Optometry
Fred Liebrand, Academic Adviser.
While two years of college work is the minimum requirement for admission to most optometry schools, the majority of students being admitted have finished at least four years of college or received a bachelor's degree. Students interested in optometry should choose a major even though they may later gain admission to professional school before finishing it. At some optometry schools a student admitted before graduation must then finish a bachelor's degree while pursuing professional studies. This is not advisable since the requirements of the school awarding the degree must then be met.
The preprofessional curriculum should include as a minimum the following courses:
Required Courses:
MATH 121 and MATH 122: Precalculus Mathematics should be taken the first year since it is a corequisite for General Chemistry and a prerequisite for General Physics. May be satisfied by a good secondary mathematics background.
Additional Requirements:
Since the requirements for other preoptometry courses differ among the optometry schools, students should obtain catalogs from each school of interest in order that all prerequisites may be fulfilled. Other required courses will include some or all of the following:
Students may also wish to request the booklet Admissions to Schools and Colleges of Optometry, available from the American Optometric Association, 243 N Lindbergh Blvd., St, Louis, MO 63141-9982.