Requirements for Admission to the College of Optometry:

• 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;
• Completion of 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;
• Completion of the Optometry Admission Test (OAT);
• 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 is available on-line at http://optometry.osu.edu/pdf/Functional_Standards_for_Admissions.pdf (PDF - 25KB)
• Submission of official transcripts for all post secondary-level studies;
• Complete at least 10 hours of observation at a minimum of two different optometric practice settings;
• A personal interview;
• Submit completed application materials (including application form, personal statement, resume, 3 personal evaluations including one from an optometrist and one from a professor).

Personal evaluations must be submitted by an optometrist and a professor who knows the applicant, and a person of the applicant's choice

Required Pre-Optometry Courses

Admission to the 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. Most students admitted to the college have bachelor’s degrees or three years or more of undergraduate education.

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.

^** Please enclose syllabi for your Physiology course(s) with your application materials. Physiology prerequisite must be a comprehensive, intermediate systems physiology series.

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.

Note: 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. If any science prerequisites are older than 10 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.