Doctor of Optometry
Doctors of Optometry (ODs) are the primary health care professionals for the eye. Optometrists examine, diagnose, treat, and manage diseases, injuries, and disorders of the visual system, the eye, and associated structures, as well as identify related systemic conditions affecting the eye.
ODs prescribe medications, provide low vision rehabilitation, vision therapy, spectacle lenses, contact lenses, and perform certain surgical procedures. Optometrists counsel their patients regarding surgical and non-surgical options that meet their visual needs related to their occupations, avocations, and lifestyle.
Admission Requirements
The UIW Rosenberg School of Optometry is committed to educating and preparing students who are caring, compassionate and competent optometrists. UIWRSO actively seeks qualified applicants with a passion for lifelong-learning who are prepared for leadership and service to humankind. Our admissions policy is competitive in order to select those applicants who have the potential for academic success and who will be a credit to the optometric profession as well as the global community.
UIWRSO has a policy of competitive admissions and expectation for academic excellence. In order to apply for admission, applicants must meet the following criteria:
— Successful completion of a minimum of 90 semester hours of college coursework from an accredited institution of higher learning; a grade of C or better must be achieved in all prerequisite courses
Please see the list of Prerequisite Requirements below.
— A recommended minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.00 on a 4.00 scale
— A recommended minimum overall Optometry Admission Test score of 300
Applications are processed as they are received and offers of acceptance are made on a rolling basis, therefore we strongly encourage applicants to apply as early as possible during the application period. This rolling admissions process allows qualified individuals to be admitted on a continual basis until the class is filled.
For an applicant to receive full consideration, the following items must be submitted:
— Complete online 
application* for admission: www.optomcas.org
— Completed RSO Supplemental Form for Admission
— Official Optometry Admission Test (OAT) scores sent directly to UIWRSO
*Please note that official academic transcripts from each college or university attended and letters of recommendation must be sent directly to OptomCAS as part of the central application process.
Members of the Admissions Committee will review all completed applications and will extend invitations for on-campus interviews to those candidates with competitive applications. Please be aware that all prerequisite courses must be completed before a student can enroll at UIWRSO.
Applicants will be considered for admission on the basis of academic performance as well as non-academic qualifications. The following criteria will be used in the admissions selection process, in no particular order of preference or weight:
— Scholastic Aptitude and Academic Performance
– Overall undergraduate grade point average
– Prerequisite science and math cumulative grade point average
– Optometry Admission Test performance
– Written and oral communication skills
– Ability to handle a diverse and demanding course load
— Extracurricular Activities; Community Service; Volunteer Work; Leadership Positions; Optometry-Related Experience
— Evaluation of Character, Motivation, Initiative, Interpersonal Skills, and Awareness of the Optometric Profession
— Ability to meet the Functional Standards, as defined by the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry.
Final consideration for admission takes into account the above academic and non-academic qualifications along with comments from personal interviews conducted by members of the Admissions Committee.
Prerequisite Requirements
Required Courses
| Biology with lab* |
2 semesters |
| Human Anatomy with lab |
1 semester |
| General Chemistry with lab |
2 semesters |
| General Physics with lab |
2 semesters |
| Calculus |
1 semester |
| Organic Chemistry with lab |
1 semester |
Microbiology with lab
(Or Bacteriology with lab – 1 semester) |
1 semester |
| Biochemistry or Molecular Biology |
1 semester |
| Psychology |
1 semester |
| Statistics |
1 semester |
| English |
2 semesters |
*2 semesters of General Biology with lab OR 1 semester of General Biology with lab and 1 semester of any of the following courses with lab: Cell Biology, Physiology, Anatomy, or Genetics.
Additional Required Courses (for students entering without a Bachelor’s degree)
| Humanities |
2 courses |
| Behavioral & Social Sciences |
2 courses |
Recommended Courses
College Mathematics
|
Recommended
|
| Physiology |
Recommended |
| Ethics |
Recommended
|
Doctor of Optometry Degree Plan
The curriculum has been developed to provide our students with a stepwise, clinical educational experience throughout the four years of the professional program emphasizing personal & professional development. The didactic & clinical laboratory instruction by our talented faculty begins in the first year and continues through the duration of the program. All courses, including basic science courses, integrate and emphasize clinical applications & scenarios.
Early clinical encounters occur in the second year of study through community-based vision & disease screening activities. To emphasize these clinical activities, students undergo instruction in integrated clinical problem-based learning, gaining experience in the diagnosis, treatment and management of patients.
The professional settings for the third and fourth year rotations include the UIW Eye Institute, the UIW Bowden Eye Care & Health Center, the San Antonio Lighthouse for the Blind clinic, and various Communicare clinics. The fourth year Externship sites vary in location across the country and internationally. The Externship program is meant to maximize & enhance the student’s clinical training within various practice settings including private practice, referral centers, ophthalmology/co-management centers, Veterans Administration hospitals, Department of Defense hospitals and other hospital-based facilities. During the last two years of the program, practice management is also focused on, emphasizing the skills necessary to maintain a successful business or private practice.
1st Professional Year
Didactic and clinical laboratory instruction begins in the first semester of the first professional year and continues throughout all four years. All courses, including basic science courses, integrate and emphasize clinical applications and scenarios. Patient interactions begin the spring semester of the 1st professional year.
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
| OPT 5129 | Professional Optometric Practice II | 1 |
| OPT 5421 | Clinical Optometry II | 4.5 |
| OPT 5423 | Clinical Ocular Anatomy and Physiology I | 4 |
| OPT 5325 | Clinical Physiology | 3 |
| OPT 5522 | Visual and Applied Optics | 5 |
| OPT 5223 | Ocular Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics | 2 |
| OPT 5225 | Clinical Immunology and Histopathology | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 21.5 |
2nd Professional Year
At the beginning of the second professional year, students participate in supervised vision and disease screening activities. In the spring semester of the second year, students undergo instruction in integrated clinical problem-based learning, where they gain experience in the diagnosis, treatment, and management of patients.
Fall Semester
Spring Semester
3rd Professional Year
Summer Semester
| OPT 7105 | Clinical Case Analysis | 1 |
| OPT 7107 | Patient Care and Physical Diagnosis | 1.5 |
| OPT 7109 | Research Methodology | 1 |
| OPT 7202 | Advanced Contact Lenses | 2 |
| OPT 7307 | Vision Therapy | 3 |
| OPT 7306 | Glaucoma Diagnosis and Management | 3 |
| OPT 7604 | Clinical Internship III | 6 |
| OPT Elective | Spanish for Optometrists I & II | 0 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 17.5 |
Fall Semester
| OPT 7215 | Advanced Vision Science with Clinical Application | 2 |
| OPT 7316 | Strabismus and Amblyopia Diagnosis and Management | 3 |
| OPT 7313 | Neuroophthalmic Disease | 3 |
| OPT 7206 | Pathology Posterior Segment II | 2 |
| OPT 7614 | Clinical Internship IV | 6 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 16 |
Spring Semester
| OPT 7217 | Clinical Medicine and Systemic Disease | 2 |
| OPT 7326 | Ophthalmic Lasers and Surgical Procedures | 3 |
| OPT 7322 | Low Vision Rehabilitation | 3 |
| OPT 7125 | Advanced Topics Seminars | 1 |
| OPT 7624 | Clinical Internship V | 6 |
| OPT 7219 | Professional Optometric Practice III | 2 |
| OPT 7329 | Legal Aspects & Public Health Optometry | 3 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 20 |
4th Professional Year
The Externship Program, OPT 8201, OPT 8211, OPT 8221, is designed to broaden and enhance the student's diagnostic, treatment and management experience of ocular and visual conditions. Clinical experiences in private practice, referral centers, ophthalmology/co-management centers, Veterans Administration hospitals, Department of Defense hospitals and other hospital-based facilities are available. Participation with Doctors of Optometry and other professionals in comprehensive patient care are emphasized. Case conferences and grand round experiences may be assigned. Case presentations, evidence-based research on clinical conditions, and ongoing enhancement of examination skill proficiency as assigned by externship faculty constitutes an important component of this clinical experience.
Professional Optometric Practice IV, OPT 8209, OPT 8219, OPT 8229, is a continuation of/opt-7219'> OPT 7219 with an emphasis on the business aspects and day-to-day operations of the business of optometric practice regardless of career path. Course includes understanding profit and loss statements, banking relationships and applying for a loan, defraying student loan, opening a practice cold, valuation and purchase of practice, elements of office business plan, negotiating premises lease, employment vs 1099, credentialing, organization structure, preparing for licensure, working with insurance plans, and more.
Summer Semester
| OPT 8201 | Clinical Externship | 20 |
| | Or | |
| OPT 8204 | Speciality Clinical Rotations | 19 |
| OPT 8306 | Comprehensive Clinical Management I | 1 |
| OPT 8209 | Professional Optometric Practice IV | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 20-22 |
Fall Semester
| OPT 8211 | Clinical Externship | 20 |
| | Or | |
| OPT 8214 | Specialty Clinical Rotations | 19 |
| OPT 8316 | Comprehensive Clinical Management II | 1 |
| OPT 8219 | Professional Optometric Practice IV | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 20-22 |
Spring Semester
| OPT 8221 | Clinical Externship | 20 |
| | Or | |
| OPT 8224 | Specialty Clinical Rotations | 19 |
| OPT 8326 | Comprehensive Clinical Management III | 1 |
| OPT 8229 | Professional Optometric Practice IV | 2 |
| Total Credit Hours: | 20-22 |