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Studies & Degrees in Vision Science

Vision science studies how we see, how and why vision fails, and what can be done about it. It is an interdisciplinary field that draws on biology, neuroscience, optics, physics, psychology and engineering, and it sits next to two clinical professions: optometry and ophthalmology. The Vision Science programme of the University of California, Berkeley lists its current research topics as biomedical optics, perception and visual cognition, molecular and cell biology, neuroscience, computational vision, genetics, immunology, microbiology and clinical science.

Students learn how the eye forms an image, how the retina and the brain process it, how visual function is measured, and how disease and refractive errors affect sight. At postgraduate level most of the work is research, in a laboratory or in a clinic.

Qualifications and levels

Vision science is rarely the name of a first degree. The usual route is a bachelor's degree in optometry or in a science subject, followed by a research master's degree or a doctorate.

  • Bachelor's degree in Spain. The entry point is the Grado en Óptica y Optometría. At the Universidad de Murcia it lasts four years, has 240 ECTS credits, is taught in Spanish on campus and offers 70 places for new students. The degree leads to the regulated health profession of óptico-optometrista (optometrist) in Spain. The Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) teaches the same degree in Spanish and Galician; its website currently marks the existing curriculum as being phased out ("en extinción"), so applicants should check with the faculty which curriculum is open to new students.
  • Master's degrees in Spain. Official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The Máster Universitario en Investigación en Ciencias de la Visión of the Universidad de Murcia takes one year and 60 ECTS credits, 36 of them compulsory, and is taught in Spanish at the Faculty of Medicine with 10 places. The university describes it as research-oriented and as the step before a doctoral thesis. The Máster Universitario en Optometría of the USC also takes one academic year and 60 ECTS credits: 21 compulsory, 21 optional, 8 of external placements and a 10-credit final project. It has 25 places and admits graduates in optics and optometry, biology, pharmacy and medicine, and other health science graduates.
  • Doctorate. At UC Berkeley the PhD in Vision Science has a normative completion time of five years. First-year students take a core curriculum of four courses and complete two laboratory rotations, and every student teaches for at least two semesters. About 40 graduate students are enrolled in the programme.
  • Professional degree in the United States. Vision science is a research qualification; it is not a licence to practise. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, optometrists typically need a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree, which takes four years of graduate-level study, and every state requires them to be licensed.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists three active schools for vision science: two in Spain and one in the United States. In Spain they are the Universidad de Murcia and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, both with a faculty of optics and optometry. In the United States the school is the University of California at Berkeley, where the Vision Science programme belongs to the Herbert Wertheim School of Optometry & Vision Science.

Admission depends on the level. The Berkeley PhD does not require a specific undergraduate major, but applicants must hold a bachelor's degree or a recognised equivalent from an accredited institution; the programme accepts students from psychology, optometry, engineering, computer science, physics, chemistry, neuroscience, mathematics and biology, among other fields. Applications for entry in 2027 close on 7 December 2026. The programme states that it covers graduate stipends, tuition and fees for the first two years for students without an external grant or fellowship, and that support from the third year comes from the thesis mentor.

Careers

Research graduates work mainly in universities, research institutes and industry. Berkeley reports that its Vision Science alumni are on the faculty of medical schools, schools of optometry and departments of psychology, physiology, bioengineering and ophthalmology, that others hold research positions in private institutes and federally sponsored agencies, including NASA and the NIH, and that ophthalmic and biotechnology companies are among the major recruiters of its graduates.

Graduates of the Spanish optics and optometry degree work in optical shops, ophthalmology clinics and services, optometry and contact lens practices, and companies in the ophthalmic optics sector, according to the Universidad de Murcia. For the clinical profession in the United States, the Bureau of Labor Statistics counted 45,100 optometrist jobs in 2025 and projects employment to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Frequently asked questions

Is vision science the same as optometry?

No. Optometry is a clinical profession that examines eyes and prescribes corrective lenses. Vision science is the research field behind it, and it also covers topics such as perception, neuroscience and optics.

Do I need an optometry degree to do a PhD in vision science?

Not necessarily. UC Berkeley does not require a specific undergraduate major and accepts students from psychology, engineering, computer science, physics and biology as well as optometry.

How long does a vision science master's degree take in Spain?

The two master's degrees described here, at the Universidad de Murcia and the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela, each take one academic year and 60 ECTS credits.

Can I work with patients after a vision science degree?

Only if you also hold the professional qualification of the country. In Spain that is the Grado en Óptica y Optometría; in the United States it is the Doctor of Optometry degree plus a state licence.