A bachelor's degree is required for applicants to the PhD in Vision Science and the MS in Vision Science Programs. Applicants may be currently enrolled and on track to complete their bachelor's degree at the time of application, but the degree must be completed before starting the program (or before applying for the Proposal Exam for students in the OD/MS Concurrent Pathway).
Applicants should complete the following courses with a grade of "C" or higher; grades of C- or lower are not acceptable. Ideally, these courses should be taken in a traditional classroom format and be intended for science majors. Please see the Unofficial Prerequisite Worksheet for details.
- General Biology: a standard year (two-semester or three-quarter) series with labs
- General Physics: a standard year (two-semester or three-quarter) series with labs; Calculus-based not required
- Chemistry: a standard year (two-semester or three-quarter) series with labs
- Mathematics: three semester or four quarter credits in analytic geometry or calculus
- Statistics: three semester or four quarter credits of statistics study from the Department of Mathematics, Psychology, Sociology, Statistics, or Biostatistics; courses from the Business and Economics departments do not meet this requirement.
The VSG Committee may consider the following exceptions for prerequisite requirements:
The prerequisite requirement is waived for applicants currently enrolled in an ACOE-accredited optometry program or applicants with a bachelor's or advanced degree in optometry or a clinically-related discipline.
Applicants who have taken the required series of the specific content area offered by their institution may appeal to the admission committee regarding the equivalency of course content or credit hours in their transcripts.
While courses from a purely online program are not acceptable, the VSG Committee may consider accepting the credits under special conditions.