Visual Function in Learning

Overview

Administered cooperatively by Pacific University's College of Education and College of Optometry on the Forest Grove Campus, the Visual Function in Learning program of Pacific University Oregon provides expertise in understanding the cognitive, linguistic and visual challenges of learning to read.

Candidates must hold or be working toward the professional terminal degree in optometry. Candidates within the College of Optometry must have completed the fall semester of the first year of study, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, and be in good academic standing. Candidates may enroll in a maximum of eight hours of education coursework before admission to the program.

Final requirements for graduation include completion of a written manuscript and an oral presentation of the thesis project.

MEd/VFL Careers & Outcomes

Graduate students will have developed a sophisticated and nuanced understanding of:

• the role that visual factors play in learning disability diagnosis and remediation;

• fundamental theories of cognition, learning, and language development;

• the major diagnostic theories in reading and related prescriptive techniques;

• decision-making systems, service delivery models, and program management within education organizations; and

• the varied constituencies that the public schools must satisfy to develop skills in research, diagnosis, therapy and case management within a multi-disciplinary setting.