Vision Science/Physiological Optics Degrees (2026 stats)
TL;DR
Vision Science/Physiological Optics maps to BLS occupations averaging about $111,866, with roughly 211,810 workers nationwide in those roles. Median in-state published tuition is about $12,186; common paths include Biological Scientists, All Other and Soil and Plant Scientists.
Key Statistics
Vision Science/Physiological Optics: what the data shows
Common questions about vision science/physiological optics degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.
What is a vision science/physiological optics degree?
A Vision Science/Physiological Optics program is classified under NCES CIP 26.0909 in the Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences field family (26.09).
A program that focuses on the scientific study of vision, visual processes, and related phenomena and clinical research and treatment modalities. Includes instruction in ocular anatomy and physiology, microbiology of the eye, electrophysiology, neurophysiology, corneal physiology, photochemistry, psychophysics, visual biophysics and motor systems, sensory mechanisms and photoreception, eye circulation and metabolism, geometric and physical optics, ocular development across the life span, visual stimuli and perception, color vision, eye motility, biometrics and measurement techniques, visual pathology, and environmental issues
IPEDS counted 206 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.
Types of vision science/physiological optics degrees and related programs
Other NCES program codes in the 26.09 family with pages on EDsmart Data:
- Aerospace Physiology and Medicine (CIP 26.0912)
- Biomechanics (CIP 26.0913)
- Cardiovascular Science (CIP 26.0907)
- Cell Physiology (CIP 26.0903)
- Endocrinology (CIP 26.0904)
- Kinesiology (CIP 26.0908)
- Molecular Physiology (CIP 26.0902)
- Oncology and Cancer Biology (CIP 26.0911)
- Pathology/Experimental Pathology (CIP 26.0910)
- Physiology, General (CIP 26.0901)
- Reproductive Biology (CIP 26.0905)
How long does it take to get a vision science/physiological optics degree?
Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 26.0909 in our file:
- 206 Bachelor's (82.4% of IPEDS total)—typically four years
- 44 Master's (17.6% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's
Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.
What degree do you need?
For Biological Scientists, All Other (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%). Bachelor's awards account for a majority of IPEDS completions for CIP 26.0909, but occupation data show multiple pathways.
O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.
What jobs can you get with a vision science/physiological optics degree?
Our degree→occupation mapping links Vision Science/Physiological Optics to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.
| Occupation | U.S. employment | Median annual wage |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | 59,710 | $93,330 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | 16,600 | $71,410 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | 84,930 | $80,060 |
| Conservation Scientists | 25,590 | $67,950 |
| Animal Scientists | 2,470 | $79,120 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | 22,510 | $99,240 |
See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.
Is a vision science/physiological optics degree worth it?
College Scorecard national medians for the Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences bachelor's program family: median debt $32,582, median earnings $62,172 four years after enrollment. Debt-to-earnings proxy: 1.05.
About 5.3% of graduates in this field family were not working and not enrolled one year after completion in Scorecard's national program medians.
Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $12,186 and median net price is $18,749.
We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.
Institutions
Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Vision Science/Physiological Optics and the types of students that study this field.
Tuition Costs for Common Institutions
$12,186 Median In-State Public
$46,314 Median Out of State Private
Tuition costs for Vision Science/Physiological Optics majors are, on average, $12,186 for in-state public colleges, and $46,314 for out of state private colleges.
Tuition costs comparison for Vision Science/Physiological Optics programs.
Degrees Awarded Over Time
100,000 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023
This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Vision Science/Physiological Optics from 2015 to 2023.
Historical trend of degrees awarded in Vision Science/Physiological Optics.
Top 5 Schools by Enrollment
| # | School | State | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arizona State University Campus Immersion | AZ | 64,674 |
| 2 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 3 | Texas A&M University-College Station | TX | 59,615 |
| 4 | Liberty University | VA | 50,012 |
| 5 | Ohio State University-Main Campus | OH | 45,638 |
Schools with the largest enrollment offering Vision Science/Physiological Optics programs.
Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition
| # | School | State | Tuition |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Diego City College | CA | $1,146 |
| 2 | Crafton Hills College | CA | $1,188 |
| 3 | Glendale Community College | CA | $1,191 |
| 4 | Mt San Antonio College | CA | $1,364 |
| 5 | Golden West College | CA | $1,380 |
Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Vision Science/Physiological Optics programs.
Top 5 Lowest Net Price
| # | School | State | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas A&M University-Central Texas | TX | $1,300 |
| 2 | CUNY Lehman College | NY | $3,148 |
| 3 | Ohio University-Eastern Campus | OH | $3,925 |
| 4 | Golden West College | CA | $4,824 |
| 5 | Ohio University-Lancaster Campus | OH | $5,650 |
Schools with the lowest average net price for Vision Science/Physiological Optics programs.
Graduation Rates
Graduation rate data is not available for this degree program.
Graduation/completion rates for Vision Science/Physiological Optics programs across institutions.
Where students complete this major (IPEDS)
Bachelor's-level completions (IPEDS Completions, award level 5) summed by institution state. State is taken from IPEDS Directory (HD2023) for each reporting institution.
Geographic concentration
The largest number of reported bachelor's completions for Vision Science/Physiological Optics is in FL (184 completions). That state represents about 89.3% of U.S. bachelor's completions reported for this CIP in the IPEDS file we use.
Among states, the highest concentration relative to all bachelor's degrees awarded in-state is FL (0.08% of that state's bachelor's completions).
Top states by count of bachelor's completions for this CIP (IPEDS).
| State | Bachelor's completions (this CIP) | % of U.S. total (this CIP) | % of state's all bachelor's |
|---|---|---|---|
| FL | 184 | 89.3% | 0.08% |
| MI | 8 | 3.9% | 0.01% |
| TX | 8 | 3.9% | 0.00% |
| IN | 6 | 2.9% | 0.01% |
Related specializations
Other NCES program codes in the 26.09 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.
- Aerospace Physiology and Medicine CIP 26.0912
- Biomechanics CIP 26.0913
- Cardiovascular Science CIP 26.0907
- Cell Physiology CIP 26.0903
- Endocrinology CIP 26.0904
- Kinesiology CIP 26.0908
- Molecular Physiology CIP 26.0902
- Oncology and Cancer Biology CIP 26.0911
- Pathology/Experimental Pathology CIP 26.0910
- Physiology, General CIP 26.0901
- Reproductive Biology CIP 26.0905
Degree Levels (IPEDS)
Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 26.0909 in the survey year used in our extract (250 total across levels below).
- 206 Bachelor's (82.4% of IPEDS total)
- 44 Master's (17.6% of IPEDS total)
Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.
Careers & Jobs
Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.
Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $111,866. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Vision Science/Physiological Optics graduates alone.
Related occupations (BLS OEWS)
| Occupation | Mean annual wage | U.S. employment |
|---|---|---|
| Biological Scientists, All Other | $124,288 | 59,710 |
| Soil and Plant Scientists | $94,151 | 16,600 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $110,339 | 84,930 |
| Conservation Scientists | $90,227 | 25,590 |
| Animal Scientists | — | 2,470 |
| Geoscientists, Except Hydrologists and Geographers | $122,337 | 22,510 |
Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.
Program outcomes (College Scorecard)
National medians across bachelor's programs in the Physiology, Pathology and Related Sciences CIP family (34 programs reporting debt). Not specific to every Vision Science/Physiological Optics graduate.
- $32,582 median federal loan debt among completers
- $62,172 median earnings four years after enrollment (national program median)
- 1.05 debt-to-earnings ratio (Scorecard proxy)
- 5.3% of graduates not working and not enrolled one year out (program cohort)
Source: College Scorecard program-level outcomes aggregated by 4-digit CIP family.
Employment
Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.
Yearly Income for Common Jobs
$111,866 Average Wage in Workforce
The average salary for Vision Science/Physiological Optics majors is $111,866.
Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Vision Science/Physiological Optics majors.
Occupations by Share
211,810 2023 Workforce
The number of Vision Science/Physiological Optics graduates in the workforce has been growing.
Various jobs filled by those with a major in Vision Science/Physiological Optics by share of the total number of graduates.
Diversity
Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Vision Science/Physiological Optics in the United States.
Workforce Age
N/A Average Age in 2023
This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Vision Science/Physiological Optics.
Age distribution for Vision Science/Physiological Optics degree holders in the workforce.
Gender Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
206 Total Degrees Awarded
56 Male (27.18%)
150 Female (72.82%)
Gender distribution of Vision Science/Physiological Optics degree recipients.
Race and Ethnicity Distribution
Counts below are bachelor's-level completions only (IPEDS Completions, award level 5).
76 White (36.89%)
45 Hispanic or Latino (21.84%)
36 Asian (17.48%)
9 Black or African American (4.37%)
7 Two or More Races (3.40%)
Racial and ethnic distribution of Vision Science/Physiological Optics degree recipients.
Degrees Awarded
The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Vision Science/Physiological Optics are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.
Distribution of degree types awarded in Vision Science/Physiological Optics.
Skills
Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Vision Science/Physiological Optics field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Required Skills
Vision Science/Physiological Optics majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.
Rating of how necessary various skills are for Vision Science/Physiological Optics majors.
Skills Bar Chart
This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.
Skill importance ratings for Vision Science/Physiological Optics majors.
About
A program that focuses on the scientific study of vision, visual processes, and related phenomena and clinical research and treatment modalities. Includes instruction in ocular anatomy and physiology, microbiology of the eye, electrophysiology, neurophysiology, corneal physiology, photochemistry, psychophysics, visual biophysics and motor systems, sensory mechanisms and photoreception, eye circulation and metabolism, geometric and physical optics, ocular development across the life span, visual stimuli and perception, color vision, eye motility, biometrics and measurement techniques, visual pathology, and environmental issues
In 2023, 100,000 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Vision Science/Physiological Optics.
CIP Code
26.0909 - Vision Science/Physiological Optics
What the data shows
At the program-family level, College Scorecard reports median debt of $32,582 for bachelor's completers and median earnings near $62,172, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 1.05. Those figures describe national program cohorts in this CIP family—not every individual Vision Science/Physiological Optics graduate.
Women earned 73.6% of 269 Vision Science/Physiological Optics completions in the IPEDS file used here.
Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $111,866. The largest mapped role by headcount is Biological Scientists, All Other (59,710 U.S. jobs in OEWS).
Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $12,186 in-state at public colleges and $46,314 at private institutions for programs in this field.
Data Sources
This page uses data from the following sources:
- College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
- Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
- Employment and wage data by occupation
- Latest data: May 2024
- Source: bls.gov/oes
- O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
- Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
- Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
- Source: onetcenter.org
- IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
- Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
- Data years: 2015-2024
- Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
- Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
- Demographic and workforce data
- Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
- Source: census.gov/acs
Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.
Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.
Methodology
Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.
All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.