OD at The University of Melbourne?

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Hi there,
I am from Melbourne and I am enrolled in the OD at The University of Melbourne for 2013 entry. I was just wondering if there is anyone else out there thinking of attending? I have a feeling from reading this forum that its mainly a North American readership so was just interested to know if we will be seeing anyone in Melbourne town next March?

We were looking at moving to Australia, and I started my application for Melbourne. I decided it is best if I obtain my O.D. at an accredited U.S. school before moving there. That way, in case we decide to move back, I can still practice in the states.

Can graduates from the OD school of the university of Melbourne work in the US?

No, they can't. You have to have graduated from a program that is accredited through the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education. That means the schools in the continental U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada.

That is why I am going to school here first. Will guarantee being able to practice in the U.S. if moving plans fall through.

As the course Is only a few years old it has not yet gained accreditation for the US. However, accreditation has begun and it should gain it's accreditation in a few years time. I'm not sure if this is only true for Canada, but 8 week bridging courses can be completed back in North America after completing the OD at MU which will allow you to practice.

P.S. The tuition is about 42,000 U.S. dollars per year to attend as an International student at Melbourne. Another reason why I choose to stay in the U.S. for school. Melbourne looks like a great city to go though! It would have been a fun 4 years! They E-mailed me saying they extended the deadline this year, so they must have not filled their class right away. I still decided it just wasn't a good choice for me.

The 8 week bridging course works to practice in Canada, but not in the United States.

I wish you all the luck with your OD and hopefully one day in the future we will see you somewhere in Aus!
I just heard from the faculty that the large majority ("most" was the word) of the international spots are taken up by North American students so just wanted to say hello if there was anyone on the forum coming to MU. Goodluck to everyone with their studies and if there are any questions about MU or Melbourne feel free to ask.

Oh, we'll both be done in 2017! So, if I move there, maybe we'll have to open up shop together!

Originally Posted by Loptometriste

Oh, we'll both be done in 2017! So, if I move there, maybe we'll have to open up shop together!

Haha sounds like a good plan to me

Just like climboutaw, I am looking forward to seeing you in Melbourne uni next year. It is a great university, I spent 6.5 years there and can't wait to get back and do optometry.

Hey climboutaw,
I'm currently an OD student at the University of Melbourne and who finished his first year at the program. I totally understand the lack of information circulating around forums regarding the program at Melbourne (as I was in the same situation last year!) - so if you have any questions about the program or living in Melbourne, or if you'd like to exchange contacts feel free to PM me. Looking forward to meet more North Americans in the program and seeing you in March. Congrats on your acceptance!