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Prerequisite Courses Required for Admissions

To be considered as a candidate for admission to the professional OD program, a four-year baccalaureate degree is highly recommended.  Students who have completed a minimum of 3 years (90 semester credits) of undergraduate study will also be considered for admission.

  • All of the course requirements should preferably be met by enrollment at a 4-year college/university in those courses specifically offered for departmental majors or pre-professional students.

  • Letter grades should be awarded for all required courses, and should be completed successfully with a grade of C or better.

  • Brief or survey courses are not acceptable.

  • Upper-division course work in the sciences is highly recommended.

  • Advanced-level courses that demonstrate the acquisition of knowledge expected from the prerequisites may be taken instead if approved by the Director of Admissions (possible substitutions can be found below).

Required Courses

 

Semester(s)

 

Quarters

 

General Biology (with lab)
Microbiology, Anatomy, Physiology, Cellular Biology and Zoology may be substituted for one semester of General Biology. Botany is not accepted.

 

2

3

General Chemistry (with lab)
Biochemistry may be substituted for one term of General or Organic Chemistry. Biochemistry lab is optional. Inorganic Chemistry is also acceptable.

 

2

 

3

 

General Physics (with lab)
Engineering Physics is acceptable.

 

2

 

3

 

Organic Chemistry (with lab)
Biochemistry may be substituted for one term of General or Organic Chemistry.

 

2

 

3

 

Calculus*
Pre-calculus is not acceptable.

 

1

 

1

 

English Composition and Literature
Courses that require extensive writing are acceptable. One semester of Public Speaking is acceptable.
 

2

3

Social Sciences and Humanities
History, Humanities, the Arts, Philosophy, Religion, Economics, Anthropology, Sociology and additional Psychology courses are acceptable.


 

2

 

3

 

General Psychology
General Psychology, Principles of Psychology or upper-level Psychology courses are acceptable.
 

1

 

1

 

Statistics
Psychology Statistics, Biometrics, Biostatistics and Business Statistics are acceptable. Calculus II may not be substituted for statistics.
 

1

 

1

 


Students must be able to apply elementary differential equations (particularly simple exponential processes) to practical scientific problems.
 

Recommended Courses

Semester

Quarter

Microbiology

1

1

Biochemistry

1

1

Physiology and Anatomy

1

1

 

Advanced Placement Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) credits are acceptable as long as the courses appear on the candidate’s college transcript and the student has received college credit for the courses.

Prerequisite Courses Taken at Community Colleges

Admissions preference is given to applicants who have completed prerequisite courses, especially in the sciences, at 4-year colleges/universities. SUNY College of Optometry does not have a set limit of courses taken at community colleges. Credits are only accepted for courses with a letter grade of B or better. The Admissions Committee encourages candidates who have taken prerequisite courses at 2-year colleges to take upper-division courses in the sciences in 4-year institutions.

Online Course Policy

Although SUNY College of Optometry accepts certain prerequisites taken online, the following restrictions apply:

  • Prerequisite science courses and lab requirements must be taken in a traditional in-class format.

  • Online prerequisite courses will only be considered from an accredited college or university.

  • SUNY College of Optometry will only accept online prerequisite courses in the following subject areas: Psychology, Social Sciences and Humanities (one course only), Calculus and Statistics.