Can i take premed to become an optometrist?

Question

im a rising senior in highschool and i want to become an optometrist but ive noticed not many schools offer that as a major. i was wondering if you could take premed at any university and then taking the test to get into optometry school or do you have to take preoptometry at a specific college?

Answer 1

I am assuming you are American. This info only applies if you are studying in the US.

Yes, you can take pre-med courses to fulfill pre-optometry courses. However, optometry has a few requirements that are not part of the pre-med curriculum, so you will need to check out the course requirements of the school you want to attend so you can take the right classes to qualify.

Optometry is NOT a college major. It is a doctoral program (OD) you attend after college. You have to apply to OD programs AND you have to take the OAT test (entrance exam).

Pre-med is usually not its own major, but rather a series of classes you take to meet the med school requirements.