Rocky Mountain University opens college of optometry

Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions, a private, for-profit university focused on graduate healthcare education in Provo, will start its Doctor of Optometry program next summer and is now accepting optometry student applications for its 2023 cohort, which will start classes in May.

The school said its new program is “an advanced modern medical curriculum combined with flexible interactive in-person and online courses [that] will prepare students to provide exceptional eye healthcare while helping to meet workforce demands.”{mprestriction ids="1,3"}

“RMU’s Doctor of Optometry program is the newest optometry program in the United States,” said Dr. Adam Hickenbotham, founding dean of the College of Optometry. “Optometrists are America’s primary eye healthcare providers who are on the frontline of eye and vision care. As such, RMU has designed an innovative, advanced and student-focused program with in-person hands-on clinical training to help our optometry graduates provide outstanding healthcare.”

RMU has received preliminary accreditation from the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) and is therefore authorized to move forward with the Doctor of Optometry program. ACOE, recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education accreditation, ensures programs have met the council’s standards of educational effectiveness and show a demonstrated commitment to quality assessment and improvement.

“For the past 24 years, Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions has been advancing knowledge and advancing healthcare as an accredited exclusive graduate healthcare education institution,” said Dr. Richard P. Nielsen, founding president and CEO of RMU. “Our new College of Optometry is another significant RMU milestone that will develop the next generation of optometrists in our high-tech facilities using modern medical curriculum by the nation’s renowned optometric faculty. RMU is honored to expand the availability of optometry education for students across the nation.”{/mprestriction}