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Studies & Degrees in Pre-Optometry

Pre-optometry is not a degree. It is a pre-professional track at colleges and universities in the United States: a plan of undergraduate courses, advising and activities that prepares a student to apply to a Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) programme. Optometrists diagnose, manage and treat conditions and diseases of the eye and visual system, examine eyes and prescribe corrective lenses. In the United States that profession is entered through a graduate-level professional degree, and pre-optometry is the stage before it.

A pre-optometry student therefore still chooses a bachelor's major. At Tennessee Tech University, for example, students on the Pre-Optometry Career Track typically major in biology, chemistry or interdisciplinary studies, follow the suggested coursework and take part in related student organisations.

How the path to optometry works

  • Undergraduate study: according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), applicants to O.D. programmes must have completed at least 3 years of undergraduate education, and they typically hold a bachelor's degree in a field such as biology or physical science.
  • Prerequisite courses: each optometry school publishes its own list. The Ohio State University College of Optometry asks for English composition, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, biochemistry, physics, calculus, biology, physiology, microbiology and introductory psychology, plus courses in the humanities and social sciences. It encourages applicants to finish a bachelor's degree, although some high-achieving students are admitted with three years (90 semester hours) of undergraduate study.
  • Admission test: the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) is accepted by all optometry schools in the United States and by some in Canada. Ohio State describes six sections: biology, chemistry, organic chemistry, physics, mathematics and reading comprehension. The test can be retaken once every 90 days.
  • Application: applications go through OptomCAS, the Optometry Centralized Application Service, in which all schools and colleges of optometry take part. One application can be sent to several programmes. The 2026-27 cycle opened on 25 June 2026 and closes on 20 May 2027.
  • Experience: schools expect contact with the profession. Ohio State requires at least 10 hours of shadowing at two optometric practices.
  • Doctor of Optometry: the O.D. programme takes 4 years and combines coursework with supervised clinical experience. Afterwards, an optional year of advanced clinical training (a residency) allows specialisation in areas such as primary care, cornea and contact lenses or ocular disease.
  • Licence: all US states require optometrists to be licensed, which involves an O.D. degree from an accredited school and a qualifying examination.

What students learn

The track is built on laboratory science. Chemistry, biology and physics come with laboratory work, and Ohio State states that laboratory courses must be completed in person. Mathematics, psychology, writing and general education courses complete the plan. None of this is a qualification in itself: the result is a bachelor's degree in the chosen major and a complete application file.

Where to study it

SpainExchange lists 11 active schools for Pre-Optometry, all of them in the United States. They range from large public universities such as The Ohio State University in Columbus to smaller institutions such as Butler University in Indianapolis, Avila University in Kansas City, Ithaca College in New York State and Morehead State University in Kentucky, and a community college, Montgomery College in Maryland.

Two of the listed universities also have their own optometry college, so the whole path can be followed on one campus. The Ohio State University has a College of Optometry. Ferris State University in Big Rapids, Michigan, is home to the Michigan College of Optometry, whose O.D. programme is accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education and has 38 to 40 students in each class. According to OptomCAS, there are 25 schools and colleges of optometry in the United States.

International students should note that a pre-optometry track only makes sense for those who plan to continue to a US optometry school. Teaching is in English, and the optometry schools decide how they treat courses taken abroad; Ohio State accepts prerequisites or their equivalents from any accredited college or university and offers a free evaluation of coursework.

Careers

Pre-optometry leads to optometry school, not directly to a job. After the O.D. and the licence, most optometrists work in offices or in optical goods stores, according to the BLS. The BLS counted 45,100 optometrist jobs in the United States in 2025 and projects employment to grow 10 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 2,000 openings a year on average. Students who decide not to continue to optometry school keep the options of their bachelor's major, for example in biology or chemistry.

Frequently asked questions

Is pre-optometry a major?

Usually not. It is an advising track followed next to a major such as biology or chemistry. The bachelor's degree is awarded in the major.

How long does it take to become an optometrist in the United States?

Typically eight years after secondary school: a bachelor's degree, which normally takes four years, and the four-year Doctor of Optometry programme. Some students are admitted to optometry school after three years of undergraduate study.

Which test is needed for optometry school?

The Optometry Admission Test (OAT). Its results are accepted by all optometry schools in the United States.

Can a pre-optometry student apply to any optometry school?

Yes. Applications are sent through OptomCAS to the schools the applicant chooses, as long as the prerequisite courses of each school are met.