The Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand is the accreditation authority responsible for accrediting education providers and programs of study for the optometry profession.
Approved Programs of Study
An online search is available for all approved programs of study.
The list below contains the details of programs of study approved by the Board:
The Optometry Board of Australia has also approved programs of study in New Zealand for the purpose of general registration and endorsement for scheduled medicines. These programs can be found by using the online search for optometry programs in New Zealand.
Optometrists trained outside Australia and New Zealand seeking general registration are required to complete the Competency in Optometry Examination conducted by OCANZ.
Optometrists trained outside Australia and New Zealand seeking approval for therapeutic practice are required to complete OCANZ-accredited therapeutics training or the examination conducted by OCANZ known as the Assessment of Competence in Ocular Therapeutics (ACOT).
Programs of study classified as "Inactive" are not included in this list. An online search is available for Inactive Programs of Study for programs that are no longer delivered by an Education Provider or no longer approved by the National Board.
Accreditation Standards
The following guidelines are published in accordance with section 47(6) of the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law (the National Law) as in force in each state and territory.
The guidelines are the approved accreditation standards, as defined under section 5 of the National Law, for the optometry profession.
The approval for these accreditation standards is made under the transitional provision in section 255 of the National Law. These standards are also published under the accreditation tab on the Optometry Council of Australia and New Zealand website.