Prerequisites
Before you apply
For admission to the Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) program you must complete:
- At least 90 college credit hours of coursework from the list of required courses
- All courses within 10 years of the time you start the Doctor of Optometry program.
Required courses
By the time you enter the IU School of Optometry you must have completed the following courses at an accredited institution with a grade of "C" or higher. None of the courses may be taken on a pass/fail basis.
All course requirements are considered minimums. No more than 60 credit hours may be taken at a junior college. Up to 10 credits of AP/CLEP coursework is accepted. All science courses must be taken in-person and only three other courses may be taken online.
| Subject Area | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
Introductory Biology with lab |
One Semester/1 Quarter | BIOL-L 112 BIOL-L 113 |
Advanced (200+ level) Anatomy & Physiology, Cellular Biology, Molecular Biology |
One Semester/1 Quarter | BIOL-L 211 BIOL-L 318 BIOL-L 312 |
Microbiology with lab |
One Semester/1 Quarter | BIOL-M 250/BIOL-M 315 or BIOL-M 380/BIOL-M 315 |
| Course | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
General/Inorganic chemistry with lab |
Two Semesters/3 Quarters | CHEM-C 117(1) /CHEM-C 127 and CHEM-N 331 and CHEM-N 337(2) or CHEM-C 118 |
Organic chemistry Lab recommended. CHEM-C 342 also recommended. |
One Semester/1 Quarter | CHEM-C 341 |
Biochemistry |
One Semester/1 Quarter | CHEM-C 383, CHEM-C 483 (484 for biochemistry majors) or BIOL-M 350 (for microbiology majors only) |
(2) Chem CHEM-C 106/CHEM-C 126 may be substituted for CHEM-C 118 but not for N331/337.
| Course | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
Mathematics |
One Semester/1 Quarter | Any course or courses fulfilling the Mathematical Modeling Requirement for the IU Bloomington General Education curriculum |
| Course | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
Physics-General with lab |
Two Semesters/3 Quarters | PHYS-P 201 PHYS-P 202 |
| Course | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
Psychology-Introductory |
One Semester/1 Quarter | PSY-P 101 PSY-P 106 |
| Course | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
Statistical Techniques |
One Semester/1 Quarter | STAT-S 300 STAT-S 303 PSY-K 300 PSY-K 310 SPEA-K 300 ECON-E 370 MATH-K 310 SPH-Q 381 |
| Course | Required Semesters or Quarters | Comparable IU coursework |
|---|---|---|
English Composition (1) |
One Semester/1 Quarter | ENG-W 131 ENG-W 132 |
Additional intensive writing course (2) |
One Semester/1 Quarter | IU Arts & Humanities and Social & Historical Studies courses may count toward both the distribution requirements and the intensive writing requirement. |
| Subject Area | Comparable IU Coursework |
|---|---|
| Anatomy & Physiology - Introductory | MSCI-M 115 |
| Vertebrate or Human Anatomy with lab/Histology | ANAT-A 225 ANAT-A 464 |
| Cell Biology | BIOL-L 312 |
| Human Physiology with lab | PHSL-P 225 |
| Genetics | BIOL-L 311 |
| Immunology | BIOL-L 321 |
| Subject Area | Comparable IU Coursework |
|---|---|
| Anatomy & Physiology of the Eye | ANAT-A 225 ANAT-A 464 |
Neuroscience |
PSY-P 337 PSY-P 346 |
Sensation and Perception |
PSY-P 329 PSY-P 349 |
Intro Business Administration |
BUS-X 100 |
Small Business Management |
BUS-W 300 (P: BUS-A 200) |
Medical Terminology |
CLAS-C 209 |
Ethics |
PHIL-P 140 |
Independent Research |
IU Independent Study and Research 490 series coursework offered in a variety of departments |
Contact us
Please contact the IUSO Office of Student Administration with your questions about the admissions process or our academic programs.
IUSO Office of Student Administration
800 E Atwater AveBloomington, IN 47405-3680