University of Detroit Mercy announces that it has recently received pre-accreditation approval from the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) for the institution’s new School of Optometry.
This new school will be located at 41555 W. 12 Mile Road in Novi, Michigan, and is the 25th School of Optometry in the United States and the second in Michigan. The first class will begin in the fall of 2025 and prospective students can submit applications starting in December. Earlier this year, the University opened the Detroit Mercy Eye Institute on the Novi campus to statewide and national fanfare and began accepting patients in April.
“This is an exciting day for the University, our Michigan community and for the thousands of prospective students around the country who dream of becoming an optometrist,” said University President Donald B. Taylor. “More than three years of hard work by many talented and dedicated people has contributed to today’s announcement.”
Discussion about a School of Optometry began almost four years ago when Mert Aksu, dean of the School of Dentistry, approached leadership about the national need for schools of optometry and potential for UDM to create one in southeast Michigan.
UDM developed the school to meet a growing need for optometrists in Michigan and the United States. Currently, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects that employment for this field will grow 9% from 2023 to 2033. This rate of growth is faster than average for all occupations and is based on several factors, such as
- An aging population that requires more vision care services
- Increasing awareness of eye health
- The need to replace optometrists who retire or leave the workforce
Faculty, staff and University leadership have worked together to identify programs and services for the new school to meet community needs.
According to Optometry Dean Maryke Neiberg, the new school will provide students “an innovative and science-based educational experience to help them become highly skilled, ethical and culturally sensitive eye care practitioners prepared for practice and licensure upon graduation. We have an exceptional team of faculty and staff experts with years of experience ready to train the next generation of vision care leaders. We will have a unique and very strong program. I am very proud of what we will be offering.”
Neiberg said the vision of UDM’s School of Optometry is to garner recognition as an international leader for innovations in curriculum, clinical education, patient care, and community collaboration.
The School of Optometry and Eye Institute also represent examples of UDM’s Jesuit and Mercy mission in action. The development of both has provided UDM a significant opportunity to expand the University’s healthcare footprint in southeast Michigan and serve individuals in need.
For Pamela Zarkowski, provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, this new school represents an important historical step to extend UDM’s reach and provide much-needed vision care for the entire Michigan community.
“Loss of vision is such a huge public health issue and impacts millions of people in the United States,” she said. “UDM’s legacy of developing initiatives to meet these needs is essential and helps us fulfill our mission as a Catholic university.”
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that the median salary in 2023 for optometrists was nearly $132,000 a year. In addition, the BLS projects that there will be approximately 2,200 openings for optometrists each year for the next decade or more.
For inquiries, please contact Steven Chang, executive director of Admissions, at
changst@udmercy.edu, or Juliette Daniels, associate dean, Student Services & Enrollment Management, at danieljc@udmercy.edu