Doctors of Optometry examine, diagnose, treat and manage diseases of the eye. Training requires four years at a professional school of optometry preceded by a bachelor’s degree or at least 90 credits of undergraduate education including the five prerequisite courses while individual schools may require psychology, statistics, microbiology or additional courses. The required admissions test is the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT). You can review recent admission statistics to see the profile of the most recently admitted class, as well as other data related to applicants, students, faculty, research, and residencies.
For information you may consult the Association of Colleges and Schools of Optometry. There are 23 schools of optometry in the US. One school located in New York State, the SUNY College of Optometry, is public and located in New York City.
From the time you begin college, you are assembling a complete dossier with which to apply to these professional schools. For optometry schools your record will include:
Start planning as a freshman to meet the following course requirements: A minimum of one year each of Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, Biology, and Physics, all with a year of lab; one year of English; and one year of Math is recommended. Check on individual school websites, or the OPTOMCAS School and College Prerequisites page, for additional requirements. Below are the UB courses which we recommend you take in order to meet these requirements:
| COURSE NAME | COURSE NUMBER(S) | CREDITS |
|---|---|---|
| Chemistry (Required and on OAT) | CHE 101-102 w/labs 113-114, or 105-106, or 107-108 w/labs 127-128 | 8-10 credits |
| Organic Chemistry (Required and on OAT) | CHE 201-202, or 203-204 w/labs 205-206, or 251-252 | 10 credits |
| Biology (Required and on OAT) | BIO 200, and BIO 201 w/lab 211 | 9 credits |
| Physics (Required and on OAT) | PHY 101-102 w/labs 151-152, or PHY 107-108 or 117-118 w/lab 158* | 10 credits |
| English/Writing (Required) | Communication Literacy 1 and 2 (If any waived take 3 or 6 credits of writing intensive, literature-based courses – check with prehealth advisor if unsure) | 6 credits |
| Biochemistry Highly recommended - some schools require and on OAT) | BIO 305 or BCH 403 | 3 credits |
| Statistics (Highly recommended - some schools require and on OAT) | STA 119 or PSY 207 | 4 credits |
| Calculus (Recommended - some schools require) | MTH 121 OR 141 | 4 credits |
| Human Anatomy (Recommended - some schools require) | PAS 313 (formerly 113) or PAS 427 | 4 credits |
| Human Physiology (Recommended - some schools require) | PGY 300 or PGY 451-452 | 4-6 credits |
| Microbiology (Recommended - some schools require) | MIC 401 | 4 credits |
| Psychology (Recommended - some schools require) | PSY 101 | 3 credits |
*Consult with a prehealth advisor regarding additional lab requirements if taking a Physics sequence which includes only one lab.