Optometry

All states and the District of Columbia require that optometrists be licensed, which requires a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited optometry school and a passing score on both a written and clinical state board examination. Licenses are renewed every 1 to 3 years and in all states, continuing education credits are needed for renewal. The Doctor of Optometry degree is a 4 year program. Optometry programs include classroom and laboratory study of health and visual sciences, as well as clinical training in the diagnosis treatment of eye disorders. Included are courses in pharmacology, optics, vision science, biochemistry, and systemic disease. Residencies are not required to develop a specialty. Since the four-year optometry curriculum prepares graduates in all areas, a residency does not introduce but rather enhances experience in a selected area.

Admission requirements at all schools require the completion of a minimum of at least 90 semester units of college coursework; however, a Bachelor's degree may be required and is strongly recommended. Ninety percent of new entrants at most schools have obtained Bachelor's degrees. Applicants should check the specific requirements of the schools in which they have an interest. The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) publishes Schools and Colleges of Optometry: Admission Requirements. Most students major in the sciences (biology, chemistry, etc.) because the prerequisites for optometry schools are science intensive, thought a science major is not required.

Common Components Required for Admission:

Application including personal statement
Official transcripts from all colleges attended
Official Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores
Letters of recommendation
Optometry experience/exposure
Personal interview
The optometry schools do not participate in a centralized application service. Hence, each applicant should contact the individual schools in which they have interest. In general the schools and colleges of Optometry begin accepting applications in August and September for their classes, which begin the following August or September.

Course Requirements for Optometry School:

A student's academic evaluation is based upon overall GPA, science GPA, college attended, degree progress, and course load difficulty. Prerequisite admission requirements vary from school to school. Please refer to the Schools and Colleges of Optometry: Admission Requirements available for viewing at the HPAO resource library, the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) website: http://www.opted.org.

Students maintain responsibility for verifying course selection with individual optometry programs. Listed below are the prerequisite admission requirements for the 2 Optometry programs in California. 

The Southern California College of Optometry Application Deadline: March 15 Average GPA 3.4 Required Courses Calculus 3 semester units Statistics 3 semester units Organic Chemistry 3 semester units General Microbiology w/Lab 3 semester units English Composition or Literature 6 semester units Psychology 6 semester units General Biology/Zoology w/ Lab 8 semester units General Chemistry w/ Lab 8 semester units General Physics w/Lab 8 semester units Recommended Courses: Other courses for consideration include: Anatomy, Physiology, and Biochemistry UC Berkeley School of Optometry Application Deadline: December 31 (requires Oct. OAT) Average GPA 3.54 Required Courses Biology 2 semester Immunology 1 semester * Human Anatomy 1 semester  Human Physiology 1 semester General Physics 2 semester Microbiology  1 semester General Chemistry w/Lab 2 semester Organic Chemistry 1 semester Biochemistry 1 semester Psychology 1 semester English Composition & Literature 2 semester Calculus 1 semester Statistics 1 semester *Immunology course offered through UC Berkeley extension program.

The Southern California College of Optometry  For more information: http://www.scco.edu/ Suggested GCC courses Math 103 Math 136 CHEM 105 ENGL 101, 102 or 104 PSYCH 101 BIOL 101, 102, 112, 120, 121 CHEM 101, 102 PHYS 105 and 106 UC Berkeley School of Optometry Optometry is a four-year professional degree program that students enter afterreceiving a bachelor's degree. New students are accepted in the fall semester only, following completion of all pre-requisite courses listed below. The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is mandatory for all applicants. Students desiring to enter the School of Optometry should arrange to take the OAT no later than the October before entrance; the following February date is too late for consideration. AP credit may be used to satisfy prerequisites. Contact Optometry for details. For more information: http://optometry.berkeley.edu E-mail: admissions@optometry.berkeley.edu (510) 642-9537 BIOL 101and 102 BIOL 120, 121, 112 CHEM 101, 102 CHEM 105 PSYCH 101 ENGL 101, 102 MATH 103 MATH 136

NOTE: AGREEMENTS CONCERNING TRANSFER ARE CONSTANTLY BEING UPDATED, THEREFORE, THE STUDENT IS CAUTIONED TO CHECK WITH A COUNSELOR OR THE TRANSFER CENTER FOR CURRENT TRANSFER INFORMATION.