Michigan Optometry Licensing and the Controlled Substance License

Michigan's endorsement route has no minimum years of practice, and the paperwork gets lighter the longer you have been licensed. The Michigan Bureau of Professional Licensing's optometrist licensing guide (revised January 26, 2026) splits endorsement applicants at three years: those licensed in another state for less than three years send NBEO scores along with everything else; those licensed three years or more do not. Every endorsement applicant passes a 32-question jurisprudence exam and documents therapeutic prescriptive certification "at the highest level authorized" where they currently practice. Prescribing controlled substances in Michigan then requires a Michigan controlled substance license, which has its own training prerequisites.

What does every Michigan applicant need?

The guide lists requirements that apply to all applicants, whatever the route:

• The online application through MiPLUS, with the application fee and two-year license fee: $237.10 by examination or endorsement.
• A criminal background check. After you submit, you receive a confirmation letter by email with fingerprinting instructions.
• Verification of licensure from every state or country where you hold or ever held a license, sent directly to the bureau and showing that no discipline is pending and no sanctions are in force.
• One-time human trafficking training that meets Administrative Rule 338.303, completed before the license issues.
• At least 2 hours of implicit bias training within the five years before the license issues.
• Proof of English proficiency, which a U.S. optometry program taught in English satisfies.
• Documentation for any yes answer to the good moral character questions.

For the verification step across many states, see ordering verifications from every state you have held.

Why does the three-year mark matter for endorsement?

From the guide's endorsement section:

Licensed in another state for less than three years: final official transcripts sent directly from your accredited school; NBEO Parts I, II and III, including the TMOD score embedded in Part II, sent directly by NBEO; the 32-question jurisprudence exam; documentation of a license granting therapeutic prescriptive certification at the highest level authorized in the state where you currently practice; and a current CPR certificate.

Licensed three years or more: the jurisprudence exam, the highest-level therapeutic certification documentation, a current CPR certificate and final official transcripts. No NBEO score report is listed.

Optometrists licensed in a Canadian province send NBEO scores only if they have been licensed in Canada for less than ten years. Canadian and foreign-trained optometrists licensing in the U.S. covers that case.

How does the Michigan jurisprudence exam work?

It is 32 questions, and 75 percent (24 of 32) passes. You schedule it with PSI. The guide lists the material it covers: the Michigan Public Health Code Article 1, Parts 11 and 12; Article 5, Part 55A; Article 15, Parts 161 and 174; and the administrative rules of the Board of Optometry. Unlike the remote, open-book law exams some states give through NBEO, this is scheduled with a testing vendor, so allow time to book a seat.

What does "highest level authorized" mean for your therapeutic certification?

Michigan asks for "documentation showing that you hold a license granting therapeutic prescriptive certification at the highest level authorized in the state of the United States where you currently practice." Michigan's own certifications are DPA and TPA, applied for with the license ($82.60 each, or $143.20 for both together), and DPA certification must come before TPA. If your current state offers a higher tier that you never added, expect questions. What TPA, orals and legend drug certificates mean from state to state helps map tiers across states.

Do you need a Michigan controlled substance license?

The guide states: "A controlled substance license is required for every person who manufactures, distributes, prescribes, or dispenses any controlled substance in Michigan." The key details:

• The fee is $176.40.
• You need DPA/TPA certification to be eligible.
• One license covers prescribing at several locations, but each location you dispense from needs its own license.
• Optometrists may not prescribe a Schedule 2 controlled substance or an oral corticosteroid.
• You must complete opioid and controlled substance awareness training meeting Administrative Rule 338.3135 before the license issues.
• You can apply in the same application as the optometrist license; if you skip it there, you wait until the optometrist license issues to apply.

Applying together saves weeks. A Michigan DEA registration follows as a separate federal step; see state controlled substance licenses for optometrists and DEA registration for optometrists in more than one state.

When does a Michigan license renew, and what is due?

Licenses renew every two years for $209.60, through MiPLUS, no sooner than 90 days before expiration. A controlled substance license renews automatically with the optometrist license unless you deselect it. For a full two-year cycle, the guide lists:

• 40 hours of board-approved CE, including at least 2 hours in pain and symptom management;
• at least 20 hours in person or live and synchronous;
• at most 9 hours of practice management;
• for DPA/TPA holders, at least 20 hours in pharmacological management of ocular conditions;
• 1 hour of implicit bias training for each year of the license cycle, every cycle; and
• for controlled substance licensees, the opioid and controlled substance awareness training.

You certify compliance by accepting the renewal attestation. For multi-state ODs, the implicit bias hours are the Michigan-specific item that most often goes missing. Optometry CE requirements across states shows how Michigan compares.

Should you hand off the Michigan paperwork?

Our Optometry License, One State service is $699 for Michigan. We confirm which side of the three-year line you fall on, gather the highest-level therapeutic certification proof, request verifications from every state and country you have held, line up the human trafficking, implicit bias and opioid training, and prepare the MiPLUS application with a question-by-question guide. Our State Controlled Substance License service ($249) prepares the Michigan controlled substance license in the same filing, and DEA Registration ($249) follows. You answer and sign the application and attestation, sit the PSI jurisprudence exam and pay the bureau. See the Michigan licensing page to compare states.