Preprofessional Requirements for Optometry
Optometry is a career requiring a professional degree. Students are required to complete certain undergraduate prerequisite courses in order to be eligible to apply to optometry school. It is essential for students to research and know the requirements for admission to each of the optometry schools to which they apply. These requirements are listed in the Admissions Requirements Handbook, available through the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) on www.opted.org. Additional information about preparation for optometry school can be found at www.opted.org.
Pre-Health Advising at The Career Center
Admission into optometry school is highly competitive. The Career Center provides pre-professional advising for students who are interested in pursuing optometry as a career. This includes discussion of prerequisites and expectations of optometry schools, preparation in and outside the classroom, details of the application process, and characteristics of competitive applicants. The Center also coordinates the visits of deans and admissions officers to the campus to provide information about various health professions. The Career Center also provides a service, Letters of Evaluation Online (LEO), that allows students to store letters of evaluation.
Contact The Career Center at (217) 333-0820 or online at www.careercenter.illinois.edu.
Academic Advising
Since students who are interested in the health professions are expected to enter degree programs of their choice, their academic advising is provided by the departmental offices of the curricula or majors that they have selected. Academic Advisors can assist students in making sure they are making appropriate progress towards completing their degree at Illinois.
The following chart represents the MINIMUM course requirements to prepare for optometry school. Colleges of Optometry may require additional coursework and/or expect students to go beyond minimum preparation. Students are strongly encouraged to research their specific schools of interest!
| Hours | Requirements |
|---|---|
| 3 | Composition I requirement |
| 3 | Advanced Composition requirement |
| 4-5 | MATH 220 - Caluculus or MATH 221 - Calculus I |
| 8-10 | General Biology with laboratory
MCB 150- Molecular and Cellular Basis of Life MCB 151- Molecular and Cellular Laboratory* IB 150- Organismal & Evolutionary Biology IB 151- Organismal & Evolutionary Biology Laboratory* * MCB and IB majors do NOT take MCB 151 or IB 151; Pre-dentistry students in any major who choose to take upper level labs do not need to take MCB 151 and/or IB 151; Dentistry schools require a minimum of two biology labs. |
| 6-8 | Anatomy and Physiology MCB 244-Human Anatomy and Physiology I MCB 246-Human Anatomy and Physiology II OR IB 202- Anatomy and Physiology IB 426- Environmental and Evolutionary Physiology of Animals |
| 3-5 | Genetics
MCB 250 - Molecular Genetics OR IB 204 - Genetics |
| 3-5 | Microbiology with laboratory
MCB 100 - Introductory Microbiology MCB 100 - Introductory Microbiology Lab OR MCB 300 - Microbiology MCB 301 - Experimental Microbiology NOTE: Check specific optomerty schools for which course is required or preferred. |
| 8 | General Chemistry with laboratory
CHEM 102 - General Chemistry I CHEM 103 - General Chemistry Lab I CHEM 104 - General Chemistry II CHEM 105 - General Chemistry Lab II |
| 8 | Organic Chemistry with laboratory
CHEM 232 - Elementary Organic Chemistry I CHEM 233 - Elementary Organic Chemistry Lab I AND CHEM 332 - Elementary Organic Chemistry II OR MCB 450 - Biochemistry OR MCB 354 - Biochemistry and Physical Basis of Life |
| 10 | Physics with laboratory
PHYS 101 - College Physics - Mechanics & Heat PHYS 102 - College Physics - E & M and Modern |
| variable | Courses in Humanities and Social Sciences |