Course Requirements
Required Courses
Please review the descriptions carefully and note that these are minimum prerequisite course requirements, beginning with students applying for the Class of 2029. All prerequisite coursework should be from an accredited institution where students have earned a final grade of C or better. Courses for which AP credit was given are acceptable if listed on an official college transcript. Students who have completed a more difficult course are not required to enroll in the basic course. Any courses done in a Pass/No Pass format due to COVID-19 are still accepted. Online courses are only accepted for classes that do not require a lab. All prerequisite courses do not have to be completed at the point of application, but the probability of admission is not possible if more than four prerequisite courses are outstanding.
Prerequisite Check Request
Science
Semester 1:
- Stoichiometry of chemical reactions
- Quantum mechanical description of atoms
- Chemical bonding
- Thermochemistry
- Introduction to thermodynamics and equilibrium
- Introduction to oxidation=reduction reactions
Semester 2:
- Introduction to chemical kinetics
- Electrochemistry
- Properties of the state of matter
- Thermodynamic efficiency and the direction of chemical change
- Quantum mechanical description of bonding introduction to spectroscopy
- Introduction to organic chemical structures, bonding, and chemical reactivity
- Organic Chemistry of alkanes, alkyl halides, alcohols, alkenes, alkynes, and organometallics
*One semester of General Chemistry with laboratory combined with 2 semesters of Organic Chemistry with laboratories will also be accepted.
- Bioenergetics, metabolic pathways, regulation of metabolism
- Chemistry, structure, function, synthesis, and degradation of the constituent molecules including amino acids, fatty acids, sugars, nucleotides
Semester 1:
- General introduction to cell structure and function
- Molecular and organismal genetics
- Animal development, form, and function
Semester 2:
- General introduction to plant development, form, and function
- Population genetics, ecology, and evolution
- Mechanics, heat, light, sound, electricity, magnetism and modern physics
Advanced Science
- Functional anatomy of the human body as revealed by gross and microscopic examination
- Mechanisms by which key physiological priorities are maintained in healthy humans
- Develop an understanding of homeostasis of cellular composition, structure, and energy metabolism
- Neural and endocrine signaling in humans
- 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
- 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
- Metabolic capability
- Macromolecular synthesis
- Properties of microorganisms
- Relationships with humans in causing infectious diseases and in maintaining health
General Courses
- Introduction to differential and integral calculus of functions of one variable with applications
- Introduction to transcendental functions
- Ideas for estimation and hypothesis testing basic to applications
- Linear estimation and normal regression theory
- Probability
- Probability distributions
- Correlation and regression with biomedical applications
- Training in writing and citation of extensive papers with conjunction with reading literature
- Introduction to the principle areas, problems, and concepts of psychology
- Overview of psychology
Pass or No Pass Courses
We accept Pass or No 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/No Pass courses do not increase or decrease grade point average.
Online & Extension Courses
We understand online and extension coursework may be more accessible for prospective students. We will consider online and extension prerequisite courses where the labs are optional or not required from the following subject areas: Biochemistry, Calculus/Advanced Mathematics, Human Anatomy, Physiology, Microbiology, Psychology, Reading/Composition, and Statistics. Prerequisite courses that are fulfilled through online and/or extension courses must be from an accredited college or university. Prerequisite science courses requiring a lab must be taken in a traditional in-class format (General Biology, General Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physics). Courses listed above as UNEX are from UC Extension. Click the button to learn more. If a student expresses obstacles in completing prerequisites in the in person or online formats listed above, we highly recommend submitting an additional statement on your application.
UC ExtensionHow We Determine Prerequisites
The courses required for admission to Berkeley Optometry are determined by the Faculty, who believe that basic and advanced science courses widely available at the undergraduate level ought to be taken at that level, not as part of the professional curriculum. This approach allows sufficient space in the first two years of Berkeley Optometry’s professional curriculum to provide students with the vision science and optometry courses the Faculty deems necessary before they can provide patient care. As a result, students assume responsibility for patient care at a much earlier stage in their training, and they examine a much higher number of patients by the time they graduate.
Questions?
Please contact our office directly should you have a unique situation beyond the coursework listed. We can help to offer alternatives and provide additional flexibility as necessary.
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