phd vision board

The Savvy Scientist

Experiences of a London PhD student and beyond

PhD Motivation: How to Stay Driven From Cover Letter to Completion

PhDs can be a long slog and it’s easy to lose touch with why you set out to do one in the first place. If you’re falling out of love with your PhD why not try these tips to help boost your motivation.

Note – This post, and its predecessor about PhD Burnout , were inspired by a reader who asked for suggestions on tackling PhD fatigue. I love hearing from readers of the blog, so if you have any ideas for posts which you, or others, could find useful please do let me know! Just pop a note in the comments section below or drop me a message .

This post is part of my PhD mindset series, you can check out the full series below:

• PhD Burnout: Managing Energy, Stress, Anxiety & Your Mental Health
• PhD Motivation: How to Stay Driven From Cover Letter to Completion (this part!)
• How to Stop Procrastinating and Start Studying

Focus on the Big Picture

If you’re struggling with motivation during your PhD it can be helpful to consider what originally motivated you to pursue one. One way you may find it useful to capture these thoughts is through a vision board or spider diagram.

Try listing out each of the following:

• What you hope to achieve during your PhD (both personally and professionally)
• How you picture your life and career post-PhD

The vision board for the PhD itself will help you make the most of your time now, while your post PhD vision board will serve as a reminder of where you are going.

This can be a great way to increase your motivation and identify opportunities within your PhD that may help you to realise your long term vision.

Here is an example one I created about life after the PhD which could serve as some motivation during the PhD:

Set Short Term Goals

Depending on how far along you are in your PhD, reaching the finishing line may seem like a herculean task. Rather than risking getting overwhelmed, focus on making regular progress by setting achievable short term goals.

What are some examples of short term goals? Well let’s start by highlighting a few potential milestones during a PhD:

• Completing your first set of experiments
• Writing your first paper
• Drafting your thesis
• Passing your viva

Try to break down these large tasks into sub-tasks and set yourself short term goals. Importantly, make sure that the goals are actually realistically achievable! Although it is great to push yourself, if you set goals that are too lofty you risk demotivating yourself further! Small and consistent progress is what we’re aiming for.

Breaking tasks down will allow you to recognise your progress and how far you’ve come. While recognising what you’ve already accomplished with your PhD will help provide the motivation to achieve even more.

So for instance breaking down the first of those example milestones, completing your first set of experiments, could be broken down into much smaller short term goals:

Breaking down goal 1: Completing your first set of experiments

• Read five relevant papers to get ideas from other studies. Which techniques did they use? What further work did they recommend?
• Speak with my supervisor about first potential experiments. What is achievable in the lab? Do we need to order any consumables?
• Get inducted into the lab if necessary and get trained on key equipment.
• If relevant, shadow someone else in the lab to understand certain processes.
• Give it a go: conduct a few preliminary experiments.
• Build on these first experiments and suddenly you’ve become a self-sufficient researcher. Good job!

You may personally choose to set goals monthly, weekly or even set yourself one task to achieve each day. Try different lengths and see what works best for you.

Now as a postdoc I personally have an ongoing document which I always keep open with goals and tasks for me to complete which I add to as I have new thoughts and conversations. Every day I set myself a short list of tasks I set to complete myself to work towards these bigger goals and projects. Without this not only would I lack focus but also motivation.

Recognise What You’ve Already Achieved

As mentioned above it can feel like you haven’t achieved much when the big picture PhD goals still seem far away.

Sometimes we can get motivation from realising how much we already have to be proud of. I know what it is like to be in a downbeat part of your PhD and it can be tough to appreciate your successes but this is exactly the time when we need harness positive and motivational thoughts!

Let’s play a quick game. Set a timer on your phone for 2 minutes and write down a few things about your PhD you’re already proud of. Don’t worry, I’m not expecting a list of potential Nobel prize winning discoveries.

Here are some ideas:

• Coming up with some ideas for experiments
• Learning a new research technique
• Facing a personal fear – such as public speaking

If you’re in the early stages, remind yourself that pushing yourself to apply for the PhD is an achievement and getting accepted into a PhD programme is no mean feat. Go you!

Reward Your Accomplishments

Along with setting short term academic goals it’s important to reward yourself once they’re completed. Depending on what length goal you set, the reward may be as simple as taking a break and indulging in something unproductive, taking an afternoon off to relax or treating yourself to your favourite meal.

It can be tempting to skip this step but celebrating when you complete tasks is really important. This will help to get you in the right mindset for progressing towards the next goal. Celebrating achievements is also a great way to instill better habits and we’ll cover more on this next.

Build Better Habits

Mastering self discipline and consistency is one of the best ways to maximise your potential both during your PhD and beyond. If this is something you struggle with then now is the perfect time to try making improvements in a very low risk environment. Here is some great advice on this subject by an incredibly successful guy:

Making these improvements through small actions can make surprisingly big differences. To illustrate this: a person who improved by 1% each day would be 37 times better after a year!

Consistently improving 1% each and every day isn’t likely, but the cumulative effect of working on yourself by building better habits is undeniable.

It typically takes 40 days to master a habit, so start small and once you have your first habit ingrained you can start on the next. Realising success will empower you to master harder challenges too and also provide you with the confidence to know that you can achieve what you set your mind to.

Some ideas for areas you may wish to develop better habits for are:

• Work schedule
• Healthy eating

Habit Building Tips

• Start small and focus on just turning up – When building new habits it is much more important to be consistent than to set lofty goals.
• Gamify it – In 2020 I decided to start using Duolingo to learn Spanish. Not only is the format on Duolingo very engaging, so is the “streak” of uninterrupted days you use the app for. It is surprising how powerful motivation can become to keep the streak going. In fact, as of writing this post I’ve just passed 600 uninterrupted days on Duolingo! I now try to apply similar concepts in other parts of my life.
• Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up – It’s natural to make mistakes but it’s what you do afterwards that counts. If you slip up with your habit fight the urge to give it up. Instead move on and work to get back.
• Be accountable – Tell others about your goals and if you know another PhD student struggling with the same issue why not team up together to try and improve.

I’d also highly recommend giving the below video from Kurzgesagt a watch to learn more about how to build positive habits.

Prioritise Self-Care

PhDs are a marathon not a sprint and in order to make it to the end it’s vital to take care of yourself along the way. Exercising, socialising, eating healthily and prioritising mental health will all put you in the best position to keep your energy levels high.

PhD Burnout is a very real thing and the last thing you want is to lose all passion for research entirely. Check out my post here on PhD Burnout to learn the warning signs and how to intervene before things go to far.

Make sure to take time each week to recharge and don’t prioritise your research to the detriment of all else. It isn’t worth sacrificing your own health for your research. Make the most of opportunities during your PhD and find things you’re passionate about and look forward to.

I personally found it helpful to treat my PhD like a full-time job which meant having weekends and weekday evenings off. There were exceptions to this of course but in general it meant that I had a good work/life balance and didn’t feel desperate for the PhD to end.

Everyone will have different ways of structuring their time, but recognise that YOU are a priority and your life shouldn’t go on hold until your PhD is complete.

Define Success Differently

Reframe what you see as success. Instead of defining success by the achievement of a long term goal instead define success by the consistent actions taken to progress towards it.

For instance, if you’re nearing the end of your PhD then completing your PhD thesis may be months away. But, if you commit to working on your thesis for at least one hour a day (and achieve it) you’re already on a successful path.

I’d suggest giving the intro to this newsletter by Andrew Ng a read to learn more about process goals versus outcome goals.

Avoid Comparisons to Other PhD Students

We all know this one but it can be easy to forget. Looking at what others have achieved can sometimes be motivating, but it can also leave you feeling inferior.

No two PhD journeys will ever be the same so all you can do is aim to achieve the “best” version of your own journey.

Top Tips to Boost PhD Motivation

• Focus on the big picture
• Set achievable short term goals
• Recognise what you’ve already achieved
• Reward your accomplishments
• Build better habits
• Prioritise self-care
• Define success differently
• Avoid comparisons to other PhD students

I hope you found these suggestions on how to boost PhD motivation helpful. Do you have any advice of your own to share? Let me know in the comments section below.

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• Using a Vision Board

How to Use a Vision Board to Achieve Your Goals

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What Does a Vision Board Do?

Why vision boards work, types of vision boards, ideas for vision boards.

• How to Make One
• What to Include
• Next in The End of the Resolution Guide The End of the Resolution

A vision board is a collection of images that represent a person's goals, dreams, and aspirations . It serves as a visual reminder of a person's intentions and a source of inspiration and motivation. 

Vision boards are often collages that can include photographs, quotations, pictures from magazines, or other visuals that help convey your dreams and goals. They are also sometimes referred to as mood boards or action boards.

They are highly personalized and often focused on a specific theme or period of time. For example, you might create a vision board for your career goals. Or you might make one that centers on what you hope to accomplish over the next year.

You can use a vision board to help keep you focused on your goals. By creating a visual representation of what you hope to achieve, you may feel more motivated to take the steps you need to follow to make that vision a reality.

Vision boards can help accomplish a number of different things:

Boost Self-Reflection

Vision boards encourage you to think about the things that you really want to achieve in the future. This can not only clarify your goals but help you envision yourself achieving them. These visual reminders also encourage you to self-reflect by asking questions such as, "How much progress am I making toward my goals?" and "Do I still want the things that I've included in my vision board?"

Regularly asking yourself such questions can help you reflect on both your needs and your progress.

Increase Self-Awareness

A vision board can also be a powerful tool for increasing self-awareness . Because of the visual nature of this tool, it can help you think about your life, goals, and values in new ways. 

As you create your vision board, you'll select imagery and words that speak to your aspirations. As you reflect on your choices, you may find it easier to identify the values that are important to who you are.

A vision board can also help you see areas where you might struggle with self-limiting beliefs about yourself and about future success. As you become more aware of negative thoughts or destructive self-talk, you can look for ways to cultivate a more positive mindset .

Clarify Your Goals

Your vision board puts your hopes and dreams in a prominent, visible place so you are regularly reminded of what you are focused on achieving. This can help clarify your biggest goals in life and prioritize the things that are most important.

Motivate and Inspire

One reason why vision boards can be such a powerful tool is because of the constant motivation and inspiration they provide. In addition to offering positive reinforcement in the form of appealing imagery and affirming words, they can also help you to feel a greater sense of purpose .

When you look at your board, the curated selection of imagery and text that is meaningful to you specifically can help you to feel like you have a worthwhile goal to keep striving toward.

Reduce Stress

Working toward goals often requires learning new things, having new experiences, and stepping out of your comfort zone. It can be stressful and anxiety-provoking at times, which is why some people might never take the necessary steps to attain their dreams.

A vision board can help relieve some of the stress from this experience by familiarizing you with aspects of the process, helping you to feel more comfortable when you need to do things that are outside of your normal routine.

Gain Greater Perspective

Because a vision board distills what's important to you and what you hope to achieve into a selection of meaningful imagery, you may find it easier to gain some perspective on your life and goals. Sometimes seeing these things in a visual format allows you to step back and view your efforts and plans with greater clarity.

Research suggests that the brain tends to assign a higher value to visual imagery than to other types of stimuli. Visual representations tend to be more memorable than words, a phenomenon known as the picture superiority effect. Because of this, the information on your vision board may stick out in your mind more than a collection of goals written on a to-do list.

Not everyone believes in the value of vision boards, however. For example, some research has found that only visualizing positive outcomes (without also visualizing the hard work and effort that it takes to succeed) can actually hinder performance and achievement.

The problem with vision boards, critics suggest, is that they may stifle growth rather than fuel it. By envisioning your dream future, you might stop working toward it and instead wait for the universe to manifest it into existence.

There are many different types of theme boards that you can create, but they often fall into one of three main themes.

Goal Boards

This type of vision board is designed to focus on a clear, specific goal. For example, if your goal is to achieve a specific financial goal, such as paying off debt or saving money, your board would focus on this goal.

It might include pictures that offer inspiration, infographics that provide valuable information, quotes to keep you motivated, and even worksheets where you can keep track of your progress visually.

Theme Boards

Theme boards are less specific than goal boards, but they tend to focus on a specific theme in your life that you hope to bring to fruition. For example, your vision board might focus on your New Year's resolutions , your relationship goals, or your academic or professional aspirations. They tend to focus on goals that may be more long-term or on special interests that you want to focus on more in your life.

Reflection Boards

This type of vision board is centered around achieving goals related to inner growth and personal development. They can be a way to learn more about yourself, your goals, and what makes you happy. They can serve to lift your mood or help you to feel more inspired.

For example, if you've been struggling with feeling the Winter blues , you might create a reflection board full of uplifting imagery that helps you feel more joyful and hopeful about the future.

Your vision board will be highly individual, but some general themes or goals you might choose to focus on include:

• Professional/career goals
• School plans
• Learning goals
• Social activism goals
• Health/fitness
• Travel inspiration or vacations you want to take
• Friends/family/social goals
• Romance/love goals
• Money goals
• Happiness/contentment goals
• Hobby-related goals
• Reading goals or books you want to read
• Meditation/mindfulness goals
• Priorities you want to focus on
• Big life dreams (Write a book! Move to France! Start a business!)

Benefits of Using a Vision Board for Mental Health

Vision boards may also provide a number of mental health benefits that can potentially boost mood and well-being. There is not a great deal of research specifically on the potential value of vision boards in terms of their efficacy or impact on mental health. However, some evidence suggests that the goal-setting associated with vision boards can have a variety of positive effects.

• Goal-setting can improve well-being : Research has shown that engaging in goal-setting actions can play a role in improving wellness. In one study, participants who participated in a goal-setting activity reported higher levels of subjective well-being than participants who had not engaged in the intervention.
• Visualizing can increase success : Studies have also found that visualization can be a powerful tool for achievement and performance. For example, research has shown that athletes who visualize themselves performing a task experience real-world improvements in their athletic performance. Repeating the visualization can also improve both physical and psychological reactions in those specific situations.
• Foster greater mindfulness : Mindfulness is all about focusing on the present moment and paying attention to how you feel. Creating your vision board can help you become more mindful of the things that are important to you, both in the here and now and in the future. This can be a useful tool for helping you feel more focused and to combat feelings of stress and anxiety. 
• Greater self-efficacy : Because a vision board is all about what matters to you, you may find that it helps you feel better about yourself and your vision for the future. It can be a useful resource for boosting your faith in your own abilities. Known as self-efficacy , this belief in your capabilities can play an important role in how motivated you are and how hard your work toward achieving your goals.

How to Make Your Own Vision Board

In order to make your own vision board, start by deciding the type of board you want to create and how you want to present it. Some examples of different formats you might utilize for a vision board include:

• A cork pinboard
• A whiteboard
• A wire board
• A magnetic board

You might opt to purchase items to create your pinboard, but you can also just use things that you already have. An empty picture frame, a clipboard, posterboard, a large piece of cardboard, or even just a blank section of wall where you can hang visual items can serve as a vision board.

What to Include in a Vision Board

Next, gather materials that you want to include in your vision board. Some sources of imagery might include:

• Clippings from magazines, books, or catalogs
• Online images printed at home
• Old postcards
• Photographs
• Printed or handwritten quotes and affirmations
• Scrapbook paper, colorful construction paper, cardstock, fabric
• Doodles or original artwork
• Handwritten words or affirmations
• Printed words, sayings, or quotes
• Newspaper clippings

The goal is to select images and words that speak to you, offer inspiration, and help you envision the future you hope to have.

As you put together your vision board, you might find it helpful to create a relaxing, inspiring environment that allows you to focus on your mood and vision. Light some scented candles and play some inspirational music as you spend time creating.

Questions to Ask Yourself

As you work on creating your board, ask yourself some of the following questions:

• What are my values? 
• What gives my life meaning?
• How do I envision my future?
• How do I want to spend my time?
• What motivates me?
• What are my priorities?
• What do I hope to accomplish in the next year? In five years? In ten years?
• How do I plan to achieve my goals?
• What tools and resources do I need to achieve my goals?

Keeping these things in mind can help you select the visuals, graphics, photos, words, and other elements that are aligned with your hopes and dreams.

It’s important to remember that your vision board is just that—a vision of a future that hasn’t happened yet. In order to make that dream a reality, you need to commit to taking the steps and doing the work that it will take to make that vision a reality.

Instead of thinking of these boards as mere “visions,” it might be more useful to view them as action boards that detail not only what you want, but how you plan to go about achieving it.

Deniz F, Nunez-Elizalde AO, Huth AG, Gallant JL. The representation of semantic information across human cerebral cortex during listening versus reading is invariant to stimulus modality . J Neurosci . 2019;39(39):7722-7736. doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0675-19.2019

Pham LB, Taylor SE. From thought to action: effects of process-versus outcome-based mental simulations on performance . Pers Soc Psychol Bull . 1999;25(2):250-260. doi:10.1177/0146167299025002010

(MacLeod AK, Coates E, Hetherton J. Increasing well-being through teaching goal-setting and planning skills: results of a brief intervention . J Happiness Stud . 2008;9(2):185-196. doi:10.1007/s10902-007-9057-2

Di Corrado D, Guarnera M, Vitali F, Quartiroli A, Coco M. Imagery ability of elite level athletes from individual vs. team and contact vs. no-contact sports . PeerJ . 2019;7:e6940. doi:10.7717/peerj.6940

Blankert T, Hamstra MR. Imagining success: Multiple achievement goals and the effectiveness of imagery . Basic Appl Soc Psych . 2017;39(1):60-67. doi:10.1080/01973533.2016.1255947

By Kendra Cherry, MSEd Kendra Cherry, MS, is a psychosocial rehabilitation specialist, psychology educator, and author of the "Everything Psychology Book."

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Blog Graphic Design Vision Board Examples to Achieve Your Goals

Vision Board Examples to Achieve Your Goals

Written by: Aditya Rana Apr 08, 2024

If dreams were easy to achieve, I wouldn’t be writing this and you wouldn’t be here reading.

But alas, here we are. Jokes aside, you must’ve heard that to achieve your goals, you need to manifest them.

That means you need to believe you can achieve a goal first and this is where vision boards can help (by constantly reminding and motivating you).

In this post, I’ll share vision board examples you can use as inspiration when creating your own using an Online Vision Board Maker or editing vision board templates.

Click to jump ahead:

How do vision boards help you achieve goals?

• 9 vision board examples

Tips for using your vision board

Vision boards are effective at helping you achieve goals because they increase motivation and focus.

More importantly, they harness the power of the law of attraction, which is the belief that positive thoughts attract positive outcomes.

By concentrating on visual cues related to your goals, you’ll be able to cultivate positive thoughts and be more motivated to achieve them.

9 vision board examples to visualize your dreams

Alright, let’s get to some examples of vision boards!

Personal growth vision board

Personal growth vision boards boost motivation and help you become the person you hope to be.

Want to feel more calm, patient, or relaxed? Whatever quality you’re aiming for, a personal growth vision board with inspirational words, quotes, and pictures can help!

Career and finances vision board

Career vision boards cover your professional goals, both short and long-term.

A career vision board generally includes symbols, images, or quotes to keep you inspired and motivated to grind it out through thick and thin.

Relationships and love vision board

A relationship and/or love vision board contains information on relationship goals or details about your ideal partner (for all you singletons out there!).

As you may have guessed, relationship vision boards are heavy on symbols of love, like hearts or cupids and quotes.

Travel and adventure vision board

Travel and adventure vision boards are my personal favorite. There’s nothing more fun and soothing than visualizing your travel dreams and plans.

A travel vision board is a great way to remind yourself where you want to go and experiences you want to soak in.

Education vision board

Whether in elementary, middle, high school, or college, an education vision board is a great way to map your learning path and desired academic achievements.

Education vision boards can feature specific goals, such as GPA targets or scholarship achievements, and symbols representing the field of study you’re passionate about.

Or they can highlight your current achievements, like on this vision board.

Hobbies and interests vision board

A hobby vision board is all about your interests and passions. These can be anything from painting to playing the guitar or any other activity that brings you joy.

These vision boards allow you to include a range of imagery as you can pick anything related to your interest or creative pursuit.

Creative vision board

Creative vision boards are a riot of colors, patterns, and images that spark your imagination and fuel your creative projects.

Whether writing a novel, painting, or starting a DIY project, a creative board with inspirational artwork or motivational quotes will surely get the creative juices flowing.

Homeschooling vision board

A homeschooling vision board can be both a planning tool and a source of inspiration for parents and students.

It might feature goals for the year, educational milestones, quotes about learning, and images representing the joy of discovery.

Spiritual vision board

A spiritual vision board focuses on your inner journey and can include images and symbols that represent peace and enlightenment.

Quotes from spiritual leaders, passages from sacred texts, or even places you find serene and uplifting all have a place here.

If you already have a vision board ready, here are some tips on how to maximize its effectiveness.

Consider placement

A vision board you don’t see often is counterproductive. Make sure to place it where you’ll see it often, such as your bedroom, workspace, or another area where you spend a lot of time.

The goal is to ensure vision boards provide constant visual reminders throughout your day.

Verbalize your goals daily

Engage in daily affirmations by verbalizing your goals while looking at your vision board.

This practice will help drive home your goals and aspirations into your subconscious and increase the odds of you achieving them.

Review and update your vision board often

Regularly revisiting your vision board is crucial because as you grow and evolve, so do your goals.

Updating your vision board to reflect these changes ensures it remains relevant and aligned with your current goals.

Believe in the power of belief

None of the tips shared until now will work until you believe in your vision board’s power and capabilities.

Trust the process and have faith that you can achieve the goals you’ve set out for yourself.

Conclusion: Create stunning vision boards in minutes using a digital tool like Venngage

Sure, you can create vision boards the old way using a poster and printing images and text.

But if you want flexibility and the ability to make changes without creating a mess in you home, check out Venngage’s vision board maker and vision board templates.

With a simple drag-and-drop interface, you can create and edit to your heart’s desire and print the final vision board design when ready.

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How to make a vision board and help bring your dreams to life

It's likely that you've heard about vision boards, and the power they have to help you manifest whatever you want — as if they're a magic portal that can bring all of your dreams into reality. Now, while it's important to manage expectations — a vision board likely won't suddenly bring you millions of dollars — experts say that making a vision board has many benefits.

Before you start, however, it’s important to be in the right headspace— or positive mental attitude.

“Most people think a vision board is a giant poster filled with magazine cut-outs of yachts and beaches and five-carat diamond rings. And it can be! If you can look at those things and not just say, but believe that you can and will attain them,” Shallon Lester, YouTube creator , dating coach, and author, tells TODAY.com. “If you can’t — if, say, a seat on Kylie Jenner’s jet seems wildly out of reach — a vision board can actually work against you. Because then it becomes a failure board.”

For Lester, she uses a vision board as a touchstone of things that make her happy so that she’s constantly shifting back into an abundance mindset.

And the good news is that to make one, you actually don’t need a ton of arts and crafts; you can make a vision board online, or through apps or on your phone. So even if you’re not into crafts, we’ve got all the steps you need to make a stellar vision board and start manifesting all of dreams into fruition. Keep reading for insights on how to make a vision board, what psychologists really think of the trend, and even some savvy tips for a no-effort yet colorful design (hint: push pins).

What is a vision board?

First things first, let’s define this buzzy phrase. We turned to the pros for a quick overview of what a vision board even is, in common parlance.

“A vision board is a visual representation of goals, hopes, values, and dreams, in any life domain. It's a creative way to create a roadmap for the direction a person wants to go with a purpose of creating energy — like brainstorming,” explains Jodie Eckleberry-Hunt , Ph.D., ABPP,  a board-certified health psychologist, executive coach, and the author of Badass Stories: Grit, Growth, Hope, and Healing in the Sh*tshow . “A person can use pictures, words, crafts — whatever fits — to create the vision board. It's also a great way to explore yourself and see what you are drawn to. The point is to create a path or direction with inspiration and maybe some beauty.”

“Vision boards are a powerful tactical tool to help set and manifest your goal-setting,” echoes Theresa Melito-Conners, PhD , who goes by Dr. MC, and is the CEO & Founder of Dr. MC’s Self-Care Cabaret . She notes that whether such projects are a physical collage or an online creation, vision boards start with intentionality and specificity: “What you want to accomplish, how you envision yourself, and how you want to feel. For example, if you’d like to be on the cover of Vogue , you might create a mock-up of a graphic of yourself on the cover and add it to your board,” she says, adding that vision boards are not only about the act of creating them, but also about the action you take as a result. 

“What steps are you taking toward that Vogue cover? Starting a blog? Going to a networking event? Participating in a fashion show?” Maybe your goal is less Vogue cover and more 'move into your own apartment, apply to grad school, or run a marathon. But you get the idea.

But...do vision boards actually work?

Eckleberry-Hunt says that while vision boards aren’t for everyone, they often are a helpful tool for creative or artistic folks and/or people who are just generally feeling stuck. “By doing this sort of exploration, people can discover things about themselves — wants and desires they may not have been aware of previously,” says Eckleberry-Hunt, elaborating that the other main benefits of vision boards, as she sees it, are that they can generate some natural excitement in your life. “Having the vision board present in a work or living space can also remind a person of what they are looking to achieve or what motivates them.”

Riffing on that opinion, psychologist Dr. Kate Cummins, PsyD notes that the effort of actually putting together a vision board is behavioral activation of creating something new. “When someone commits to the goal of making a vision board, they commit to time and effort on a specific activity that is directly correlated to the future of their healthy or adaptive overall well-being,” she says, adding that our behaviors are a key predictor for future success, so the act of creating the vision board activates behavioral change, which can, in turn, help to set up a domino effect or upward spiral in your future. 

“Visualization, or cognitive reframing, is what happens when an individual creates a vision board and the mind shifts into a positive future space,” clarifies Cummins. “When making a vision board, positive cognitive reframing happens naturally as one is picking out things they want for their future, so maximized success is created when the person is intentional about future goals or positive future themes in their life.”

How do you figure out what to put on your vision board?

If you’re stumped on where to begin, you’re not alone. To make a vision board, Lester suggests finding pictures of stuff you like, whether it’s family photos, magazine clippings, drawings, ticket stubs, swatches of fabric to which you’re drawn, etc. Basically, “anything that sparks joy and a feeling of lightness,” emphasizes Lester, adding that these items don’t have to make sense together or tell a story. To that point, she stresses that the sillier your items are, the more helpful they may ultimately prove — and you may get over that whole “vision board block” thing more swiftly.

“If you don’t know where to start, think back to when you were eight years old," Lester suggests. "What was your perfect day? Ice skating? Learning about dinosaurs? Throwing a birthday party for your guinea pigs?”

On your vision board, you can place pictures that represent childhood dreams next to something you’re actually trying to manifest in the present day. “How will a picture of a guinea pig in a tiara manifest your dream job? Tapping into the innocence of childhood — or studying abroad, or your first job out of college, or any time you remember as joyful — shifts you into a positive mindset, which paves the way for manifestation,” says Lester. 

The next step, says Lester, is to put representations of one or two things on your board that you’re trying to manifest. “The warm fuzzy feelings of looking at your dog Noodles will automatically bleed over into the cutout of that Sandals vacation, and up your chances of manifesting it,” she says, elaborating that she believes manifestation isn’t about how , but about yes . “You don’t stress about how the post office will deliver a package, you just focus on receiving it right? Same thing with a vision board.” (And for those of us who do stress about getting mail deliveries, alas, we feel you and we’re checking our mailboxes, too.)

Still, stresses Lester, “it’s the universe’s job to sort out the delivery. You just make sure the path to your doorstep is clear!” Easier said than done, we know, but creating a vision board can often be a great first step to elucidating your dreams, giving them structure, and ushering them into existence. 

OK, so time to walk through the nuts and bolts: How do you make a vision board?

Once you’ve gotten clear about the kind of themes and goals you want to represent visually on your creative oeuvre, you can get to work with the following steps, per Roxie Nafousi , self-development coach , motivational speaker and best-selling author of MANIFEST: 7 Steps to Living Your Best Life .

Get in the mood.

To channel your positive outlook Nafousi notes the importance of setting the mood. “Light some candles, play some relaxing music and create a calm and meditative environment,” she says. “Make your vision-boarding exercise a sacred event for you to enjoy and indulge yourself in.”  

Get your blank canvas ready.

If you’re choosing to create a vision board in a physical medium, Nafousi suggests getting a large sheet of card or paper. Then, you can choose whether you want to write out your goals with different colored pens (either in bullet points or freestyle) or use images (DIY drawings, cutouts from magazines or newspapers, printed photos from your own life, you name it). “Choose whatever feels best for you — just remember to have fun with it.”

 Plot your timeline.

Dreams need deadlines, too. “At the top of the page, write the exact date by which you want to manifest what’s on your vision board. You could choose to do a six-month, one-year or even a five-year vision board,” says Nafousi, who is a personal fan of doing all three. “I sometimes find that people can struggle to know, and visualize, what they want their life to look like one year ahead, yet they may feel much more able to visualize their life in five years’ time, or vice versa. So if you are feeling a little stuck, remember: you can always choose a different timeline.”

  Ask some pointed questions.

Begin this portion of vision board making with some deep breaths and pausing for as long as you need to contemplate what you imagine your life to be like six months, or one year, or five years from now. “Create a clear and vivid image in your mind as you ask yourself the following questions: How do I feel within myself? What kind of relationships surround me? What kind of home do I live in? What is my profession? What am I most proud of? What do I want to change in my life? What do I want to keep the same?” suggests Nafousi.

While answering these questions, Nafousi says you should allow yourself to be completely free in your dreams, desires and wants. “Do not allow fear to hold back your imagination; instead, take your mind’s eye to the exact place that you want to be. Allow the image of your future self to really come to life as you sink into that visualization.”

Create multiple categories for your vision board.

Nafousi says splitting your vision board into the following six categories can be helpful, though you can feel free to tweak or toss certain categories as you see fit.

• Personal development (i.e. your personal growth and how you want to feel within yourself)
• Love and romance
• Friends and family
• Hobbies/leisure

Now: Design your life

It’s time to start mapping out what your life will look like across the various spheres you are encompassing on your vision board. “For each category, write down all the things that you want to manifest within it. If you are using cut-out images, such as an image of your dream house, stick them on to your vision board,” says Nafousi, who advises trying to have a minimum of three things for each category, but notes there is no limit on how many things you can add to your vision board.

  Put your vision board away.

Once you’re done with this process and satisfied with how your vision board has turned out, Nafousi says you can put it away somewhere safe and set a reminder to come back to it on the date you wrote at the top. Note: Some people may prefer to see their vision board on a daily or weekly basis, so you might want to hang it prominently in your office space or inside a closet door that you consciously check once a week if that’s the case for you.

Zhuzh up your vision board.

Looking to go the extra mile? Melito-Conners has the following guidelines to make your vision board even more impressive.

Use Canva . The free graphic design skill can be an easy way to combine images and quotes that are totally personal to you. “I also put my Canva skills to use to create specific images,” says Melito-Conners.

Use wrapped bulletin board cork as your canvas. Instead of paper or cardstock, “cover the bulletin board cork section in fun wrapping paper or fabric,” says Melito-Conners. “This step is optional, but it can elevate the vibe and feel of your board. All you need is a stapler and scissors to transform a boring bulletin board into a colorful surface.”

Use colorful push pins. While Melito-Conners concedes this totally optional, “Why not?” she asks, adding that she likes to use novelty push pins (shoes, crowns, jewels, roses, pearls, etc.) from Amazon and Etsy. “Please note that traditional push pins or glue work just fine too.”

Hang your vision board with Command Picture Hanging Strips. Melito-Conners notes that these are ideal for easy removal and updating — ideal if you like having a vision board that evolves “like your ultimate closet,” as Melito-Conners puts it, over the course of a few months or a year.  

Put it on prominent display. “To best maximize and manifest your vision board, I encourage individuals to put it in a prominent place where they can see it daily,” she says, though as stated previously, you may also opt to put your vision board out of view until you look at it during a designated time. For some, there’s power in surrounding yourself with your vision board as you go through your everyday life. “Make it the wallpaper on your phone or computer!” says Melito-Conners.

Perri is a New York City-born-and-based writer. She holds a B.A. in psychology from Columbia University and is also a culinary school graduate of the Natural Gourmet Institute. She's probably seen Dave Matthews Band in your hometown, and she'll never turn down a bloody mary. Follow her on Twitter  @66PerriStreet  or learn more at  VeganWhenSober.com

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What Is a Vision Board and Why Make One?

Need a more creative way to think through your goals vision boards may help..

Posted March 1, 2021 | Reviewed by Ekua Hagan

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What Is a Vision Board?

A vision board is usually a collage of images that represent goals and dreams . It can include cut-out pictures from magazines and words that help inspire you to manifest your dreams and get where you want to go (here is a complete guide on how to manifest something).

Although vision boarding is a commonly used tool, there is not a lot of research on its effectiveness. Initial research suggests it can help us more easily reach our goals. This may be due to how vision boards help us gain self-awareness and self-reflect on what is important to us.

​Vision boards may also help us imagine what a positive future could look like for us. Imagining a positive future is a helpful way to increase positive emotions and optimism . And positive emotions often create opportunities and increase the chances of success.

Even though this research doesn't directly assess the benefits of making a vision board, it suggests that many of the components of vision boarding have potential benefits for our well-being and success. It's just key to remember that vision boards are not magic. Rather, they can help you better understand what it is you'd like to manifest.

Here are some tips to help you make a vision board.

How to Make a Vision Board

Start by exploring your values. If your goals are not aligned with your personal values, achieving these goals won't provide the sense of satisfaction and well-being that you're seeking. Ask yourself, what really matters to you? What gives you meaning? Who do you want to be? Who do you want to help? And how do you want to spend your time? When making a vision board and thinking through your goals, keep these values-focused questions in mind.

Think about what motivates you. If you pursue goals that you find motivating, you'll have an easier time reaching them. So ask yourself, what do you want and why do you want it? Does it have anything to do with your childhood or past experiences? Does it have to do with your personality ?

Try to better understand why the goals you've set are so important to you. Or revise them if you discover they are not as important as you once thought.

Set priorities. Sometimes vision boards can end up being a collection of all the goals we aspire to—being rich, beautiful, and successful. If we really want to achieve these goals, we need to be more realistic with them. What can we reasonably accomplish in a year or five years? You can visualize your priorities by focusing a vision board on your most important life goals or by placing them above, in the center, or over a greater majority of the board.

Potential Problems With Vision Boards

Vision boarding is somewhat controversial in the scientific community. ​Because vision boards are often associated with the "law of attraction ," which doesn't have scientific support behind it, many assume vision boards are not a useful tool.

It's true that we don't fully understand the precise benefits of vision boards, but the truth is we don't understand the precise benefits of many tools that are used in coaching , counseling, and psychotherapy . That's because testing each one of these tools without the others is quite burdensome research. Anyway, given we know that the very act of setting goals is better than not setting goals, vision boards are indeed likely to be a useful tool, at least for some people.

Vision Board Ideas

Here are some types of goals that you may want to include in a vision board.

• Social Goals

You can include all of these or make a vision board for each goal, focusing on the details of each. It's up to you. Now it's time to get creative.

Created with content from The Berkeley Well-Being Institute .

Quoidbach, J., Mikolajczak, M., & Gross, J. J. (2015). Positive interventions: An emotion regulation perspective. Psychological bulletin, 141(3), 655.

Burton, L., & Lent, J. (2016). The use of vision boards as a therapeutic intervention. Journal of Creativity in Mental Health, 11(1), 52-65.

Lyubomirsky, S., King, L., & Diener, E. (2005). The benefits of frequent positive affect: Does happiness lead to success?. Psychological bulletin, 131(6), 803.

Tchiki Davis, Ph.D. , is a consultant, writer, and expert on well-being technology.

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How to create a vision board for university

It’s national vision board day – so we’ve put together a guide on how you can create one to help you achieve your goals.

Grace McCabe

What is a vision board?

A vision board is a collage of words and images that represents your goals or dreams. You can make them about anything. Whether you want to focus on mental health, your studies or bigger life goals, it’s usually a tool to help you visualise what you want to achieve.

How to make a powerful vision board

Decide what you don’t want to include to ensure that your vision is strong, simple and focused. Imagine that you are making a vision board about achieving your university degree. You can include graduation-style pictures, Post-it notes about assignments that will be completed and quotes to keep you motivated.

Other things you might want to include on your vision board are career goals, participation in a particular society or club, a study abroad destination you’d like to go to or a grade you’d like to achieve while you’re at university. No goal is too small – if it matters to you and it’s something you want to achieve, you should include it.

5 revision techniques to help you ace exam season (plus 7 more unusual approaches) How to reference at university level Tips to help you understand self-regulated learning

Some things to avoid when making your vision board

Don’t get distracted by trying to find the “perfect” quote or image. Pick one that has the feeling you are aiming for and include it; you can always swap it out later if a more accurate one comes along. Otherwise, you’ll be forever searching for the perfect image and you won’t complete your vision board.

Don’t feel that you have to include only outcomes that feel “possible”. You might want to include the goal of doing a PhD or a master’s degree if it’s something you hope to do but aren’t sure whether it’s possible just yet.

Don’t feel you have to follow convention. If you see an image or a quote that evokes a feeling or thought in you, then include it, regardless of what it was “meant” to mean. For example, an image of someone sitting alone might conventionally be seen as a lonely image, but perhaps it makes you think of the time when you’ll be finished with all your exams and can just sit and relax.

It’s best to ensure that your vision board reflects you and your goals personally. Don’t include images of a corporate job just because you feel like that’s what you should be aiming for if it isn’t something you really feel you want to pursue.

Finally, don’t settle. This is your vision, your dream and your ideal outcome. Believe that you can achieve anything and you shouldn’t sell yourself short.

Sources for your vision board creation

There are plenty of websites, software and apps to help you create your vision board, but here are some of our favourites to get you started.

• iStock photo – this site allows you to search by a word or phrase so you can find an image that matches your thought or goal
• Pinterest – another site or app where you can search by a keyword but also then see related or suggested images to match your search. You might even find something you weren’t originally looking for
• Canva – this program allows you to build everything from scratch in a digital studio, including text and images
• Craft stores and Etsy – why not check out your local craft store or shop online for poster board, magazines and craft materials and make a hand-made vision board?

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Do Vision Boards Really Work?

If you think visualizing your goals is nonsense, ask olympic athletes, people recovering from debilitating injuries, business leaders, and military personnel what they think.

Research shows that the same brain patterns that get activated when doing visualization are activated when the action is occurring, and so, mental practice contributes to bringing what you envision into reality. Athletes, military and many others state that imagery helps them perform better in real life and obtain the results they visualized.

And this is where a vision board comes into the picture (pun intended).

You may be wondering, what is a Vision Board?

A vision board is a powerful tool to rehearse in your mind that which you desire for your future.

Simply described, a vision board is a large piece of cardboard where you paste selected pictures and meaningful words of the items or experiences you would like to manifest or bring into your life for the upcoming year(s).

It looks something like this:

When creating a vision board, you begin by visualizing your goals or what your life would look like if you could have it all. The instructor guides you to connect to the true intention of your desires so you can bring what is in your highest interest into reality.

Vision boards are great for envisioning and focusing on the goals that are important to you. They provide clarity of intention and mental rehearsal. You can create your own vision board or you can participate in a guided workshop to obtain the best results.

If you are interested in attending a Vision Board workshop in San Diego, sign up to our upcoming class here .

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Vision Boarding Actually Works. Here’s How to Make One, According to the Pros

Looking for a little extra motivation to reach your wellness goals? A vision board can help.

By Kylie Gilbert • April 18, 2024

What Is a Vision Board?

How do vision boards work, how to use vision boards to pursue health and fitness goals, what to put on a vision board, how to make a vision board.

Feeling inspired to commit to a new goal or pursue a dream you put on the backburner, but need a little help getting started? A vision board could be just the creative refresh you need.

“I think [vision boards] are really helpful if you feel particularly unmotivated or stuck ,” says Anna Laifer , an executive leadership coach whose clients include professional athletes. “It’s a way to spark something—and that can happen any time.”

But vision boarding is more than a creative outlet: The psychology behind the practice is supported by research and used by athletes to reach their performance goals. 

Ahead, we’re sharing expert-backed tips on how to make a vision board that feels realistic and supportive—of both where you are now and where you want to go.

A vision board is a collage of images and phrases that represent your goals and aspirations. Many people use them as a form of manifestation or goal-setting. 

Creating a vision board can give you clarity on your goals in all different areas of your life—your career, relationships, or health, for example—and returning to your vision board can keep you motivated and accountable along the way.

While the concept isn’t all that new, vision boards (sometimes called dream boards or mood boards) were a helpful tool for many during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was a time when lots of us felt the urge to find a hands-on creative outlet (like knitting or baking banana bread) to de-stress and get away from our screens, says Laifer, who uses visualization in her practice often.

“Vision boarding creates a sense of novelty. It’s fun, it’s playful, it’s expressive—and it’s yours,” Laifer says. “Post-COVID, we’re looking for new ways to understand ourselves and what we’re here to do.” 

Creating a vision board (whether physical or digital) can help us connect with ourselves in a new way—and maybe even disconnect from Instagram a bit, Laifer adds. While social media pushes us to constantly consume other people’s lives, vision boarding allows us to be our own content creators.

DragonImages / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

Making a vision board might not sound like the most scientific goal-setting technique, but there’s research to back up the concepts behind the practice, says Alan Chu, PhD , an associate professor of applied sport psychology at UNC Greensboro and a certified mental performance consultant who works with athletes and coaches on mental skills training, including goal setting and visualization.

Imagery, or creating an experience in your mind, is a tool that sports psychologists use with athletes to enhance their performance. It works by triggering the same parts of the brain that are activated when you actually perform the task, a concept known as “functional equivalence,” Chu explains. 

“For example, if I imagine myself shooting a free throw in a championship and then winning the championship, I’m activating the same neural pathway as I would playing an actual game,” he says. Imagery involves using all your senses to create an image as realistically as possible: the sound of the crowd, the texture of the basketball in your hand, the taste of the sports drink you’re sipping, or the smell of sweat, Chu says by way of example. It’s also about your thoughts and emotions—imagining yourself having the butterflies, for instance.

A study of 65 tennis players published in Basic and Applied Social Psychology suggests the effectiveness of imagery. In the study, participants who were tasked with improving their tennis skills and outperforming other players did better after being prompted to imagine the experience of completing 20 serves and hitting the target line every time. 

Essentially, imagery embodies the old “If you believe it, you can achieve it” adage—and this is exactly what vision boards can tangibly provide. “An image can capture a thousand words. They allow us to get out of our logical brain and into more of an intuitive, emotional, felt sense of self,” Laifer says. 

And just as some of us are visual learners, some of us are also “visual connectors,” Laifer adds. For example, an image of you sitting on the beach feeling peaceful in nature may resonate more than writing down the words, “I want to feel peaceful and present in nature.” 

Specifically focused on achieving a new wellness goal? Vision boards can help you get there—but first, you have to set goals that feel realistic and right for you. 

Chu suggests using a goal-setting technique called WOOP , which involves thinking about your wish (what you want to happen), outcome (how it’ll feel to meet this goal), obstacle (things that could throw you off course), and plan (how you’ll overcome those obstacles). On your vision board, make sure you acknowledge the plan and obstacle aspects you’ll face along the way, not just the outcome or wish, Chu suggests.

For example, if your goal is to run a marathon , think beyond the finish line moment when making your vision board, Laifer says. “In reality, training for a marathon is about the little moments—the months and months of daily training,” she says. “So, maybe you include an image of morning dew on the grass or a sunrise that represents that commitment to taking the steps to run a marathon.”

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Experts say the key to maintaining long-term determination to reach your goals is to tap into intrinsic motivation —aka the “why” behind your dream. “It’s not the vision your parents have for you. It’s not the vision your coach has for you. It comes from you,” Chu says. Ensure your vision board reflects how you want to feel and what values drive you to achieve your goals beyond external validation, Chu says. 

All this imagery and reflection on your vision board can help you reach your goals by changing the way you see yourself. “Instead of thinking about yourself being able to run a marathon, it’s seeing and imagining yourself as a runner,” Chu says. “When we have that sense of identity, we are more likely to believe we can achieve our goals rather than doubting ourselves—a vision board is powerful in that sense.”

You can put anything you want on your vision board, but a good starting point is to choose images or words that “represent something either aspirational or inspiring to you,” Laifer suggests. 

Turning to images or quotes from role models that inspire you is one place to start, Chu suggests. For example, if you’re an aspiring tennis player, maybe it’s a picture of Naomi Osaka at the US Open. 

Images representing connection and belonging may help keep you intrinsically motivated, too, Chu notes. Think: a picture of someone running with a group of friends, or two hands intertwined, for instance.

While a stack of magazines is great source material, you can also add your own photos and mementos that tie into your goals or aspirations. Hand-written notes that include phrases, words, quotes, or affirmations that resonate with you are also fair game. 

You can also make multiple vision boards for different aspects of your life. “Let go of the expectation that this vision board is going to perfectly represent every goal you have and let yourself have fun with it,” Laifer says.

Alfonso Soler / iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images

There’s no correct way to make a vision board—it’s not intended to be a rigid process, Laifer says—but here are a few tips that can help guide you along:

1. Consider Vision Boarding in a Group

While vision boarding can certainly be a solo exercise, Laifer suggests seeking out a small group for the exercise. It can be beneficial to talk about your vision boards out loud—and seeing that no one else is (likely) a professional artist either may help you be less self-critical .

2. Don’t Strive for Perfection

You don’t have to have a neat explanation for everything on your vision board. Sometimes, you may not know why you’re drawn to a particular image until weeks later, Laifer says. 

When it comes to actually creating your collage, know that you can make a physical vision board with cardboard and glue, or a digital vision board using your preferred design tool. Either way, don’t overthink the arrangement. “The beauty is each person does it their own way,” Laifer says.  “There’s no right or wrong. It’s more about whatever feels good and whatever it wants to be for you.”

3. Put It Somewhere You’ll See It

To get the most out of your vision board, Chu suggests putting your finished product somewhere where you’ll see it every day, such as above your desk or mirror.

If you’re trying to achieve a health and wellness goal, consider putting it near your running shoes or in the area of your home where you exercise , Laifer suggests.  (Think: the “Believe” sign hung in the locker room on Ted Lasso .)

4. Return to Your Vision Board Often

There’s no rule that says vision boards have to coincide with the new year or a new season—they can be helpful anytime you need a little extra motivation or want to reconnect with yourself . 

“Give yourself permission to either add to your vision board or update it,” Laifer says. If a new word keeps showing up in your life, or you find yourself drawn to a particular image, add it to the top of your vision board. “It can grow and evolve as you keep growing and evolving,” she adds.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.

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Earn a Ph.D. in Vision Science

The Ph.D. in Vision Science is offered to top students worldwide. With leading programs in biology, optics, imaging, and vision science, you can prepare for a career in academic or industry research while interacting each week with professionals in the field.

Plan your degree

Degree requirements

Course descriptions

Oxyopia: where visionaries share their work

Each semester, Ph.D. students are required to register for and participate in the weekly Vision Science Seminar, known as Oxyopia, the Greek word for “acute vision.” In these weekly seminars, you will hear from optometry faculty, graduate students, and visiting lecturers on their recent intellectual activity—or you may present your own.

Detecting glaucoma sooner with new imaging techniques

Dr. Donald T. Miller, a professor at the IU School of Optometry, and his research associates have created a new, noninvasive ophthalmoscopy method to see individual cells at the back of the eye, allowing eye care practitioners to directly count, for the first time ever, the cells that die in glaucoma and detect the disease earlier than with current clinical methods.

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The Vision Board Book: Create Your Vision Board in a Book Paperback – February 9, 2017

• Print length 96 pages
• Language English
• Publication date February 9, 2017
• Dimensions 8.5 x 0.23 x 11 inches
• ISBN-10 1542752205
• ISBN-13 978-1542752206
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (February 9, 2017)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 96 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1542752205
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1542752206
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 10.9 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.23 x 11 inches

About the author

Gini graham scott.

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D., CEO of Changemakers Publishing and Writing, is an internationally known writer, consultant, speaker, and workshop leader. Her most recent books and programs, include You Can Be More Creative, How to Find and Work with a Good Ghostwriter, How to Win a Merchant Dispute or Fraudulent Chargeback Case, Self-Publishing Your Book in Multiple Formats, and a series of children's picture books.

She has published over 50 books with major publishers and over 150 books through Changemakers Publishing on social trends, business, and self-help topics. She also does workshops on finding publishers, agents, and film producers, and has books on these topics.

She has worked with dozens of clients as a ghostwriter and consultant. She also is a screenplay writer and executive producer of 18 feature films, documentaries, and TV series, eleven in distribution and others in production or post-production. Her scripts have received over 160 awards in film festivals all around the world, and she helps clients write scripts and turn their books and scripts into films.

Her website for writing and publishing is www.changemakerspublishingandwriting.com. Her website for films is www.changemakersproductionsfilms.com.

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Lee Falls Fire

There is no immediate fire threat to Pacific’s campuses. The university is making adjustments to weekend activities, including Commencement, due to air quality concerns. Read More

PhD in Vision Science

The mission of the Vision Science Graduate Program is to provide opportunities for graduate students to advance knowledge in vision science, develop research expertise in advanced experimental approaches and state-of-the-art research skills, gain empirical experience in knowledge dissemination through scientific writing and research presentations, and prepare for careers in academic institutions, governmental research/regulation sectors, or private corporations.

We're here to help on your way to your PhD! Learn about the admissions process and contact your admissions counselor.

How to Apply

The College of Optometry offers a doctoral degree in Vision Science. It is generally expected that students will complete a master’s degree before beginning the PhD in Vision Science program. The PhD program is designed as a three‐year program that provides training in basic vision science research and experiences of clinical-relevant studies.

Applicants without a master’s degree but who demonstrate great potential may be accepted into the PhD program; however, the student needs to fulfill Master of Science degree requirements before advancing to the PhD candidacy.

Applicants with a master's degree (MS), a doctor of optometry (OD) degree from an ACOE accredited program, a doctor of medicine (MD) degree, or who are currently enrolled in Pacific University's College of Optometry OD program, may waive all or part of the MS curriculum. The Vision Science Graduate Committee will consider each case individually.

Apply now to begin your PhD in Vision Science at Pacific University.

Explore PhD in vision science tuition and financial aid.

Discover the PhD in vision science degree requirements at Pacific University.

Students will be assigned an academic advisor, research mentor and other committees to guide their progress toward the PhD in Vision Science.

Students may substitute courses toward the PhD in Vision Science within specified guidelines. All guidelines should be compatible with the university policy. 

Meet the faculty and staff of College of Optometry.

Learn what to expect from your PhD in Vision Science at Pacific University.

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• Doctor of Philosophy

Vision Science Doctor of Philosophy

The College of Optometry offers a traditional Doctoral degree in Vision Science. This is typically a five year program that provides vision science research training and experience.

Before submitting an application, please visit our website at Doctor of Philosophy | College of Optometry (osu.edu)  to make sure you understand all of our application requirements. Of note, the application and all supporting documentation must be received by the posted deadline.

Optional Practical Training (OPT)

International graduates of this major are approved by the Department of Homeland Security for three (3) years of work permission in the United States after graduation. Visit the Office of International Affairs website for more information.

If you have a disability and experience difficulty accessing this content, please contact [email protected] .

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