometry Each state has regulations and requirements that govern the licensure of optometry. Satisfactory completion of the OD program will be required to qualify for state licensing examinations in any of the 50 states. Further information on state board examinations and licensure can be obtained from the individual state boards, the NBEO website or from the Office of Student Affairs.

Commencement Commencement exercises will be held annually at the conclusion of the spring term.

Registration and Maintenance of Matriculation Every student must file a Student Registration Form prior to the beginning of the Fall Term each year.

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