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Requirements

We invite all hard-working, conscientious students to apply to SCCO’s renowned Doctor of Optometry (OD) program. To be considered for admission, you must first satisfy certain eligibility and academic requirements (prerequisites). SCCO’s requirements are based on the high standards set by California Optometry Law, as well as professional accrediting bodies, and by the Admissions Policy Committee.

Academic Requirements

To be considered for admission to SCCO's professional OD program, you must satisfy two academic components: 1) bachelor’s degree or minimum units, and 2) prerequisite coursework.

A four-year baccalaureate degree is recommended, however, applicants who complete a minimum of 90 semester/135 quarter units of undergraduate study will qualify for admission.

The minimum prerequisite coursework listed below is also required. These courses must be completed at a regionally accredited U.S. or Canadian institution with a grade of "C-" or better. Please see FAQs regarding prerequisites located further down the page.

Prerequisite Coursework

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Introduction to transcendental functions
  • Introduction to differential and integral calculus of functions of one variable with applications

    Note:

  • Analytic geometry/calculus is also acceptable

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Functional anatomy of the human body as revealed by gross and microscopic examination

    Notes:

  • No lab required
  • Combined Anatomy + Physiology classes are acceptable, however, you MUST take parts 1 and 2 at the same school.
  • An A+P combination class that is only 1 course is not acceptable.

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Neural and endocrine signaling in Humans
  • Mechanisms by which key physiological priorities are maintained in healthy humans
  • Develop an understanding of homeostasis of energy metabolism, cellular composition, and structure
  • Develop key concepts of control and homeostasis in all major organ and multi-organ systems, such as cardiovascular, respiratory, renal, metabolic, reproductive, and immune systems, growth and development, and sensory and motor systems

     Notes:

  • No lab required
  • Combined Anatomy + Physiology classes are acceptable, however, you MUST take parts 1 and 2 at the same school.
  • An A+P combination class that is only 1 course is not acceptable.

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Introduction to organic chemical structures, bonding, and chemical reactivity
  • Organic Chemistry of alkanes, alkyl halides, alcohols, alkenes, alkynes, and organometallics

    Note:

  • No lab required

Course Content Should Cover:

  • Electrochemistry
  • Stoichiometry of chemical reactions
  • Quantum mechanical description of atoms
  • Properties of the state of matter
  • Chemical bonding
  • Thermochemistry
  • Thermodynamic efficiency and the direction of chemical change
  • Introduction to thermodynamics and equilibrium
  • Introduction to oxidation=reduction reactions
  • Introduction to chemical kinetics
  • Quantum mechanical description of bonding introduction to spectroscopy

    Note:

  • No lab required

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Introduction to the principle areas, problems, and concepts of psychology

    Notes:

  • Any course offered by the psychology department is acceptable, however, courses with content relevant to future healthcare providers is recommended

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Probability
  • Probability distributions
  • Ideas for estimation and hypothesis testing basic to applications
  • Linear estimation and normal regression theory
  • Correlation and regression with biomedical applications  

    Notes:

  • Statistics courses offered by departments such as psychology or Biology are acceptable
  • Biological Statistics is acceptable 

Course Content Should Cover:

  • Properties of microorganisms
  • Metabolic capability
  • Relationships with humans in causing infectious diseases and in maintaining health
  • Molecular bases for physiological and biochemical diversity among members of Bacteria and Archaea
  • Ecological significance and evolutionary origins of this diversity
  • Molecular, genetics, and structure-function analyses of microbial cell cycles
  • Adaptive responses
  • Macromolecular synthesis

    Notes

  • Lab may be taken online if necessary

Course Content Should Cover:

  • General introduction to cell structure and function
  • Molecular and organismal genetics
  • Animal development, form, and function
  • General introduction to plant development, form, and function
  • Population genetics, ecology, and evolution

    Notes:

  • No labs required
  • Does not need to be a 1-year series as long as the material above is mainly covered
  • Any course offered by the English or Literature department is acceptable.
  • Writing intensive courses will also be accepted as long as a syllabus is submitted to show the course is writing intensive.

    Course Content Should Cover:

  • Mechanics, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and modern physics

    Notes:

  • Must complete a 1 year sequence, preferably at the same school
  • Labs must be taken in person, virtual not accepted unless taken during COVID accommodation period
  • If taken at a semester-based school, must take 2 lectures and 2 labs
  • If taken at a quarter-based school, must take 3 lectures and 3 labs
  • If your school has an unconventional format (for example a complete "series" is 3 lectures and 2 labs), this will be accepted and there is no need to have it reviewed by admissions

Course Content Should Cover:

  • ​​​​​​Stoichiometry of chemical reactions
  • Quantum mechanical description of atoms
  • Electrochemistry
  • Introduction to chemical kinetics
  • Chemical bonding
  • Thermochemistry
  • Introduction to thermodynamics and equilibrium
  • Introduction to oxidation=reduction reactions
  • Quantum mechanical description of bonding introduction to spectroscopy
  • Properties of the state of matter
  • Thermodynamic efficiency and the direction of chemical change

     Notes:

  • Must complete a 1 year sequence, preferably at the same school
  • Labs must be taken in person, virtual not accepted unless taken during COVID accommodation period
  • If taken at a semester-based school, must take 2 lectures and 2 labs
  • If taken at a quarter-based school, must take 3 lectures and 3 labs
  • If your school has an unconventional format (for example a complete "series" is 3 lectures and 2 labs), this will be accepted and there is no need to have it reviewed by admissions
How to Verify Prerequisite Coursework & Pre-Approved Coursework

We encourage prospective students to utilize our resources to review their prerequisite courses to determine if the course in question meets the necessary requirements. If you have utilized these resources and still have concerns about whether a course is acceptable, please email the following to ODadmissions@ketchum.edu and an Admissions Officer will be happy to review it for you: 1) Name of prerequisite course you are trying to fulfill, 2) link to course in school's online course catalog.

1) Review the descriptions for each of the prerequisites listed above. If the course you're considering taking or have already taken, covers a majority of the content listed and meets the criteria specified in the notes section, there is no need to have the course reviewed.

2) Review the Articulation Agreements. Posted below are lists of specific courses at a college or university that will fulfill SCCO's prerequisite requirements. You may think of them as 'pre-approved’ coursework. There are many other schools and courses that are accepted, these are just the most frequently requested ones. Course content and offerings continually change and therefore, we cannot guarantee this information is always up-to-date. Ultimately, the responsibility for meeting SCCO’s prerequisite requirements is up to you.

* Note: we are in the process of updating our Articulation Agreements. If you are looking for a school that was previously listed but is no longer, we still accept coursework from the school and we will have the updated pre-approved coursework available soon.

There are thousands of online courses that may meet our prerequisite requirements. For convenience, we’ve reviewed and preapproved the options below. If you prefer to take online courses elsewhere, please read this article before enrolling in a course and verify that upon completion of the course you will receive a transcript from a properly accredited institution.

 

Microbiology (Lecture + Lab Combined)

 

Microbiology (Lecture + Lab Offered Separately)

 

Biochemistry (Lecture only)

 

Human Anatomy (Anatomy by itself)

 

Human Physiology (Physiology by itself)

 

Human Anatomy + Physiology (Combination courses, must take entire 2-part series at the same school)

 

English

 

Statistics

Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Coursework Acceptability

Online coursework is acceptable for all lectures and the microbiology lab as long as the school is regionally accredited. Physics and Chemistry labs must be taken in person; virtual labs are not accepted for these courses.

COVID-19 Accommodations: SCCO’s standard policy requires prerequisite coursework to be completed for a letter grade and that physics and chemistry labs be completed in the classroom. For any coursework/labs completed between Winter 2020 through Spring 2022, Pass/No Pass grading and virtual labs for physics and chemistry will be accepted.

No, your degree/minimum number of units and prerequisite coursework do not need to be completed when your application is submitted; however, you must be on track to finish all requirements no later than the summer term preceding SCCO's fall matriculation.

No. Prerequisite coursework does not expire for eligibility purposes. We will accept coursework that meets the above-mentioned criteria regardless of when it was taken. However, we encourage those who took Biology, Chemistry, or Physics many years ago to consider retaking some or all of these courses to make sure they have a solid foundation laid before beginning optometry school.

Yes. Advanced Placement (AP) or IB courses for the prerequisites will be accepted if the appropriate number of credit hours is received as long as we can verify the credit. Check your transcript to see if each course you received AP/IB credit for is listed or if it all appears as “AP/IB Credit” with a lump sum of credits. If your school groups all credits together, you will need to submit an itemized breakdown of the units so we can verify which prerequisite course(s) you’ve received credit for. When you apply, the itemization should be uploaded into OptomCAS in the “documents” section using the “other” category. Each school handles AP/IB itemization requests differently, so we will accept ANY of the following documents, but you only need to upload one to your application:

  • A letter from the school registrar’s office listing the AP credits received
  • Scores from College Board listing the AP credit received
  • A PDF of your unofficial transcript (AP credit may appear at the end of your unofficial transcript found in your student portal even if it did not appear on the official transcript)

If your previous institution did not accept your AP coursework, we will consider accepting AP coursework on a case-by-case basis if the AP test score earned was a 4 or better. 

 

No. All prerequisite coursework must be completed with a grade of C- or better.

COVID-19 Accommodations: SCCO’s standard policy requires prerequisite coursework to be completed for a letter grade and that physics and chemistry labs be completed in the classroom. For any coursework/labs completed between Winter 2020 through Spring 2022, Pass/No Pass grading and virtual labs for physics and chemistry will be accepted.

Yes. We accept coursework from any program that is regionally accredited. Please see pre-approved coursework above from some of the programs we most frequently receive questions about.

Click here for a comprehensive overview of your options. If you are not eligible to apply for the optometry program, we have a Masters of Science in Vision Science program "Standalone" option that you may be eligible for. You can find details about this program here on our website. Please note that completion of this program would not allow you to then be eligible for the OD program.

Additional Information

For more information regarding OAT preparation, Letters of Recommendation requirements, information for foreign doctors seeking licensure, and more, please visit the FAQ section of our website.