The following courses are required by most optometry schools.
You should be able to successfully incorporate these courses into your overall UMW curriculum within the framework of any UMW major program. These courses may not be taken Pass/Fail, Credit/No Credit, or through a long-distance or on-line learning program.
- General Biology (2 semesters with lab): Biology 121 & Biol 132 – or – Biology 125 & 126.
- General Chemistry (2 semesters with lab): Chemistry 111 & 112.
- Organic Chemistry (2 semesters with lab): Chemistry 211 & 212.
- College Physics (2 semesters with lab): Physics 101 & 102 (Gen. Physics I, II) – or – Physics 105 & 106.
- Calculus (Math 121)
- Introductory Statistics. STAT 180, BIOL 260 and PSYC 261 fulfill this statistics requirement.
- PSYC 100 (General Psychology). Some schools require a second psychology course. Check programs for details.
- 1 course in English composition / writing. ENGL 202, 306 and 307 are suggested English composition courses. Some schools require a second English composition course.
Some Programs Require or Highly Recommend the following courses:
- Biochemistry I (CHEM 317)
- Sociology, 2 semesters. SOCG 105 (The Social World) or SOCG 155 (Social Issues) isBio highly recommended. Additional pertinent sociology courses include SOCG 331 (The Family), SOCG 334 (Medical Sociology), SOCG 335 (Global Perspectives on Health and Illness)
- Human Anatomy (BIOL 384)
- Human Physiology (BIOL 413)
- Microbiology (BIOL 371)
You can get more information about admission to Optometry programs by going here: ASCO Applicant profiles and prerequisites