Optometric Technician Online Program

The online Optometric Technician program is taught completely online. You will not be required to come to the Madison campus. Online program courses are designed for individuals employed in an eye care setting.

Online Course Application Process

Complete and submit the online Student Information Form to enroll in an online class. This is a secure form that is sent directly to the Program Director for the Optometric Technician program. 

Program Eligibility Requirements

• Must be employed or affiliated with an eye care office in order to have access to the equipment needed for most courses.
• Must have a person in eye care to serve as your laboratory mentor for many of the courses.  Mentor guidelines will be mailed to you once you submit the student information form.
• Have a high school diploma or GED.

Important Note:  After the Student Information Form has been reviewed by the program director and you meet the criteria, you will be notified via email regarding your status in the online program – if you have a junk mail filter on your email account please check your junk mail folder for this correspondence.

Upon receipt of your student information form, you should then reply via email with the online course(s) you wish to take for the upcoming semester.  The Center for Health & Safety Education will enroll you in your classes at the appropriate time (typically 4-6 weeks before the semester begins).  All courses listed in the curriculum are offered online, visit the Optometric Technician program main webpage to review the content of each course.

If you wish to earn a Technical Diploma or apply for financial aid contact eyetech[at] matcmadison [dot] edu (Ann Hayden-Finger) at (608) 246-6472 for a program application.  Madison Area Technical College reserves the right to cancel a course offering if the course fails to meet the minimum number of students.

Online students do not have to meet the onsite requirements of a physical form with TB or Tetanus shots or name tag. Program information will be sent to registered students approximately two weeks prior to the beginning of the course. Textbook and supply information will be sent via email approximately one month before the semester begins. Textbooks may be ordered from the Madison Area Technical College bookstore online or by calling (608) 246-6016.

"One of my employees is currently taking an online course from Madison Area Technical College's Optometric Technician Program. The Mentor Guide Book has provided the necessary resources to assist me in this process.  I would recommend the course to any office that wants to stay on the leading edge of ophthalmic technology."
- Dr. Timothy Pease, a doctor of optometry based in Green Bay

Online Course Expectations:

• Students are required to have an onsite mentor assist them in practicing the lab skills and then verifying their level of competence performing the skills.  It is estimated that the mentor will need to be able to assist the student an average hours per week. A mentor guide book is sent to the mentor at the beginning of each semester.  The courses contain the same subject matter as the traditional face-to-face courses available at Madison Area Technical College campus and will follow the semester schedule. Courses requiring a mentor are: Optical Dispensing 1 and 2, Ophthalmic Pre-testing, Basic Optical Concepts, Contact Lenses and Ophthalmic Specialty Testing.
• Be capable of working without a day to day schedule. Online courses do not require classroom meetings. Students are expected to complete weekly assignments and participate in online discussions at least every other day.
• Be self-motivated, independent, and have basic knowledge in computer operations such as keyboarding, sending and receiving email, attaching documents to email, surfing the Internet. For more information about online learning, refer to "Are you an Online Learner?."
• Make time to devote to course work. These are college credit courses that typically meet 4-7 hours per week in the traditional setting. Internet students are required to do the same work as the face-to-face student.

"I feel I understand more about the problems our patients have and can talk to the doctor in more detail about them. I don’t feel like I am totally in the dark anymore when it comes to the eye, but still need to learn a lot more. I can’t wait to learn more. The more I know, the better I can do my job.”
- A student, after completing Ocular Anatomy through the Online Program