Mar 29, 2024  
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog 
    
2017-2018 Graduate Catalog [Not Current Academic Year. Consult with Your Academic Advisor for Your Catalog Year]

Optometry, OD


College of Optometry  > Optometry, OD

The College of Optometry, housed in the Cora and J. Davis Armistead Building, is one of the University’s fourteen colleges. Established in 1952, the college has seen unpresedented growth in patient care, didactic and laboratory facilities as well as student common areas. In 2013, its latest expansion, the Health and Biomedical Building 1, was built  adjacent to, and connected with the Armistead building.  This new addition houses an Ambulatory Surgical Center, a Refractive Surgery Center, and new classroom and laboratory spaces, making  the optometric facility one of the most modern in the world.

Approximately, one hundred and five students are admitted into the professional optometric program each year from the United States and abroad.  Accepted students must have a Bachlor’s degree prior to matriculation into the professional program and are expected to have completed course work, including: biological science, advanced level biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, microbiology, statistics and psychology.

The college not only educates students planning to practice optometry, but also offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degree programs in physiological optics/vision science for students planning careers in teaching and research.  Students who have a degree in biological or physical science or biomedical engineering with a special interest in vision or who are graduates of an optometry school or other professional health program may want to consider entering the graduate program.

Graduates from the professional optometric program may enter family practice or serve in multidisciplinary primary care clinics.  Graduates also find careers in public health, teaching and research, industry and health administration.  Residencies/fellowships are available in pediatric, primary care, contact lenses, rehabilitative, or hospital-based optometry.  Special services for children, the elderly, and the partially-sighted can each be exclusively practiced. Helping to care for vision, our most treasured sense makes optometry a rewarding profession for students interested in a health career.

For more information, please visit the College of Optometry website.

Admission Requirements


For information on the application process to the graduate program (M.S./Ph.D.) in Physiological Optics and Vision Science, visit the graduate application information website.

To be eligible for admission, students must have a baccalaureate degree of any major and a grade of “C” or better in each required prerequisite course. While there is no minimum GPA required for admission, the College of Optometry considers applicants with GPAs of 3.00 and higher to be competitive. Students may apply for admission to the O.D. program while completing these requirements.

All applicants must:

  • complete an application via OptomCAS, during which the applicant will submit official transcripts of all post-secondary academic work, complete a brief essay, submit a minimum of three letters of recommendation, and list professional work and job shadowing experiences;
  • pay the OptomCAS application fee of $165.00;
  • complete the UHCO supplemental application (available via the UHCO web site during open application periods); and
  • pay the UHCO supplemental application fee of $50.00;
  • and, complete the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) in time for scores to be verified by March 15 prior to the term in which the applicant expects to enter the O.D. program.

Applications for admission via OptomCAS are accepted between July 1 and February 28 prior to the fall term in which the applicant expects to enter the O.D. program. All supporting materials are due by March 15 prior to the term in which the applicant expects to enter.

Prerequisite Coursework for Admission:

  • General Biological Sciences with Labs - 2 courses (8 credit hours)
  • Junior/Senior-Level Biological Sciences related to Human Science - 8 credit hours
  • Microbiology with Lab - 1 course (4 credit hours)
  • Fundamentals of Chemistry with Labs - 2 courses (8 credit hours)
  • Organic Chemistry with Lab - 1 course (4 credit hours)
  • Biochemistry - 1 course (3 credit hours)
  • General Physics with Labs - 2 courses (8 credit hours)
  • Calculus - 1 course (3 credit hours)
  • Statistics - 1 course (3 credit hours)
  • Psychology - 1 course (3 credit hours)

Optometry Admission Test (OAT):

The OAT is a standardized examination sponsored by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry designed to measure general academic ability and comprehension of scientific information and required by all schools and colleges of optometry in the U.S. and the University of Waterloo, Canada. While there is no minimum score required for admission to UHCO’s O.D. program, a Total Science score of 330 (200-400 scale) is considered competitive. For subject information, application to take the OAT, scoring procedures, study guides, and more, please visit the Optometry Admissions Test website.

Letters of Recommendation:

Letters of recommendation must be requested via and submitted directly to OptomCAS. A minimum of three letters of recommendation are required, but OptomCAS will accept a maximum of four. Additionally, UHCO requires that TWO of the three letters be academic letters of recommendation written by college or university faculty members who have directly taught the applicant. UHCO strongly recommends that the third letter of recommendation be from an optometrist with whom the applicant has trained and/or shadowed.

Interview:

An interview is required for admission, and competitive applicants will be invited for on-campus interviews until the class is filled. Not all applicants are interviewed. The interview allows UHCO’s administration to learn more about an applicant’s passion for optometry, preparation for UHCO’s curriculum, why he/she has chosen to apply to UHCO, and more. Additionally, applicants have the opportunity to experience first-hand UHCO’s facilities; visit with current students; and connect with UHCO’s didactic, clinical, and research faculty.

Transfer Students:

In order for a student to be considered for transfer from another professional optometry program, the student must have satisfactorily completed a minimum of one year of coursework and be in good academic standing in a school or college of optometry accredited by the Accreditation Council on Education of the American Optometric Association. The student must also submit an official transcript, a letter stating the reasons for the transfer request, and a letter from his/her current dean supporting the request for transfer to UHCO. Unless the student is in the upper half of the class and presents justifiable reasons for requesting a transfer, such requests are ordinarily denied. The transfer student decision is based on space available in the class and compatibility of curricula between the two schools.

Degree Requirements


Credit hours required for this degree: 177.0

Students who attend the College of Optometry and matriculate in the professional program must meet the following requirements for a Doctor of Optometry degree:

  1. Prior completion of a baccalaureate degree or equivalent.
  2. Completion of 177 term hours over the course of four years.
  3. A passing grade in each core and elective course.
  4. A grade point average of 2.00 or better, each term, in the professional educational program.
  5. Compliance with all other applicable requirements contained in the general information section of this catalog and the College of Optometry policies and procedures manual as well as the Student Handbook.

Professional Degree Program


First Professional Year:


Fall Term

Spring Term

Second Professional Year


Fall Term

Spring Term

Third Professional Year


Summer Term

Fall Term

Spring Term

Fourth Professional Year


Rotation A: (Summer, Fall, Spring)

Externship I- Primary Care

Rotation B: (Summer, Fall, Spring)

Externship II- Medical Care

Rotation C: (Summer, Fall, Spring)

Specialty Clinic/Didactic Semester

NOTE:


*Elective requirements may be fulfilled at any time

They are listed in this curriculum only for suggested times.

Academic Units


The professional curriculum is delivered by two academic departments; clinical sciences and basic sciences

Summary of Elective Courses


Students must satisfactorily complete a minimum of seven semester credit hours in approved elective courses to qualify for the O.D. degree. Courses in the graduate program or upper division courses in another college may be selected with the approval of the student’s academic advisor and the Associate Dean for Professional Studies.