Pre-Optometry
General Information
| Bachelor’s Degree Required | Yes |
| Entrance Exam | OAT (Optometry Admission Test) |
| Entrance Exam Resources | What is on the OAT (Princeton Review) Seeing Through the OAT (Princeton Review) What is Tested on the OAT (Kaplan) |
| Patient Care Experience &/or Shadowing Hours | 30+ Hours |
| Application Systems | OptomCAS |
| Application Timeline & Checklist | Program Application Deadlines (OptomCAS) |
| Program Directory | ASCO Member Schools & Colleges AOSA Schools |
| “Pre-Professional Resource Library” | Coming Soon! |
| Professional Associations & Accreditations | Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) American Optometric Student Association (AOSA) National Optometric Association (NOA) American Academy of Optometry (AAOPT) American Optometric Association (AOA) |
| Additional Resources | Applicant & Prerequisite Information (ASCO) |
Recommended Coursework (PDF)
| Biology Courses | BIOL231 Human Anatomy & Physiology I w/ Lab (4) BIOL232 Human Anatomy & Physiology II w/ Lab (4) BIOL233 Human Anatomy & Physiology III w/ Lab (4) BIOL323 General Microbiology w/ Lab (5) |
| Chemistry Courses | CHEM204 General Chemistry w/ Lab (5) CHEM205 General Chemistry w/ Lab (5) CHEM206 General Chemistry w/ Lab (5) CHEM334 Organic Chemistry I (4) CHEM335 Organic Chemistry II (4) CHEM338 Organic Chemistry I Lab (1) CHEM336 Organic Chemistry III (4) CHEM339 Organic Chemistry II Lab (1) CHEM450 Structural Biochemistry (4) CHEM451 Metabolic Chemistry (4) CHEM454 Biochemistry Lab (2) |
| Physics Courses | PHYS201 General Physics w/ Lab (4) PHYS202 General Physics w/ Lab (4) PHYS203 General Physics w/ Lab (4) |
| Math/Statistics Courses | MATH241 Survey of Calculus (4) or MATH251 Calculus (4) STAT327 Statistics & Experimental Design (5) or STAT352 Statistics (4) |
| Social Science Courses | PSY201 General Psychology (4 |
| English/Writing Courses | WR122 Argumentative Writing (4) |
| Strongly Suggested Electives/Additional Courses | N/A |
| Notes | The curriculum of the Pre-Optometry pathway is for those seeking admission to a school of Optometry to complete a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree. Typically, students will complete a Bachelor’s degree in |