Doctor of Optometry at the New England College of Optometry

The New England College of Optometry and  Stonehill College have have arranged for the preferred admission of qualified Stonehill students to the Doctor of Optometry (OD) Program at the New England College of Optometry. 

Benefit

  • Early admission
  • Supplemental application fees waived
  • A 3+4 pathway in which Stonehill students spend three years at Stonehill and then four years at New England College of Optometry with credits earned at the successful completion of the first year of optometry school transferring back to Stonehill to satisfy final graduation requirements

Qualifications

  • Third-year students (juniors) who have completed at least 3 years of coursework
  • Minimum overall cumulative GPA of 3.30 and minimum science/math GPA of 3.20 at the time of matriculation at NECO
  • Receive a 320 or above for the Academic Average on the Optometry Admission Test (OAT) with no OAT sub-score below 290
  • Demonstrate strong commitment to the field of optometry through a shadowing experience with a practicing optometrist
  • Completed and submitted their application to NECO through OptomCAS including strong letters of recommendation from faculty and/or Pre-Health Professions Advisory Committee and the optometrist who was shadowed
  • A successful interview with NECO is required prior to receiving a final admissions decision

Stonehill Course Requirements

  • 2 semesters of English (any course with the prefix ENG)
  • 2 semesters of Biology with Lab (BIO 101, BIO 102)
  • 2 semesters of Chemistry with Lab (CHM 113, CHM 232)
  • 2 semesters of Physics with Lab (PHY 101, PHY 102)
  • 1 semester of Organic Chemistry with Lab (CHM 221)
  • 1 semester of Biochemistry (BCH 343)
  • 1 semester of Microbiology (BIO 309)
  • 1 semester of Mathematics (MTH 125)
  • 1 semester of Statistics (BUS 206, ECO 241, HIS 425, MTH 145, MTH 207, POL 310, or PSY 261)
  • 1 semester of Psychology (PSY 101)

Application Process

  1. Apply online
  2. Letters of Recommendations
  3. Official Transcripts
  4. OAT Score Report

Academic Requirements

NECO requires that its candidates fulfill academic prerequisites designed to provide the subject knowledge necessary for them to be successful optometry students and practitioners. 

For Stonehill students planning to transfer NECO courses towards their baccalaureate degree, the following first-year 0004 have been approved to taken during Stonehill student's last year and transferred back to Stonehill:

NECO Courses Transfer To Stonehill As
Course Title Credits Course Title Credits
BSD 10300 Cell Biology, Histology, and Ocular Anatomy 3.50 BIO 800 Elective 3.50
BSD10320 Anatomy & Physiology 1 3.75 BIO 203 Human Anatomy & Physiology I 3.75
VS 11001 Optics 4.00 PHY 800 Elective 4.00
BSD 10009 Neuroanatomy 2.75 BIO 801 Elective 2.75
SD 10321 Anatomy and Physiology II 2.50 BIO 204 Human Anatomy & Physiology II 2.50
BSD 10721 Ocular Disease Principles 2.00 BIO 802 Elective 2.00

Contacts

New England College of Optometry
Christina LaChance, Senior Associate Director of Admissions
lachancec@neco.edu
617-587-5665

StonehillCollege
Andrew Leahy, advisor, Pre-Health Professions
aleahy@stonehill.edu
508-565-1325

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