Pre-Optometry (OD)
What future students usually study in college, how to get ready in high school, and what the career looks like today. Every fact below names its source.
You become: an Optometrist (OD). Optometrists diagnose, manage and treat conditions and diseases of the human eye and visual system, including examining eyes and prescribing corrective lenses. [1]
Last checked:
What it is
Optometrists typically need a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited program, and O.D. programs take 4 years to complete. [1]
Applicants to O.D. programs must have completed at least 3 years of undergraduate education, and they typically have a bachelor's degree in a field such as biology or physical science. [1]
A bachelor's degree is not required by some optometry schools but is strongly preferred, and most students accepted by a school or college of optometry have completed an undergraduate degree. [2] [3]
Most students major in the natural sciences in college, such as biology or chemistry, because the prerequisites for optometry school are science intensive, but prospective students can major in any discipline as long as they complete all of the prerequisite courses. [2]
O.D. programs include both academic coursework and supervised clinical experience, and coursework includes anatomy, visual science, and the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and disorders of the visual system. [1]
There are 25 schools and colleges of optometry, 24 in the continental United States and one in Puerto Rico, and all of them participate in OptomCAS, Optometry's Centralized Application Service. [3]
Residencies in optometry are optional and not required, either for licensure or for a specialty practice, and after the O.D. degree they are typically one year long. [2]
Courses to take before applying
O.D. programs that do not require a specific field of degree might require that applicants have completed courses in subjects such as chemistry, physics and calculus. [1]
Brief survey courses in the sciences will not prepare you for optometry school, and some schools may require courses that others do not. [3]
A bachelor's degree is required before starting its Doctor of Optometry program, and the prerequisite coursework must be completed within five years of the date of application. [4]
The rows below show one named program as an example: the University of Houston College of Optometry, Doctor of Optometry program. Confirm each program’s own list.
| Course | Status | More about this course |
|---|---|---|
| Biological sciences, with labs | Required in this example programBiological sciences with labs are 8 hours, and the courses should be equivalent to those required for biological science majors. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: The molecules of life · Cell structure: prokaryotes and eukaryotes · The cell membrane and transport · Cellular respiration · From DNA to protein · Meiosis, mutations and genetic variation | ||
| General and organic chemistry, with labs | Required in this example programFundamentals of chemistry with labs are 8 hours, and organic chemistry with lab is 4 hours. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Atoms and electron arrangement · Periodic table patterns · Ionic and covalent bonding · The mole and molar mass · Stoichiometry and conservation of mass · Acids and bases · Quantities, units and rates · Literal equations and formulas | ||
| Biochemistry | Required in this example programBiochemistry is 3 hours. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: The molecules of life · Enzymes and how reactions happen in cells · Cellular respiration · From DNA to protein · Chemical equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle · pH and neutralization | ||
| General physics, with labs | Required in this example programGeneral physics with labs is 8 hours, the course should have an optics section on wave theory and the propagation of light, and calculus-based physics is not required. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Physics skills: units, vectors and graphs · Describing motion: position, velocity and acceleration · Newton's second law: net force, mass and acceleration · Conservation of energy: modeling energy in a system · Electric current, voltage and resistance · Waves: frequency, wavelength and speed · Radians and the unit circle | ||
| Calculus | Required in this example programCalculus is 3 hours. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Functions: domain, range and composition · Exponential and logarithmic models · Identities and trig equations · Limits from graphs and tables · Limits algebraically and continuity · The tangent line problem | ||
| Upper-level human biology, including anatomy or physiology | Required in this example programStudents must complete 8 hours of junior- or senior-level human science-related biology courses, and at least 3 of these hours must come from upper-division physiology or anatomy. [4] | — |
Get ready with these topics: Anatomy, physiology and levels of organization · Anatomical position, directional terms and body planes · Homeostasis and feedback loops · Cells and membrane transport · Tissues: epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous · The heart and the cardiac cycle · Body systems working together | ||
| Microbiology, with lab | Required in this example programMicrobiology with lab is 4 hours. [4] | — |
Get ready with these topics: Cell structure: prokaryotes and eukaryotes · The immune system, viruses and bacteria · From DNA to protein · The lymphatic system and innate immunity · Adaptive immunity, antibodies and vaccines | ||
| Statistics | Required in this example programStatistics is 3 hours. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Measures of center · Measures of spread · The normal model · Conditional probability and independence · Confidence intervals for a proportion · Significance and p-values | ||
| Psychology | Required in this example programPsychology is 3 hours. [4] | Described on the Pre-Med page |
Get ready with these topics: Research methods: experiments, correlation and ethics · Neurons and neurotransmitters · The brain and nervous system · How memory works · Development: infancy and childhood | ||
The University of Houston has announced that it will no longer accept AP exam credits to satisfy the program prerequisites. [4]
Typical high school preparation
We did not find an official source that gives high school course advice for this profession, so none is listed. For the high school courses colleges ask for in general, see the College Preparation page.
Pre-Health Foundations: coming soon
The career today
National figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies by state, setting and experience. This is not a promise of pay or a job.
The median annual wage for optometrists was $136,570 in May 2025. [1]
Employment of optometrists is projected to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, much faster than the average for all occupations. [1]
The typical entry-level education is a doctoral or professional degree. [1]
Getting licensed
All states require optometrists to be licensed, and a prospective optometrist must have an O.D. degree from an accredited optometry school and must complete all sections of a qualifying exam. [1]
Some states require candidates to pass an additional exam, such as on clinical skills or on laws relating to optometry, and all states require optometrists to take continuing education classes and to renew their license periodically. [1]
Exams on this path
Overview only. For dates, registration, rules and scoring, see each test maker's own site.
OAT (before optometry school)
The Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is sponsored by ASCO and is a standardized examination designed to measure general academic ability and comprehension of scientific information. [5]
The OAT consists of four tests: Survey of the Natural Sciences (biology, general chemistry and organic chemistry), Reading Comprehension, Physics and Quantitative Reasoning. [5]
All schools and colleges of optometry in the United States and the University of Waterloo in Canada require the OAT, and most applicants complete two or more years of college before taking the test. [5]
NBEO exams (licensure)
Part I ABS (Applied Basic Science) focuses on the scientific foundations of optometry, Part II PAM (Patient Assessment and Management, listed with TMOD as Part II PAM / TMOD) evaluates clinical decision-making and diagnostic reasoning, and Part III PEPS (Patient Encounters and Performance Skills Examination) is the final part of the core NBEO competency testing sequence. [6]
All states require optometrists to be licensed, and a prospective optometrist must have an O.D. degree from an accredited optometry school and must complete all sections of a qualifying exam. [1]
Exam names are trademarks of their owners. None of these organizations is affiliated with or endorses UpOnly Learning.
Questions people search
Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.
How long is optometry school?
Optometrists typically need a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from an accredited program, and O.D. programs take 4 years to complete. [1]
Applicants to O.D. programs must have completed at least 3 years of undergraduate education, and they typically have a bachelor's degree in a field such as biology or physical science. [1]
What are the prerequisites for optometry school?
O.D. programs that do not require a specific field of degree might require that applicants have completed courses in subjects such as chemistry, physics and calculus. [1]
Brief survey courses in the sciences will not prepare you for optometry school, and some schools may require courses that others do not. [3]
A bachelor's degree is not required by some optometry schools but is strongly preferred, and most students accepted by a school or college of optometry have completed an undergraduate degree. [2] [3]
Your next step
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Sources
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Occupational Outlook Handbook: Optometrists. https://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/optometrists.htm. OOH page last modified August 27, 2026 (pay data May 2025; projections 2025–35). Checked .
- Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). Optometry: A Career Guide. https://optometriceducation.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/careerguide-November-2025-1.pdf. updated November 2025 (PDF). Checked .
- Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). Frequently Asked Questions. https://optometriceducation.org/future-students/resources/frequently-asked-questions/. no edition stated. Checked .
- University of Houston College of Optometry. Prerequisites. https://www.opt.uh.edu/education/doctor-of-optometry/prerequisites.cfm. no edition or cycle stated (the page announces an AP credit change from July 1, 2027). Checked .
- Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO). Frequently Asked Questions About the Optometry Admission Test (OAT). https://optometriceducation.org/future-students/resources/frequently-asked-questions-about-the-optometry-admission-test-oat/. no edition stated. Checked .
- National Board of Examiners in Optometry (NBEO). Exam Information. https://optometry.org/exams/. no edition stated. Checked .
Format: Publisher. Page title. URL. Edition or catalog year. Checked date.