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Doctor of Optometry (OD)

Your Career in Health Care Starts Here

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Upcoming Events

  • Inside Optometry: How to Succeed in Your Interview

    Wednesday, September 27 at 12:00 PM Pacific Standard Time

    The College of Optometry is hosting a webinar, where you’ll receive tips and advice on how to prepare for optometry school interviews. A member of our admissions committee will share insight into what makes for a successful interview, as well as common interview mistakes to avoid. We’ll also provide an overview of our interview day, explain the differences between our online and in-person interview options, and share when and where our interviews will take place.

  • OD Introductory Information Session

    Wednesday, October 18 at 4:00 PM Pacific Standard Time

  • WesternU Preview Day & Open House | Pomona Campus

    Saturday, November 18 at 8:30 AM Pacific Standard Time

    Get to know WesternU, our programs, and our community. Join us in Pomona, California for in-depth program presentations; campus tours; live, interactive demonstrations; and more. Choose your program of interest and: – Hear directly from our president and faculty members about program curriculum and highlights – Learn about navigating the admissions process and preparing to meet our application requirements – Gain insights into setting yourself up for admissions success – Explore our classrooms, labs, hands-on learning spaces, and more – Connect with current students and learn about their experiences

Laser Lab

Innovation in Education

The College of Optometry offers an innovative Doctor of Optometry program that emphasizes optometric rehabilitation including neuro-optometry. This emerging specialty helps patients who have visual and perceptual problems as a result of brain injury, stroke, physical disability or neurological illness. Our emphasis on optometric rehabilitation also includes vision therapy, low vision rehabilitation, and care for vulnerable populations such as those with developmental disabilities.
Students working together to solve vision pathways.

Faculty Mentorship & Student Camaraderie

WesternU’s College of Optometry, affectionately termed WUCO, is known for its community of peer and faculty support. Low student-to-faculty ratio and instructors who treat students as colleagues from day one gives WesternU its unique environment. Students enjoy being surrounded by peers who are willing to lend each other a hand through the challenging OD curriculum. In the long-term, WUCO students take away meaningful personal and professional connections.
Western University of Health Sciences students from the Pediatric Interest Group hosted about 40 children - who were mostly kindergarten students - for the school’s inaugural Mini-Medical School at the Pomona campus

Community Health Focused

We are a College of scholars and practitioners that care for one another. Our faculty members act as mentors helping to ensure student success. Our students flourish in an environment dedicated to excellent educational experiences in the classroom, in the laboratory, in clinical education settings, and in the community.

Students have the opportunity to volunteer at health fairs around the region, touching countless lives. Because of this, our graduates go on to become ODs with a shared vision of our core values of humanism, caring, and scientific excellence.

Early Clinical Experiences

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.

Our students’ formal optometric education culminates with the fourth year externship and it is expected that students will reach proficiency in optometric scope of practice that will fully prepare them for graduation, residency training, and licensing anywhere in the U.S. and Canada.

Choose WesternU

We are here to answer your questions. Sign up to get more information and take the next step toward your career as a Doctor of Optometry.