State funding launches planning for new Statesboro program aimed at strengthening Georgia’s eye-care workforce
STATESBORO, Ga. — Georgia Southern University is moving forward with plans to establish Georgia’s first College of Optometry, a development that could eventually give Georgia students the opportunity to earn a Doctor of Optometry degree without leaving the state.
But there is an important distinction: the college is being developed — it has not yet opened and is not currently enrolling optometry students. The proposed college must still receive required approvals and complete the accreditation process before the Doctor of Optometry program can begin. (Georgia Southern University –)
Georgia Southern received $29.8 million in state funding through Georgia’s amended Fiscal Year 2026 budget to establish the College of Optometry on the university’s Statesboro campus. The funding will support renovation of Georgia Southern’s Highway 301 building in Statesboro into a facility designed to educate future optometrists. (Georgia Southern University –)
Once established, the college is planned to offer a Doctor of Optometry, or O.D., degree. Georgia Southern says the program remains pending approval by the University System of Georgia and will also need to complete accreditation processes required by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges and the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education. (Georgia Southern University –)
That means there is not yet an announced first class of students or opening date.Why Georgia Southern Says the College Is Needed
University officials say establishing an optometry college in Georgia could help address demand for eye-care professionals and expand access to vision care, particularly in rural and underserved communities.
The university also sees the college as a way to create a stronger in-state workforce pipeline by educating future optometrists in Georgia and providing clinical training opportunities within the state. (Georgia Southern University –) That mission could make the new college particularly significant for rural areas of South Georgia, where access to specialized healthcare services can require traveling considerable distances. The university says students would gain access to academic preparation and clinical rotations in optometry that have not previously been available through an optometry college in Georgia. (Georgia Southern University –)
Georgia Southern took another step toward developing the college in August when it announced the creation of an Optometric Education Task Force. The group includes optometrists, educators and professionals with experience in clinical practice, public policy and healthcare.
The task force will advise Georgia Southern as it works through areas including curriculum development, accreditation planning, clinical partnerships, educational opportunities and workforce needs. (Georgia Southern University –)
Leading the group is Dr. Horace Deal, a Statesboro optometrist and owner of Southeastern Eye Care Clinics who has also served as team optometrist for Georgia Southern Athletics and as president of the Georgia Optometric Association and SECO International.
Several Georgia Southern alumni are also serving on the task force, including optometrists practicing in different areas of the state. (Georgia Southern University –)
For students interested in becoming optometrists, the significance is straightforward: Georgia Southern is working toward creating a professional optometry program here in Georgia.
Georgia Southern Provost Avinandan Mukherjee said the university’s goal is to develop a college that prepares clinicians, advances research and serves communities throughout the state. (Georgia Southern University –)
For South Georgia, the project represents both a new higher-education opportunity and a potential investment in the region’s future healthcare workforce.
For now, however, the most accurate description is that Georgia Southern is establishing Georgia’s first College of Optometry. The state funding is in place and development is underway, but the college must complete the necessary approval and accreditation processes before welcoming its first Doctor of Optometry students.
Read GSUs full announcement here:
Georgia Southern University: College of Optometry announcement
