Optometry OD

Major: Optometry
Degree Awarded: Doctor of Optometry (OD)
Calendar Type: Semester
Minimum Required Credits: 165.0
Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code: 51.1701
Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) code: 29-1041

About the Program

The Traditional Program for the Doctor of Optometry degree at Drexel University, Pennsylvania College of Optometry (PCO) follows a legacy that began in 1919, when PCO created a four-year degree program.

The Traditional Program offers PCO students a cohort curriculum and includes the early clinical experience and extensive externships for which the College is recognized. Other features of this program include small group learning experiences, traditional semester breaks, and a learning environment in which what students learn in the classroom is practiced in the labs and applied to actual patients under the guidance and supervision of faculty.

The Traditional Program can be enhanced with a post-graduate residency program. Qualified students gain additional expertise in expanding areas of patient care provided by optometric leadership in the health care system.

Innovation continues to drive PCO’s Traditional Program. This is reflected in exciting updates continually made to the core curriculum to reflect changes in the profession of Optometry. By anticipating how optometry’s role in the 21st century health care arena will continue to evolve, the curriculum is carefully crafted in a dynamic way to utilize cutting edge educational approaches and incorporate key competencies to provide students with the skills needed for independent, contemporary practice.

Additional Information

For more information please contact the Admissions Office at salus_admissions@drexel.edu.

Admission Requirements

Drexel University Pennsylvania College of Optometry actively seeks applicants from every state in the nation as well as worldwide. Students currently attending represent many states, as well as Canada and several other countries.

Application Processing and Review

Pennsylvania College of Optometry accepts applications only through the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS).

The processing of applications by OptomCAS begins the end of June, one year prior to the year of desired enrollment. Applications must be submitted on or before May 1 of the year of desired enrollment.

• Student application reviews begin when an application is verified by OptomCAS.
   
• Interviews are scheduled and initiated, beginning in the late summer.
   
• Candidates meeting the requirements are admitted on a rolling basis until class capacity is reached.

It is to an applicant's advantage to apply as early as possible to ensure priority consideration for admission.

It is recommended that applicants with less than a 2.5 (C+) overall grade point average should consult the Office of Admissions prior to applying.

Criteria

To be considered, an applicant must:

• Submit a properly completed application to the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS) at www.optomcas.org. Detailed instructions regarding the completion of the application and the essay are provided on the OptomCAS website.
• Review the Association of Schools and Colleges of Optometry (ASCO) Functional Guidelines here.
• Complete a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of credit from an accredited undergraduate college or university, along with admissions prerequisites (listed below) at the college level with a grade of ‘C-’ or better.
• Submit official transcripts from all colleges and universities attended (or currently attending) directly to OptomCAS.
• Arrange to take the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) prior to July 1 of the desired entering year; taking the OAT between July and December of the application cycle is highly recommended.
  • While the OAT is strongly encouraged, applicants have the option to take the General GRE (Graduate Record Exam), MCAT (Medical College Admission Test) or DAT (Dental Admission Test) in lieu of taking the OAT. In order to be considered competitive, applicants who take an alternate exam are recommended to have a GPA of 3.5 or higher. If your GPA falls below a 3.5, please contact the Elkins Park Campus Office of Admissions for further guidance.
  • If an applicant has taken the OAT as well as a previous or subsequent alternate exam, an OAT score will be given preference over any alternate exam.
  • The admission exam must be taken within three years, prior to the start of the OptomCAS application cycle to which you are applying. Score reports past three years will not be considered. For example, if you are applying for the 2026-27 application cycle, you must have taken the OAT or approved substitute on or after June 25, 2023.
• Three letters of evaluation are required and should be forwarded directly to OptomCAS. Any three of the following options will be accepted to fulfill the letter requirement.
  • A Pre-Professional Committee letter of evaluation (consult with your college/university pre-professional advisor regarding the policy for providing letters of recommendation for pre-professional applicants).
    • One committee letter will fulfill the entire letter requirements.
  • Letter from a teaching faculty member who has taught you in a course (science teaching faculty letter is strongly recommended).
  • Letter from your pre-professional or faculty advisor.
  • Letter from practicing optometrist for whom you have shadowed or worked.
  • Letter from a healthcare professional or work supervisor who is able to assess your qualifications for professional education and future career in optometry.
  • Additional letters outside of the above options will enhance the file but will not fulfill our required letters of evaluation.
• Complete a minimum of 25 hours shadowing/observation in the field of optometry or ophthalmology.
• International Students, please review for any additional requirements in the section below.
• All credentials submitted on behalf of an applicant become a part of that applicant’s file with the University and cannot be returned.
• If accepted, an applicant must complete the University’s compliance program and meet University compliance requirements upon matriculation.
  • Pre-matriculation health standards include a criminal background check, child abuse clearance, any health clearances, fingerprinting and drug screening. Immunization requirements are in compliance with state regulations and CDC recommendations for healthcare providers.

Students are responsible for all fees associated with these clearance protocols. Students will be responsible for uploading their required documentation via CastleBranch, an online-tracking system, and monitoring their compliance records to ensure that all information remains current and accurate. Clinical sites which require such clearances may deny a student’s participation in a clinical experience based on the results of these clearances. Students must also provide proof of health insurance prior to the start of the program.

Prerequisites

An applicant must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of credit from an accredited undergraduate college or university. These credits must include the pre-optometry courses listed below completed with a "C-" or better.

An applicant need not have completed all prerequisites prior to filing an application, but must be able to complete all outstanding prerequisites prior to enrolling.

Prerequisite credits completed ten or more years prior to the anticipated entrance date will be reviewed for approval on an individual basis.

• General Biology or Zoology (with labs) - one year
• General Chemistry (with labs) - one year
• Organic Chemistry (with labs) - one year or
  • 1/2 year Organic Chemistry with lab, plus 1/2 year of either Biochemistry or Molecular Biology (lab highly recommended)
• General Physics (with labs) - one year
• Microbiology or Bacteriology (lecture only) - 1/2 year
• English Composition or English Literature - one year
• Mathematics - one year
  • (1/2 year Calculus fulfills math requirement, however one year of Calculus highly recommended)
• Psychology - 1/2 year
• Statistics (Math, Biology, or Psychology) - 1/2 year

While not required, we highly encourage additional upper level science coursework in such areas as Biochemistry, Cell Biology, Genetics, Histology, and Experimental and Physiological Psychology. Anatomy and Physiology course work is highly recommended. Note: If you are also applying to the Accelerated Scholars Program, Anatomy or Physiology course work is required.

Technology Requirements

Pennsylvania College of Optometry has requested that students utilize a device(s) that meet certain technical capabilities for use throughout the duration of the program. These devices are required to ensure each student’s ability to access educational websites/databases/software during the didactic and clinical year. For example, students will need a device for testing, to access evidence-based websites, Blackboard for course access, e-books and designated course materials during the didactic and clinical year. Students are responsible for the maintenance of their personal devices.

Details on specific Computer Requirements (PDF).

International Students and Practitioners

International Transcripts

For applicants who have attended foreign and French-Canadian schools, the following is required:

• A course-by-course credential review from an approved agency, such as World Education Services, which evidences all post-secondary studies completed. Please consult agency’s web site for requirements to complete the evaluation.
• An official evaluation may be sent from the agency directly to OptomCAS.
  • Instructions for submitting a foreign credential evaluation.

English Language Proficiency

Fluency in written and spoken English is essential for success in a University academic program as well as to help ensure patient/client/student safety and/or effective communication with members of a healthcare or education team.

Official results from the TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS or Duolingo examination are required of all non-native English speakers. One of these approved exams must be taken within two years prior to the start date of the entering class to which an applicant seeks admission.

While we recommend that applicants submit TOEFL iBT, TOEFL Essentials, IELTS or Duolingo, exceptions will be considered for foreign applicants who meet one of the following criteria*:

1. 1. successfully completed a degree or diploma held from an accredited, post-secondary institution where the coursework was entirely in English, and provide evidence that it was conducted in English; or
2. 2. successfully completed, and provide evidence of, an approved English language learner’s program

*Note: All exemption materials and other appeals are reviewed on a case-by-case basis and subject to the admission committee’s final discretion. Should any exceptions not be accepted toward the English language requirement, the Office of Admissions will inform the applicant of an alternative to fulfill it.

Admissions Selection Process

For more information regarding the admissions selection, interview and matriculation process, please refer to the Drexel website.

Degree Requirements

Sample Plan of Study

Program Goals

Goal 1: Recruit, develop, and retain highly qualified and diverse faculty best-suited to deliver the curriculum.

Objectives: 

• 1.1 Conduct faculty salary and FTE analysis by department to align with the needs of our optimal, sustainable traditional class size. 
• 1.2 Develop and maintain faculty leaders in academic and programmatic assessment. 
• 1.3 Increase faculty awareness of educational pedagogy, innovative teaching options, and technological resources. 
• 1.4 Support and promote lifelong learning and growth opportunities that cultivate leadership, discovery, and scholarly activity. 
• 1.5 Assess and identify needs for basic science and clinical research faculty support and recruitment. 
• 1.6 Strengthen faculty recruitment by expanding the basic science and clinical faculty applicant pool and refine the committee process through the use of documented best practices in the recruitment of faculty with a) diverse backgrounds and b) content knowledge and skills c) clinical expertise.

Goal 2: Implement and assess a progressive curriculum that prepares students to provide state of the art optometric care.

Objectives: 

• 2.1 Engage Curriculum Committee members including Chair, Sub-Committee Chairs, and Committee Members, in continued curriculum review processes. 
• 2.2 Initiate curriculum mapping to identify gaps, redundancies, and areas of potential expanded instruction.
• 2.3 Revise and implement curricular modifications according to evaluation of assessment results.
• 2.4 Continue and strengthen innovative educational TLS resources for increasing efficiency in student learning and assessment.  

Goal 3: Develop an enrollment management plan for PCO programs (traditional, scholars, APOD).

Objectives:

• 3.1 Establish an optimum, sustainable class size for the PCO didactic and clinical program.
• 3.2 Evaluate the recruitment model for the Accelerated Scholars Program and determine strategies to increase the number of qualified candidates completing applications.
• 3.3 Develop a sustainable model for implementing and assessing the Advanced Placement Optometry Degree (APOD) program.

Goal 4: Strengthen student learning outcome assessment strategies, analyses, and appropriate interventions for the Traditional, Accelerated Scholars, and Advanced Placement in Optometry Degree programs.

Objectives:

• 4.1 Assess the scope and quality of the didactic educational experience. 
• 4.2 Assess the scope and quality of the on-campus clinical educational experience. 
• 4.3 Assess the scope and quality of the off-site externship program experience.
• 4.4 Assess scope and quality of the Advanced Studies experience.

Goal 5: Develop graduates who are life-long learners trained to practice full scope optometry with a diverse patient base and in a variety of healthcare settings.

Objectives:

• 5.1 Provide students with diverse clinical experiences during their internship and externship.
• 5.2 Implement laser/minor surgical curricular content and build a lasers suite within PCO.
• 5.3 Improve first time pass rate for all parts of NBEO testing.

Goal 6: Maintain full accreditation by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (Next self-study 2024/2025).

Objectives:

• 6.1 Identify Self-Study Committee including Co-Chairs, Standard Chair’s, Committee Members, and University contacts. 
• 6.2 Engage faculty in the self-study process. 
• 6.3 Develop a self-study document in preparation for 2024/2025 ACOE Accreditation site visit that includes analysis, assessment, and implementation of processes.

Goal 7: Develop innovative models for optometric education that reflect the changing healthcare and educational landscape. 

Objectives:

• 7.1 Identify areas of strength and opportunity relative to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the didactic and clinical environments.
• 7.2 Provide support for external environmental issues as they impact students’ education. (examples: should address things such as climate change, pandemic/epidemic disease, social issues, political unrest, election results, etc.) 
• 7.3 Provide students and faculty with functional, current technologies.

Goal 8: Coordinate with other Elkins Park programs (i.e., OT, AuD) to develop and implement models for interprofessional collaborative care.

Objectives:

• 8.1 Encourage active participation in IPE healthcare events.
• 8.2 Increase faculty awareness, understanding, and use of services provided at other on-campus clinics.         
• 8.3 Increase faculty participation in interprofessional scholarship.
  • Increase the number of IPE/IPC scholarly works.