Required Coursework for Admissions
The courses required for admission to Berkeley Optometry are determined by the Faculty, based on several criteria. Courses may be selected to be prerequisites because they:
- Provide a direct foundation for subsequent prerequisites and/or prepare applicants for courses in the professional curriculum.
- Present knowledge that is relevant and useful to the practice of optometry, supplementing the professional curriculum.
- Help applicants build a record of academic achievement and demonstrate the intellectual ability to succeed in the professional curriculum.
Also guiding the selection of prerequisites is the firm belief that basic and advanced science courses widely available at the undergraduate level ought to be taken at that level, not as part of the professional curriculum. This approach allows sufficient space in the first two years of Berkeley Optometry's professional curriculum to provide students with the vision science and optometry courses the Faculty deems necessary before they can provide patient care. As a result, students assume responsibility for patient care at a much earlier stage in their training, and they examine a much higher number of patients by the time they graduate.
Here are the specific requirements:
- Biology with Labs (2 semesters/3 quarters)
- Chemistry with Labs (2 semesters/3 quarters)
- Organic Chemistry with Lab (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Physics with Labs (2 semesters/3 quarters)
- Biochemistry (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Microbiology (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Immunology (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Human Anatomy (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Human Physiology (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Calculus (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Statistics (1 semester/1 quarter)
- Reading and Comprehension (2 semesters/3 quarters)
- Psychology (1 semester/1 quarter)
We are more than happy to discuss course equivalencies with you. If your community college and/or institution is not listed on Assist.org (California community college course equivalency only) or in our Articulations (Course Equivalencies). Please note that after reviewing our prerequisite courses, we encourage all prospective students to schedule an "Ask an Advisor" appointment to review their own course of study with a member of our professional staff to ensure a successful transition into our program, if accepted. Details to schedule an appointment are linked at Contact Form and we look forward to speaking with you.
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