by our College Data Analytics TeamIn the latest year, 23 U.S. colleges awarded 1,681 degrees and certificates in Optometry. Doctorates are the most popular award, at 99% of graduates. College Factual ranks 21 schools in its 2027 Best Optometry Schools ranking and compares their cost in a Best Value ranking. Graduates earn a median $100,013 one year after completing, rising to $131,873 after four years.
A degree in Optometry explores Optometry.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; BLS; O*NET; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Across the country, optometry is a widely-pursued major, with 1,681 degrees awarded annually. 23 colleges award optometry degrees, an average of 73 graduates per school; the largest program awarded 132.
By level, the 1,681 awards include 9 master’s degrees and 1,672 doctorates.
Women earned 72% of optometry degrees and certificates in the latest year (1,218 of 1,681). The largest groups of graduates by race and ethnicity are White (776) and Asian (413), and international students earned 139.
College Factual ranks 21 schools in its 2027 Best Optometry Schools ranking, including 21 for doctorates. It also ranks optometry schools within 12 states. In all, 23 colleges offer optometry programs; compare them by degree level below or in the Best Value Optometry Colleges ranking, which weighs quality against cost.
The most common optometry credential is the doctorate: 1,672 of the 1,681 awarded in the latest year. Jobs related to optometry call most for Active Listening, Critical Thinking and Reading Comprehension, and for knowledge of Medicine and Dentistry, Biology and Customer and Personal Service, according to O*NET. The most important abilities are Problem Sensitivity, Oral Expression and Oral Comprehension.
Top skills, rated 0–5:
Top knowledge areas, rated 0–5:
How long an optometry degree takes:
| Degree | Typical Program Length | Graduates Annually |
|---|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 1-3 years | 9 |
| Doctorate | At least 4 years | 1,672 |
Doctoral degree is the most common level of education among workers in jobs related to optometry, at 95.2%.
| Level of Education | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| Doctoral degree | 95.2% |
| First professional degree | 4.8% |
Source: O*NET Online.
1 occupations are related to Optometry, with an average median salary of $116,847. Typical job titles include Therapeutic Optometrist, Optometrist and Optometry Doctor (OD).
The occupation related to optometry with the most projected jobs is Optometrists, at 1,031,700.
| Occupation | Projected Jobs | Expected Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Optometrists | 1,031,700 | -4.5% |
Optometry graduates earn a median $100,013 one year after completing their program, $131,873 after four years and $119,748 after five years, according to the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.
| Years Out | Median Earnings |
|---|---|
| 1 year | $100,013 |
| 4 years | $131,873 |
| 5 years | $119,748 |
Source: College Scorecard.
The same occupation is also the highest-paying one related to optometry, with a median salary of $116,847.
| Occupation | Median Annual Salary |
|---|---|
| Optometrists | $116,847 |
Optometry includes 1 concentration; by graduates, the largest is Optometry (1,681). It has 30 similar majors in the Health Professions field, which together award 1,035,779 degrees a year; the largest are Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (318,053), Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants (110,132) and Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (98,474). Browse all Health Professions majors or the full list of college majors.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Optometry | 1,681 |
More about our data sources and methodologies.
