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Admissions Requirements

Information for Prospective Students
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Conversion to Semesters

Please be advised that Ohio State will convert to a semester calendar in summer 2012. We encourage you to keep in touch with us as we expect to have updated information about the prerequisite course equivalencies in the next few months.

Requirements for Admission to the College of Optometry:

  • Complete a minimum of 135 quarter hours of credit in prescribed pre-optometry coursework (exclusive of military science, naval science, air force aerospace studies, physical education, or health education) at The Ohio State University, or the equivalent at any other accredited university or college;
  • Complete all stated prerequisite courses with a grade of C- or better;
  • Above-average standing in the listed minimum pre-optometry course requirements. Applicants with cumulative point-hour ratios of 3.00 or higher (4.00=A) will be given first consideration. Performance in courses which are specifically required for admission is particularly important;
  • Complete at least 10 hours of observation at a minimum of two different optometric practice settings;
  • Submit OptomCAS application between July 1 and March 31.
  • Complete the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) by March 31.
  • Submit official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended, via OptomCAS
  • Submit a minimum of three recommendation letters via OptomCAS. One must be from an optometrist and one from a professor.
  • Complete a personal interview with the College of Optometry Admissions Committee
  • To ensure that they have satisfactory functional skills to provide optometric care, all applicants must meet functional standards established by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO).
  • The ASCO functional standards statement is available on-line at http://optometry.osu.edu/pdf/ASCOFunctionalStandards.pdf (PDF - 25KB)

Prerequisite Courses for The Ohio State University College of Optometry

Admission to the OSU College of Optometry requires completion of the prerequisites listed below or their equivalents from any accredited college or university. At least 45 hours of this preparatory work should be taken at a baccalaureate degree-granting institution. Applicants must have completed three or more years of undergraduate work, and preference will be given to those with an earned bachelor's degree.

Prerequisite Evaluation

Professional Admissions at OSU offers free coursework evaluations for students attending other institutions to provide assistance in selecting and taking coursework that meets our prerequisite requirements. Please refer to the form found at the following link for additional evaluation information: http://professional.osu.edu/prereq.htm.

Ten Year Course Work Rule

If any science prerequisites are older than ten years, the applicant must either repeat course work in that specific area or submit convincing evidence of current mastery in the appropriate science to the Admissions Committee. Due to continuous advances in the scientific field, the Admissions Committee requires applicants to demonstrate recent competence in science prerequisites. This is automatically demonstrated if all science prerequisites have been satisfactorily completed within ten calendar years immediately preceding the year of application.

Prerequisite Courses
Quarter
Hours1
Semester
Hours1
Ohio State
Course Numbers
English Composition
5
3-4
110
       
Chemistry
      Inorganic, with laboratory
15
8-10
121, 122 & 123
     Organic
6-8
3-4
251 & 252
     *Biochemistry
5
3-4
511
       
+Physics, with laboratory
15
8-10
111, 112 & 113
       
Mathematics
      Algebra and Trigonometry
5
3-4
150
      Analytical Geometry and Calculus
5
3-4
151
       
Biology, with laboratory
10
6-8
113 & 114
       
**Intermediate Physiology
10
6-8
311 & 312
       
Microbiology, with laboratory
5
3-4
509
       
Introductory Psychology
5
3-4
100
       
Humanities
10
6-8
       
Social Sciences
10
6-8

1 Number of hours provided as a guideline. In assessing course content for equivalency, actual hours may vary for your institution. In some cases a multiple course series may be needed to fulfill prerequisite coursework.

+ Physics course work should cover mechanics, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and modern physics.

* At some institutions, the prerequisite for biochemistry is two semesters/quarters of organic chemistry.

**Physiology course work must be a comprehensive, intermediate systems physiology series.

Additional Recommended Courses

Additional courses in physiology and anatomy are highly recommended. Other beneficial electives may include: introductory statistics, ethics, histology, sociology, scientific terminology, and small business management.