Doctor of Philosophy
The College of Optometry offers a traditional Doctoral degree in Vision Science. This is typically a five-year program that provides vision science research training and experience.
- Question Can I request a waiver of the application fee?
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Answer
The Vision Science graduate program does not provide any fee waivers for the application, so you will need to pay this fee to apply to our program.
- Question Can you waive the English language or GRE testing requirement?
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Answer
The only instances by which these application components are waived is listed on this webpage.
- Question Should I seek out an advisor prior to applying?
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Answer
All interested applicants should apply to the program first rather than contacting individual faculty to seek a position in their lab. Placement with advisors is conducted after an offer of admission is made.
- Question My transcript from University 2 shows the courses that I took at University 1, so do I still need to submit a transcript directly from University 1?
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Answer
Yes. The Ohio State University Graduate School requires transcripts from every institution where you received college credit, whether or not you graduated. We must have stand-alone transcripts for each university where credit was earned.
- Question Do you have funding to support my education, or is there a separate application process to be considered for funding?
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Answer
We consider all applicants for potential funding, so there is no separate application. If funding is available, you will be notified at the time an offer of admission is made.
Prerequisites
- All students must have a cumulative GPA equivalent of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale in all prior undergraduate and graduate work.
- Earned baccalaureate or professional degree from an accredited college or university by the expected date of entry.
Application Procedures
- Must apply to the graduate school.
- Must have application and all documentation submitted by February 1st for admission in autumn semester. Off cycle applications will be considered on a case-by-case basis.
Application Requirements
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A brief statement describing the applicant’s educational and professional objectives. The SOP must include information on your area of research interest.
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A written overview of academic, research, and work experiences and other qualifications.
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Must have testing agency report Graduate Record Examination (GRE) test scores to The Ohio State University (ETS institution code #1592). There is no minimum GRE score requirement for admission. However, your scores will be used to assess your competitiveness relative to other applicants. All GRE scores must be received by February 1st. To be valid, the GRE test must have been taken in the past five years. Applicants who have earned or will earn a doctoral degree from a US or Canadian program prior to matriculation are waived from submitting GRE scores.
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You must provide three letters of recommendation. These should be written by close colleagues, instructors, or others who are familiar with your work, classroom performance, and/or research experience. Letters of Recommendation will not be accepted from family or friends. The applicant cannot submit the letters.
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The Graduate School requires any applicant whose native language is not English, and who has been educated primarily outside of the U.S., to submit official scores from TOEFL, IELTS, or DUOLINGO.
- To be valid, the test must have been taken in the past two years.
- Required minimum scores by test type:
- TOEFL
- Paper version at least 550
- Internet version at least 79
- IELTS
- At least 7.0
- DUOLINGO
- At least 120
- TOEFL
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Applicants who are citizens of, or who have received a bachelor’s degree or higher by the time of matriculation from, one of the following countries or territories are exempt from the English proficiency testing requirement:
American Samoa, Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, Canada (except Quebec), Cayman Islands, Christmas Island, Cook Islands, Dominica, England, Falkland Islands (Malvinas), Ghana, Gibraltar, Grenada, Guam, Guernsey, Guyana, Isle of Man, Jamaica, Jersey, Liberia, Montserrat, Netherland Antilles, New Zealand, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island, Northern Ireland, Northern Mariana Islands, Pitcairn Island, Puerto Rico, Republic of Ireland, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Martin, Scotland, Singapore, Tokelau, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos Islands, United States, Virgin Islands (U.S and British), Wales.
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Official transcripts are those submitted directly from one institution to another. These are required for all institutions attended where college credit was earned, including community college and college credit earned while in high school. An official transcript must be submitted to GP admissions.
- Institutions should send transcripts to OSU electronically (preferred) at gpadocs@osu.edu.
- If an institution cannot send these electronically, they can be sent by US Mail to:
The Ohio State University
Graduate/Professional Admissions
PO Box 182004
Columbus, OH 43218-2004 - Transcripts from international or express mail should be sent to:
The Ohio State University
Graduate/Professional Admissions
281 W. Lane Avenue
Columbus, OH 43210-1132
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Unofficial transcripts can be submitted for evaluation purposes only. To submit unofficial transcripts you would make copies of both sides of your personal transcripts and upload them with your other documents. If you are admitted to the program you would need to submit official transcripts. Advising reports will not be accepted.
Do not mail any application documents directly to the Vision Science program.
Degree Requirements
In consultation with their advisor, students select coursework according to their interests. However, coursework must include:
- 80 graduate credit hours (or 50 graduate credit hours beyond the Master’s degree); no more than 40 credit hours of Vision Science 8998 and 8999 (pre and post candidacy research credits) count toward the degree
- Vision Science 8001 (Anatomy and Physiology of the Eye)
- Vision Science 8002 (Ocular Motility and Binocular Vision)
- Vision Science 8003 (Visual Sensory Processes)
- Vision Science 8004 (Optics of the Eye and Specification of the Visual Stimulus)
- Vision Science 7960 (Ethics in Biomedical Research)
- Vision Science 7980 (Statistics for Clinical Research)
- Vision Science 7970 (Grantsmanship)
- Vision Science 7101 (Basics of Graduate Work)
- At least two semesters of teaching experience, including at least one semester of teaching a laboratory course
- Vision Science 7940, annual presentation of a research talk during the Vision Science 7950 seminar series, beginning 12 months after matriculation into the PhD program
- Candidacy examination which includes written (13-page NIH-R01 type application plus a 20-page, double spaced critical review of the literature on the same topic) and oral examinations
- Completion of an independent research project and dissertation is required