Examine the Curriculum

Our optometry curriculum is a four-year, full-time program leading to the Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree.

The curriculum emphasizes direct hands-on patient care in every semester beginning in the first year and continuing through full-time clinical rotations in the fourth year.

The curriculum supports many different learning styles with modes of instruction including lectures, laboratories, clinical education, and service learning.

As you click on each semester, corresponding course details will appear in the box below.

Learn Alongside Students in Other Health Professions
Interprofessional educational experiences are incorporated within each of the four years. In the first year of the curriculum students from other WesternU health professions programs will be enrolled together in didactic courses, laboratories, case-based learning and service learning projects.

An interprofessional service learning component is part of the first year curriculum. It includes community-based projects such as outreach to elementary schools and senior citizen groups.

The service learning course includes practical applications of health education, public health, epidemiology and biostatistics. Students from the different health professions will continue to learn together and from each other in the patient care setting, including fourth year rotations at sites where interprofessional patient care is provided.

This curriculum will provide an opportunity for early networking with other health professionals and ultimately prepare you to better serve patients through interprofessional collaboration and referrals.  

Preparing You For Practice  The curriculum:

• prepares you for entry-level optometry care along with a special emphasis on optometric rehabilitation, neuro-science and neuro-optometry.
• is patient-centered and evidence-based.
• offers early and extensive clinical experience in community-based settings such as private practices, community clinics and hospitals.
• emphasizes compassionate care, treating the patient as an individual first.
• includes interprofessional education in collaboration with other health disciplines.

You will learn and ultimately master advanced diagnostic techniques and clinical skills in Objective Structured Clinical Exams (OSCE) in which you will be assessed on your knowledge base and professionalism as well as technical, cognitive and diagnostic skills to ensure you able to provide patient care at its best.

Upon graduation, you will be well prepared to successfully complete your national and state board examinations to become licensed to practice in the state of your choosing.

Academic Support
Caring about students and helping them achieve is a hallmark of our faculty. They are respected practitioners and scholars who keep pace with the latest teaching techniques and technology and are committed to helping you master the material.

Additionally, you can draw on the expertise of the Learning Enhancement & Academic Development Office (LEAD). LEAD staff arrange for individual and group peer-tutoring sessions, one-on-one stress relief sessions, and workshops on topics such as time management, test-taking skills, and learning styles.

Outstanding Facilities
Western University is a thriving academic health center spread out over 22 acres in Pomona, CA. The main campus currently includes 15 major buildings and construction has begun on two new building projects totaling an investment of more than $100 million.  These buildings will be shared by students in optometry, dentistry, osteopathic and podiatric medicine. The design fosters interprofessional education and patient care.

Health Education Center (HEC)	Patient Care Center (PCC)
four-story, 180,000 square feet wireless equipped  eight auditoriums research labs and faculty offices more than 50 small-group meeting rooms pre-clinical space that mirrors clinical space specialized laboratories for optometry students	three-story, 68,500 square feet Interprofessional Diagnostic Suite with three large examination rooms designed for a collaborative health care team adaptive equipment for the treatment of people with disabilities dedicated space for optometric patient care services emphasizing use of technology in contemporary practice

In addition, a new seven-story, 600-space parking structure is being built to serve the new buildings.

 
Join us for information session where you can tour the facilities, chat with faculty and students,
and learn more about WesternU's OD curriculum and admission requirements.