See if UPIKE is a good fit for you and take the next steps in becoming a student.
We are practitioners of the healing arts defining the standard for excellence in optometric education and vision care.
Our D.O. medical school is nationally ranked and recognized for a reputation of excellence in rural medicine and family healthcare. UPIKE’s osteopathy program gives you a clear path to success in the medical field.
Explore our online undergraduate and graduate programs and learn more about earning your degree at UPIKE.
Located in the heart of the Appalachian Mountains, the Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) is the only college of optometry in Kentucky. Become part of a community of medical professionals providing vision care to those who need it most, and learn in an environment built with the future of optometry in mind. At KYCO, faculty, staff and administration embrace the expanded scope of optometric practice in Kentucky with unique clinical experiences and a challenging curriculum. KYCO students are afforded an abundance of rewarding clinical opportunities serving patients in need.
All equipment, textbooks and technology are provided at no additional cost to students.
Students serve patients from the blindest region in the U.S. in community clinics and hospitals.
Practice with new and advanced equipment and technology in KYCO’s innovative 103,000 square foot facility.
Submitted by VSP Vision™ RANCHO CORDOVA, Calif. – VSP Vision™ named optometry student Makayla Warden from Kentucky College of Optometry as the winner of the first-ever VSP Premier Program Student Business Challenge. The scholarship opportunity, announced earlier this year, was created by the VSP Vision Premier Program in collaboration with the Association of Practice Management […]
Eight graduates from the University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) Class of 2022 have taken the first step to enhance the next phase of their journeys as optometrists by pursuing residencies across the country. Optometric residencies provide an extra year of intense training and education. Optometry graduates use residencies to focus on […]
Three new optometrists were recently matched to pursue post-graduate training and education with one of Kentucky College of Optometry’s (KYCO) affiliated residency programs. The residency program at KYCO admits the best qualified post-graduate optometrists and provides them with advanced clinical and concentrated clinical experience in specialty areas of optometry. This additional educational experience allows the […]
Tennessee native and third-year Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) student Morgan Peters recently earned a full-ride scholarship through the Air Force Allied Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP). The HPSP program is a service scholarship offered by the Air Force, Army and Navy, to students who attend medical and dental schools. If accepted, tuition, fees, health […]
The University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) recently welcomed Joseph Zinkovich, O.D., M.S., as the new director of research and professor of optometry. Zinkovich brings a wealth of experience to KYCO, having spent the last several years as clinical instructor for the University of South Carolina School of Medicine and working with […]
More than 400 University of Pikeville (UPIKE) students celebrated their achievements by earning their degrees during the spring commencement ceremonies for undergraduate, graduate and health professions on Saturday, May 7, at the Appalachian Wireless Arena. Graduates and families were able to attend the in-person ceremonies or watch virtually via livestream. The twenty-second commencement of the […]
The University of Pikeville announced a $25 million gift, the largest single donation in its 133-year history, on Saturday, May 7, during its Health Professions Commencement Ceremony. The gift will enable the founding of a college of dentistry to be brought to the mountains of Appalachia and dramatically help give greater access to health services. […]
The University of Pikeville – Kentucky College of Optometry (KYCO) held its first-ever awards luncheon honoring graduates on May 5 in the Health Professions Education Building. Taylor Runyon, O.D., of Belfry, Ky., received the Dean’s Award. The award is presented to a graduating student who has shown outstanding leadership while maintaining a high academic score. […]
#kycofirst