Pre-Optometry at Augustana

	More Information Dr. Dara Wegman-Geedey

The Pre-Optometry Program at Augustana College serves two functions. It satisfies the entrance requirements of most of the optometry schools in the country, and it prepares the student for the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) which all schools require. The OAT should be taken in the winter of the junior year or the fall of the senior year so all courses should be completed or in progress by then.

The Augustana College Pre-Optometry Program is not a graduation major, so a major in some other field must be completed. The choice of graduation major is not critical for acceptance by a school of optometry, though nationwide approximately eighty percent of all matriculated students have a major in biological sciences.

Augustana and Illinois College of Optometry

Combined baccalaureate/doctorate in optometry program

Augustana College and the Illinois College of Optometry offer a unique combined liberal arts and sciences optometry curriculum leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Arts and Doctor of Optometry. The pre-professional part of this curriculum is completed in three years at Augustana College and the professional part at ICO in Chicago, Illinois. This program is open to residents from all 50 states.

I. Upon completion of the first year of the Combined Degree curriculum and having met the following criteria, the Vice President of Student Affairs of ICO shall offer conditional acceptance into the Illinois College of Optometry (pending successful completion of the remaining steps to be completed while enrolled at Augustana):

• application and interview with Pre-Optometry Advisor at Augustana (Dr. Wegman-Geedey)
• composite letter of recommendation from the Pre-Optometry Advisor (Dr. Wegman-Geedey)
• achievement of at least a 3.2 GPA overall on a 4.0 scale
• appointment with an ICO Admissions representative (preferably on ICO's campus)

Upon receipt of the student's signed letter of agreement for conditional acceptance into this Program, the ICO Admissions Office will initiate the formal admissions process with the student submitting appropriate data during his/her third year at Augustana.

II. After completing the second year of the pre-professional curriculum and prior to the completion of the third year of this Program, the student will be allowed to continue in the Program by meeting the following criteria:

• Maintenance of an appropriate grade point average (3.20 or higher)
• Updated composite letter of recommendation from the pre-optometry advisor (Dr. Wegman-Geedey), including evaluations from at least three faculty members, forwarded to the ICO admissions office
• Successful achievement on the optometry admissions test (OAT) by spring of the third year (all program students are encouraged to take the oat no later than fall of the year prior to first year of professional optometry curriculum). The student's OAT scores should equal or exceed the previous year's entering class averages or the oat must be retaken.
• Successful completion of the Augustana general education requirements by the end of the third year.
• Successful completion of the ICO application process, including the interview at ICO.

III. Upon successful completion of each of the above, the student will be granted admission to ICO. Upon successful completion of the first year at ICO, this student must apply to transfer credits to Augustana in order to be granted the degree of Bachelor of Arts by Augustana College at the spring commencement following the first year of the professional optometric curriculum.

Pre-Optometry Program Outline