University of California, Berkeley Optometry

Contacts

Website: http://optometry.berkeley.edu/
Phone: 1-510-642-9537
Admissions e-mail: optometry-admissions@berkeley.edu

Program Information

• Doctor of Optometry (OD)
• 4 years in length
• Number of applications in 2015: 284
• Number of students enrolled in 2015: 69

Admission Requirements

• Bachelor's degree (or in the process of completing one)
  

Course and Degree Requirements

• Degree: Bachelor's degree (does not require a specific undergraduate major)
• Required Courses
  • General Chemistry with Lab (2 semesters)
  • Organic Chemistry with Lab (1 semester)
  • Biochemistry (1 semester)
  • General Biology with Lab (2 semesters)
  • General Physics with Lab (2 semesters)
  • Human (or Comparative) Anatomy with Lab (1 semester)
  • Human (or Mammalian) Physiology with Lab (1 semester)
  • Microbiology with Lab (1 semester)
  • Immunology (1 semester)
  • Calculus/Advanced Mathematics (2 semesters)
  • Reading and Composition (2 semesters)
  • Statistics (1 semester)
  • Psychology (1 semester)
• Recommended Courses
  • Genetics, Business, Cell Biology, Perception, Pharmacology, Public Health, Speech

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GPA

• Entering 2015 Class high GPA: 4.00
• Entering 2015 Class low GPA: 2.75

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OAT

• Entering Class of 2015 OAT Score High: 400
• Entering Class of 2015 OAT Score Low: 310

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Supporting Documents

• Three Letters of Recommendation:
  • an optometrist who can state through documented experience that you know what the profession of optometry entails.
  • a professor with whom you have done personal work or with whom you took a prerequisite course.
  • an employer or extracurricular activity advisor who can comment about your maturity, diligence, and conscientiousness.
• Three essay questions
• Official transcripts from universities attended
• OptomCAS Application

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Interview

• Held by the Admissions Committee by invitation only
• Held in late January
• Combination of traditional application-based and MMI interviews

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Timeline

• Late June: OptomCAS and Berkeley Optometry's supplemental application launch
• Early December: Deadline for application (note: no rolling admissions)
• Applicants must take the OAT by early December for the following fall admissions cycle
• Scores from at most two years old are valid.
• Late January: Interviews invitations sent via email
• February: Interviews held by invitation only

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Tuition 2012-2013

• Non-resident tuition fee (for one semester): $17,327.25
• Non-resident total fees (for one semester): $23,038.75

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