Pennsylvania College

*According to data from ASCO

*According to data from ASCO

• Recommended Courses: Biochemistry, Anatomy, Physiology, Histology, Cell Biology, Genetics and Experimental and Physiological Psychology. Anatomy and Physiology course work is highly recommended.
• There are some acceptable substitutions for specific courses. Go to https://www.salus.edu/colleges/optometry/doctor-of-optometry-traditional-program/application-process/index.html for more information.

Minimum number of College Credit Hours required:

• An applicant must have completed a minimum of 90 semester hours or 135 quarter hours of credit from an accredited undergraduate college or university.

Required Shadowing Hours:

• A minimum of 100 hours of patient care interaction within a healthcare profession is required (may be volunteer or paid). It is highly recommended to shadow a practicing optometrist(s) in order to be familiar with the role of the optometrist as a member of the healthcare team.

Letters of Recommendation: 

• Three letters of evaluation are required and should be forwarded directly to OptomCAS. Any three of the following options will be accepted in order 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 requirement.
  • Letter from a teaching faculty member who has taught you in a course (science teaching faculty letter is strongly recommended).
  • Letter from a teaching assistant only accepted if co-signed by faculty member.
  • Letter from your pre-professional or faculty advisor.
  • Letter from a 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.

*All cost of living scores are according to bestplaces.net and provide a rough estimate compared to the average of the United States (a score of 100 is considered average for the United States. Scores lower than 100 would indicate a cost of living lower than average. Scores above 100 indicate a cost of living higher than average).