Your Optometric Education

So you want to be an optometrist? Good for you! You will have the opportunity to enhance your patients' lives and improve their overall health.

But first - your education. Attend the college of your choice for your undergraduate work, but keep in touch with the Optometry school you have chosen to be sure prerequisites are met. In addition to your undergraduate school's required courses, you need to focus heavily on Biological Sciences, Chemistry, Math, Psychology. Specifically, most colleges of Optometry require one or more courses in Calculus or Analytical Geometry, Anatomy, Physiology, Organic Chemistry, Biochemistry, Microbiology, Statistics and Psychology.

To be admitted to an Optometry school, you will have to take an entrance exam (your Optometry school will tell you more about that.) and meet some grade point guidelines. Having done that, you will start your four years of Optometric Education. You will learn everything from optics to physiology to pathology to pharmacology and will graduate as a Doctor of Optometry.

The following schools have programs in optometry
   
AlabamaUniversity of Alabama at Birminghamhttp://www.uab.edu/optometry
CaliforniaSouthern California College of Optometryhttp://www.scco.edu
CaliforniaUniversity of California, Berkeleyhttp://spectacle.berkeley.edu
FloridaSoutheastern University of Health Scienceshttp://www.nova.edu
IllinoisIllinois College of Optometryhttp://www.ico.edu
IndianaIndiana Universityhttp://www.opt.indiana.edu
MassachusettsNew England College of Optometryhttp://www.neco.edu/ie7default.aspx
MichiganFerris State Universityhttp://www.ferris.edu/homepage.htm
MissouriUniversity of Missouri - St. Louishttp://www.umsl.edu/divisions/optometry
New YorkState University of New Yorkhttp://www.sunyopt.edu
OhioThe Ohio State Universityhttp://optometry.osu.edu
OklahomaNortheastern State Universityhttp://arapaho.nsuok.edu/~optometry
OregonPacific Universityhttp://www.opt.pacificu.edu
PennsylvaniaPennsylvania College of Optometryhttp://www.pco.edu
Puerto RicoInter American Universityhttp://www.optonet.inter.edu
TennesseeSouthern College of Optometryhttp://www.sco.edu
TexasUniversity of Houstonhttp://www.opt.uh.edu