Please refer to the current SIUE catalog or the Biology Department Web Page for detailed specialization requirements for biology majors.

Links to Sites of Interest to Pre-Optometry Students

Regional Optometry Programs

• Illinois College of Optometry
• Indiana University School of Optometry
• Ohio State University College of Optometry
• Southern College of Optometry
• University of Missouri-St. Louis School of Optometry
• Ferris State University Michigan College of Optometry

Other Optometry Sites

• Association of School and Colleges of Optometry
• American Academy of Optometry

Let me know (cbwilso@siue.edu) if you know of other sites that might be of interest to pre-optometry students.

Applying to Optometry School

Since each optometry school may have slightly different admissions criteria, applicants should contact each school and/or college to which they are interested in applying. Most optometry schools and colleges require applicants to complete an application, write a personal essay; submit transcripts from colleges attended by the applicant; take the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) and submit scores; provide letters of recommendation; participate in a personal interview; and demonstrate experience or exposure to the field of optometry.

The academic requirements for admission to the schools and colleges of optometry vary, but students wishing to study optometry should be certain to take at least a year of biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, general physics, and microbiology; English; college mathematics; and other social science and humanities courses. The science courses should be pre-professional level courses designed for science majors or health professional students and should offer laboratory experience. Brief survey courses in the sciences will not prepare you for optometry school. Be sure to consult with the pre-optometry advisor at your school or an advisor at the school or college of optometry that you plan to attend. (excerpted from the ASCO site)

Students should apply to optometry schools in the summer or fall of the year before they plan to begin the program. Do not wait until just before the deadline to apply-- apply close to the earliest time they accept applications. Investigate the web sites for programs that are of interest to you to make sure that you take the prerequisite courses required--not all programs require the same courses. Most programs require the OAT as an admissions test.