Graduate and Professional Admissions

Page content

Prerequisite Coursework Evaluation
The College of Optometry prerequisite courses at Kent State University.

Applicants for admission to the College of Optometry at The Ohio State University must meet the course requirements listed below. These requirements can be satisfied by courses taken as indicated, when completed with the grade of C- or better. In some cases, there may not be a published equivalence for a prerequisite course listed. In these cases, please click on the Contact Transfer Credit Coordinator link to find the transfer credit coordinator who can best assist you.

The information provided below is derived from transfer credit equivalencies available on the Transferology website (https://www.transferology.com/welcome.htm), a course equivalency tool utilized by Ohio State and many other universities. This does not imply transfer credit equivalencies and is not intended to provide a guarantee that these university courses will subsequently be evaluated as equivalent to specific Ohio State courses. Rather, completion of these courses will satisfy the program prerequisites and thereby insure that the applicant has the academic preparation for advanced study in the professional program.

Please note that these courses have previously been determined as an exact equivalent(s) for the prerequisites identified below. There may be alternate course options which are not recognized as transferrable but can be used to fulfill a prerequisite. You can contact the Office of Graduate and Professional Admissions (gpadmissions@osu.edu) for questions on courses not listed below.


Course at Ohio State Course at Kent State University
PREREQUISITES FOR ADMISSION
BIOCHEM 4511 CHEM 30284 or CHEM 40245
BIOLOGY 1113, BIOLOGY 1114 BSCI 10110, BSCI 10120 or BSCI 10120 = BIOLOGY 1113
BSCI 10110 or BSCI 10110, BSCI 10120 = BIOLOGY 1114
CHEM 1210, CHEM 1220 CHEM 10060, CHEM 10061, CHEM 10062, CHEM 10063
CHEM 2510 CHEM 20481 or CHEM 20481, CHEM 20482, CHEM 30475, CHEM 30476 or CHEM 30475, CHEM 30476, CHEM 30481, CHEM 30482 or CHEM 30481
EEOB 2520 or PHYSIO 3200 BSCI 21010, BSCI 21020 or BSCI 30130 or EXSC 25057, EXSC 25058
ENGLISH 1110.01 ENG 11002 or ENG 11011 or HONR 10197
Humanities (7 semester hours) Basic courses in Literature, Classics, Theatre, History of Art or Music, Philosophy, etc.
MATH 1151 MATH 12002 or MATH 12002, MATH 12003 or MATH 12003, MATH 12011, MATH 12012 or MATH 12011, MATH 12012
MICRBIO 4000 Contact Departmental Transfer Credit Coordinator
PHYSICS 1200, PHYSICS 1201 PHY 13001, PHY 13002 or PHY 13001, PHY 13002, PHY 13021, PHY 13022
PSYCH 1100 PSYC 11762
Social Sciences (7 semester hours) Basic courses in Anthropology, History, Economics, Geography, Psychology, Political Science, Sociology, etc.


Revised: February 2024

SPECIAL NOTES
Courses completed at a community college:   **Starting with the 2016 application cycle, Optometry will only require one organic chemistry course.**

Please be advised that your institution may require more organic chemistry before enrollment in biochemistry is allowed.

Math courses studying pre-calculus with trigonometry and Calculus I or higher are required.

All science courses taken require a lab component.

The College of Optometry requires completion of the prerequisites or their equivalents from any accredited college or university. At least 30 semester hours of this preparatory work should be taken at a baccalaureate-granting institution. Most students admitted to the college have bachelor's degrees.

Due to continuous advances in the scientific field, the College of Optometry Admissions Committee requires applicants to demonstrate recent competence in science prerequisites. This is automatically demonstrated if all science prerequisites have been satisfactorily completed within 10 calendar years immediately preceding the year of application. If any science prerequisites are older than 10 years, the applicant must either repeat course work in that specific area or submit convincing evidence of current mastery in the appropriate science to the admissions committee.

The College of Optometry requires a comprehensive systems physiology sequence (emphasizing human structure and systems). Please be advised that many undergraduate physiology sequences have an anatomy prerequisite, and you will need to plan your schedule accordingly. For non-Ohio State students, human physiology requirement will fulfill this prerequisite. Contact Professional Admissions with any questions at 614-292-9444 or gpadmissions@osu.edu

In cases where anatomy and physiology are offered in a combined sequence course, both courses are required in order for credit to be awarded. For these courses Ohio State will award credit for EEOB 2510 (anatomy) and EEOB 2520 (physiology).

Optometry requires an overall GPA of 3.0.

This evaluation is valid for the current application cycle only. Evaluated courses and the transferability of these courses can change, at any time, due to course content and re-evaluation. After this date, it may be necessary to contact the Admissions Office for course or program changes. If you have any questions, please contact: Graduate and Professional Admissions at:

Graduate and Professional Admissions
Student Academic Services Building, 1st Floor
281 West Lane Avenue
Columbus, Ohio 43210-1132
614-292-9444
gpadmissions@osu.edu

Thank you for your interest in Ohio State!