Program Requirements

Optometrists are primary health care providers for the treatment and care of the eye and related structures. They examine, diagnose and treat conditions that may affect vision including systemic disorders that lead to visual deficits. They fit individuals for contacts, glasses and other visual aids and help to maintain ocular or visual care. Currently, 2/3 of the individuals seeking eye care are treated by Doctors of Optometry. (Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry)

REQUIRED COURSES FOR ADMISSION BY MOST OPTOMETRY SCHOOLS
Course Name Credits MSJ Course(s) Pre-requisites
General Chemistry I & II 8 CHE 111 & 111A
CHE 112 & 112A		 Math placement 4 or higher
Principles of Biology I & II 8 BIO 111 & 111A
BIO 112 & 112A		  
Organic Chemistry I & II 8 CHE 211 & 211A
CHE 212 & 212A		 CHE 112
Biochemistry or Biochem: Nucleic Acid Struct 4 CHE 325 & 325A or
CHE 326 & 326A		 CHE 212
General Physics I & II 8 PHY 201 & 201A
PHY 202 & 202A		 MTH 185
Microbiology 4 BIO 305 & 305A BIO 112 & CHE 112
Upper Level Biology 4 See recommended  
Intermediate Algebra-Calculus Track 3 MTH 099 MTH 098 or equivalent
Statistics 3 MTH 174 or MTH 176 MTH 098
Calculus 3 MTH 191 MTH 185
Psychology 3 PSY 103  
Written Word 3 ENG 101  
Additional Writing Course 3    
Recommended COURSES
Course Name Credits MSJ Course(s) Pre-requisites
Anatomy & Physiology I & II 8 BIO 201 & 201A
BIO 202 & 202A		 BIO 111 & CHE 112

The courses that are listed above are commonly required or recommended by graduate schools.  In addition to the specific courses that are listed above, students are expected to take core courses in the humanities, social sciences, and mathematics.  Students who are interested in a particular school should refer to that school’s website for specific requirements.

HPAC Advisor:  Tracy Reed-Kessler, PhD
Office:  SC 205A, 513-244-4324
Email:  tracy_reed@mail.msj.edu

Admission Requirements

Optometry School Admission Requirements

Most students who are admitted to optometry school participate in a wide range of extracurricular activities, including: volunteer work, physician shadowing, and biomedical research.  Students who are admitted to optometry school must have a minimum GPA of 3.4.  As of 2010-2011 students apply to optometry school through the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS).  Individual schools will have supplementary applications as well. Additional information is available at www.optomcas.org. The Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) publishes an admissions guide with which prospective students should become very familiar. The American Optometric Association (www.aoa.org) and the American Optometric Student Association (www.theaosa.org) are also good sources of information. Applications are accepted Sept. 1-Feb. 1 for Indiana University School of Optometry and Jul. 15-Mar. 1 for The Ohio State University School of Optometry.

Optometry Admission Test (OAT)

The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is a five-hour computerized exam that can be taken most days of the year at any Prometric Testing Center.  It includes multiple-choice questions covering the topics of biology, general and organic chemistry, reading comprehension, physics and quantitative reasoning. A score of at least 325 is desirable. You must apply to take the test through ASCO (www.opted.org) and then may register to take the test once given authorization. Test scores must be submitted to schools no later than February 1. More information including the application and preparation materials may be found at https://www.ada.org/oat/index.html. You must read these materials before applying to take the exam.

Tri-state Schools

These summaries and course listings are intended to serve as guidelines. Please refer to the College Catalog at http://www.msj.edu/catalogs for the latest information on course listings.                                             
College of Mount St. Joseph, September, 2012