Frequently Asked Questions
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On this page we provide answers to some of the frequently asked questions about admission to our OD Program.
If you have further questions, some of the other pages linked under the Admissions menu on the left side of this page may provide the answers, or you can contact us at the address given at the bottom of this page.
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How can I find more information about the field and profession of optometry?
Must I have a specific undergraduate major to apply for optometry?
No. Be sure to complete all Prerequisite Courses
for optometry, regardless of declared major, before the date of your planned enrollment in optometry.
Is a bachelor's degree required for admission?
Yes. A bachelor's degree is required for admission to Berkeley Optometry.
Why are Berkeley Optometry's pre-optometry prerequisites more extensive than other schools and colleges of optometry?
By completing human anatomy, human physiology, microbiology, and biochemistry lecture and laboratory courses prior to admission, you can begin your professional education at a much higher level than at other schools. From the start, you will focus your studies on optometry, with clinical training beginning on the first day of school in a five-credit preclinical lecture and laboratory course. By the end of the first semester, you will have learned to perform and will have passed rigorous proficiency tests on case history, visual acuity testing, cover testing, pupil testing, keratometric measurement of the cornea, retinoscopy, subjective refraction, biomicroscopic examination of the anterior segment, binocular indirect and direct ophthalmoscopy of the retina, and much, much more. The accelerated pace of your preclinical training continues for the next two semesters, and you perform full examinations on your first real patients in the main primary care clinic during the Spring semester of your second professional year.
Will Berkeley Optometry accept Pass or No Pass courses?
We will accept Pass or Not Pass courses and labs; however, we do not encourage prospective students to use more than one Pass/No Pass for prerequisite courses. Also, please note that Pass/Not Pass courses do not increase or decrease grade point averages.
Must all prerequisite courses be completed as of the date I apply?
No, not all prerequisite courses have to be completed at the point of application, but the probability of admission may be reduced if more than four prerequisite courses are outstanding.
What is Berkeley Optometry's required amount of shadowing hours?
Although we do not have a required amount of shadowing hours, the purpose in shadowing an optometrist is to ensure that optometry is the profession for you. The number of hours will vary from individual to individual depending upon how long he/she may realize their passion for optometry. Additionally, we do recommend shadowing in more than one mode of practice, if possible, to have multiple perspectives and experiences within the profession of optometry. Different modes might include private practice, VA hospital, corporate practice, group practice, etc.
Does Berkeley Optometry require research experience for admission into the OD program? Does the Admissions Committee at Berkeley Optometry give preferential treatment to applicants with research backgrounds?
No, we do not require research to be admitted into our program, nor do we give preferential treatment to applicants with research backgrounds. Our program is clinic-based. In fact, our students begin seeing patients in the Meredith Morgan Eye Center in the second semester of their second year and graduate with over 2,500 patient encounters. However, if a student is interested in research, there are many opportunities. Please refer to the following web page:
Research.
What can I do to fulfill your prerequisites in the areas of human anatomy and physiology?
You should contact the Berkeley Optometry (see below) regarding acceptable substitute courses if no courses are offered at your school in human anatomy and human physiology. One way to meet the requirements in human anatomy and physiology is to attend Berkeley's eight-week Summer Session, which begins in mid-June and ends in mid-August. Integrative Biology 131 and 131L (General Human Anatomy) and 132 and 132L (Survey of Human Physiology) are normally offered during these sessions and meet Berkeley Optometry's requirements. Applicants for admission who wish to take advantage of these course offerings may elect to defer completing the anatomy-physiology requirements until the Summer Session before planned enrollment in the School of Optometry. Students interested in attending Summer Sessions should contact the Summer Sessions Office , 22 Wheeler
Hall #1080, University of California, Berkeley; Berkeley, CA 94720-1080, or visit their website at summer.berkeley.edu.
Do you admit many out-of-state applicants? What, if any, special criteria apply?
Although historically our program has been composed of California residents,
all applicants are considered on an individual basis and our admissions selection process does not discriminate between residents and non-residents. Additionally, we do not have contracts with any states calling for admission of a specified number of students, and we do not use quotas of any kind. In fact, we actively encourage prospective out-of-state students to consider earning their OD at Berkeley Optometry! While there is a tuition differential between in-state and out-of-state students, in most cases, Berkeley Optometry students can qualify for legal residency by their second year of their OD studies, thereby significantly reducing their tuition and fees.
How important are the results of the Optometry Admission Test (OAT)?
Test results are given the same weight as your grade-point average for the prerequisite courses in our admission process. We look for good course grades, good OAT scores, and personal characteristics that indicate an applicant can perform well in the clinical practice section of our curriculum (as distinct from the academic section). The OAT may be taken more than once without penalty, and we will accept your best score.
Does Berkeley Optometry offer an "OD/PhD" or an "OD/MS" combined-degree program?
In Berkeley Optometry's OD program, intense preclinical training begins on the first day and builds sequentially in preparation for total immersion in primary care clinic and the advanced clinical care programs of the third and fourth years. The integrated nature of Berkeley Optometry's preclinical/clinical training poses a serious problem for a combined-degree program.
Interrupting this carefully designed sequence to take seminars and conduct research for 2-3 years in an MS/PhD program would necessitate considerable retraining upon returning to the optometry program to resume patient care, complete the requirements for the OD degree, and pass the OD board examinations. The consensus among our faculty is that the result would be detrimental to training in both programs, and that a more successful approach would be to pursue the two programs sequentially.
Are there any advantages to completing an OD before earning an MS or PhD?
Optometrists earning MS/PhD degrees can more effectively bring their clinical knowledge to bear upon important vision research problems. In addition, optometrists with MS/PhDs and expertise in vision research are able to render patient care and hone their research in areas of clinical science.
Another advantage to completing the OD degree first is that MS/PhD students with clinical qualifications are eligible for financial support at the postdoctoral level, as opposed to the graduate level. See UC Berkeley's Vision Science Support for more information. Recent optometry graduates may also enjoy a shorter training program. For general information, see the Graduate Program in Vision Science.
More Admissions Information
If you have additional questions after reading all the material under the Admissions Topics, please contact optometry-admissions@berkeley.edu.
Admissions and Student Affairs Office (ASAO)
397 Minor Hall
School of Optometry
Berkeley, CA 94720-2020
Tel: 510-642-9537
Fax: 510-643-7111
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