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Degrees and Requirements

Pre-Optometry (Salus University)

A major in Optometry is meant to prepare students for a career as an optometrist. As health-care practitioners, optometrists engage in an examination process of the eye; as well as, diagnosing, treating, and managing diseases of the visual system affecting the eye. In addition, optometrists prescribe spectacle and contact lenses in order to correct refractive errors.

The La Roche University/ Salus University Doctor of Optometry program is a seven-year program, culminating in a Doctor of Optometry (OD) degree from Salus. Salus’ Doctor of Optometry program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council on Optometric Education (ACOE) of the American Optometric Association (AOA).

REQUIREMENTS FOR PRE-OPTOMETRY (PHASE 1):
• Complete the Pre-Optometry curriculum at La Roche, which must consist of a minimum of 90 semester hours of undergraduate education including the required prerequisites
• Maintain a GPA of 3.0 or above on a 4.0 scale.
• Submit a completed application to the Optometry Centralized Application Service (OptomCAS), including satisfactory scores results of the Optometry Admissions Test (OAT) and required letters of evaluation.
• Shadow a practicing optometrist(s) in order to be familiar with the role of the optometrist as a member of the healthcare team.

REQUIREMENTS FOR PROFESSIONAL PHASE 2 (SALUS UNIVERSITY):
• For consideration for admission into the Doctor of Optometry Program at Salus, a student must successfully complete Phase I as described above.
•  Students must then apply to the Doctor of Optometry Program by following the application procedures described on the Salus University website no later than December 1st of the intended entering year.  These admissions procedures include completion of a successful on-campus interview.
• Salus will reserve four (4) seats in each class of the Doctor of Optometry Program for La Roche students who have successfully completed Phase I of the Program and the Phase II application process.  If there are more than four (4) such qualified La Roche students, the remaining La Roche students will be considered for admission along with all other applicants.
 
Students accepted into the Professional Phase complete four years of full-time study at Salus University. Upon successful completion of the fourth year, students will be awarded either a Bachelor of Arts degree in Health Science or a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from La Roche University depending on their declared major.

REQUIREMENTS:  The following coursework is required:
• 56 credits of Phase 1 courses
• Must have completed a minimum of 90 credits prescribed by their LRC program prior to articulation

Summary of Requirements

Phase I Component: 56 Credits (Select BIOL1015/L OR BIOL2025/L)

  • BIOL1003
    GENERAL BIOLOGY I

    BIOL1003
    GENERAL BIOLOGY I

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    A presentation of a comprehensive survey of the major area within modern biology with emphasis placed on unsolved problems and the nature of scientific evidence. The course explores the properties of living matter on the molecular, cellular and organismic level. Open to all science majors and non-science majors with a strong interest in biology or a professional need.

    PREREQUISITES:

    Concurrent: BIOL1005

  • BIOL1004
    GENERAL BIOLOGY II

    BIOL1004
    GENERAL BIOLOGY II

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: BIOL1003 & BIOL1005 COREQUISITE: BIOL1006 A presentation of a comprehensive survey of the major area within modern biology with emphasis placed on unsolved problems and the nature of scientific evidence. The course explores the properties of living matter on the molecular, cellular and organismic level. Open to all science majors and non-science majors with a strong interest in biology or a professional need.

    PREREQUISITES:

    BIOL1003 & BIOL1005, Concurrent: BIOL1006

  • BIOL1005
    GENERAL BIOLOGY I - LAB

    BIOL1005
    GENERAL BIOLOGY I - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    Selected experiments chosen to emphasize principles presented in the General Biology lecture courses.

    PREREQUISITES:

    coreg: BIOL1003

  • BIOL1006
    GENERAL BIOLOGY II - LAB

    BIOL1006
    GENERAL BIOLOGY II - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    PREREQUISITE: BIOL1003 & BIOL1005 COREQUISITE: BIOL1004 Selected experiments chosen to emphasize principles presented in the General Biology lecture courses.

    PREREQUISITES:

  • BIOL1015
    MICROBIOLOGY FOR HEALTH SCIENCES

    BIOL1015
    MICROBIOLOGY FOR HEALTH SCIENCES

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    The primary effort of this course will be to provide the student with practical and clinically relevant information about microbes through lectures and laboratory exercises. Students will be introduced to basic facts about the structure and life processes of microbes. Major emphasis will be placed on relationships between microbes and humans, causes and diagnosis of microbial diseases, common sources of infections, disease transmission, and the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. The tools and techniques for handling and identifying microorganisms will be introduced in the laboratory exercises.

    PREREQUISITES:

    Concurrent: BIOL1015L

  • BIOL1015L
    MICROBIO FOR HEALTH SCIENCES LAB

    BIOL1015L
    MICROBIO FOR HEALTH SCIENCES LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    Lab for BIOL1015: Microbiology for Health Sciences

    PREREQUISITES:

  • BIOL2025
    MICROBIOLOGY

    BIOL2025
    MICROBIOLOGY

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: BIOL1004 AND BIOL1006 An examination of the morphology and physiology of microorganisms with emphasis on their relationship to their environment. Topics include food, water, soil, industrial, and medical microbiology, microbial genetics, and microbial diversity. The laboratory work introduces the student to both the organisms and the techniques necessary to study them. Lecture and laboratory course.

    PREREQUISITES:

    BIOL1004 & BIOL1006

  • BIOL2025L
    MICROBIOLOGY - LAB

    BIOL2025L
    MICROBIOLOGY - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    Laboratory for BIOL2025 Microbiology

    PREREQUISITES:

  • CHEM1001
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

    CHEM1001
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY I

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    A study of the basic principles governing matter, energy and matter-energy interaction. Topics include atomic structure, bonding theory, aggregated states of matter, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium and electrochemistry.

    PREREQUISITES:

    Concurrent: CHEM1003

  • CHEM1002
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

    CHEM1002
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY II

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: CHEM1001 A study of the basic principles governing matter, energy and matter-energy interaction. Topics include atomic structure, bonding theory, aggregated states of matter, stoichiometry, thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium and electrochemistry.

    PREREQUISITES:

    Concurrent: CHEM1004

  • CHEM1003
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY I - LAB

    CHEM1003
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY I - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    A series of experiments related to the content of CHEM1001 emphasizing laboratory techniques and familiarization with basic laboratory equipment. Open to all science majors and non-science majors with a strong interest in chemistry or a professional need.

    PREREQUISITES:

  • CHEM1004
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY II - LAB

    CHEM1004
    GENERAL CHEMISTRY II - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    PREREQUISITE: CHEM1003 A series of experiments related to the content of CHEM1002, emphasizing laboratory techniques and familiarization with basic laboratory equipment. Open to all science majors and non-science majors with a strong interest in chemistry or a professional need.

    PREREQUISITES:

  • CHEM2015
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

    CHEM2015
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: CHEM1002 A study of the classification and characterization of organic compounds, their preparation, properties and reactions. The application of modern organic theories to these subjects is stressed. Topics include nomenclature, bond theory, stereochemistry, synthesis, mechanisms, and structure determination by instrumental methods. Lecture and laboratory course.

    PREREQUISITES:

    CHEM1002 concurrent: CHEM2015L

  • CHEM2015L
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I - LAB

    CHEM2015L
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY I - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    Laboratory for CHEM2015

    PREREQUISITES:

  • CHEM2016
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

    CHEM2016
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: CHEM2015 A study of the classification and characterization of organic compounds, their preparation, properties and reactions. The application of modern organic theories to these subjects is stressed. Topics include nomenclature, bond theory, stereochemistry, synthesis, mechanisms, and structure determination by instrumental methods. Lecture and laboratory course.

    PREREQUISITES:

    CHEM2015 concurrent: CHEM2016L

  • CHEM2016L
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II - LAB

    CHEM2016L
    ORGANIC CHEMISTRY II - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    PREREQUISITE: CHEM2015L Lab for CHEM2016 Organic Chemistry

    PREREQUISITES:

    CHEM2015L

  • ENGL1011
    ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING

    ENGL1011
    ACADEMIC READING AND WRITING

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    This course engages students in reading and writing practices essential to academic life, including critical reading, writing in response to texts, revision, and editing.

    PREREQUISITES:

  • ENGL1012
    ACADEMIC WRITING AND RESEARCH

    ENGL1012
    ACADEMIC WRITING AND RESEARCH

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    Prerequisite: ENGL1011. This course engages students in reading, writing and research practices essential to academic life, including developing a project for a research paper, searching for authoritative materials to use in that project, and presenting it in an edited paper that follows academic conventions of documentation and citation.

    PREREQUISITES:

    ENGL1011

  • MATH1032
    ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I

    MATH1032
    ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS I

    Credits (Min/Max): 4/4

    PREREQUISITE: MATH1010 The first semester of a three-semester integrated course in the elements of analytic geometry and differential and integral calculus. Included are the concept and applications of the derivative of a function of a single variable, differentiation of polynomials and the trigonometric functions, the chain, product and quotient rules, implicit differentiation, and differentials. Concludes with anti-differentiation, integration, area under graphs of functions and applications.

    PREREQUISITES:

    MATH1010

  • MATH1033
    ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS

    MATH1033
    ANALYTIC GEOMETRY AND CALCULUS

    Credits (Min/Max): 4/4

    PREREQUISITE: MATH1032 A continuation of MATH1032 including applications of the definite integral, area, arc length, volumes and surface area, centroids, average value and theorem of the mean for definite integrals. Derivatives and integrals of transcendental functions are followed by techniques of integration, L'Hopital's Rule and indeterminate forms and improper integrals. Also included are conic sections and polar coordinates.

    PREREQUISITES:

    MATH1032

  • MATH1040
    PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

    MATH1040
    PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: MATH1010 The study of the fundamentals of probability theory with applications to natural and social sciences as well as to mathematics. Discrete and continuous distributions, sampling theory, linear correlation, regression, statistical inference, estimation and analysis of variance are included.

    PREREQUISITES:

    MATH1010

  • PHYS1032
    GENERAL PHYSICS I

    PHYS1032
    GENERAL PHYSICS I

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: MATH1032 This is the first of a three-semester introduction to calculus-based physics stressing experimental and problem-solving techniques. Concepts covered are mechanics, kinematics, Newton’s laws of motion, conservation laws, rotational motion, gravitation, oscillation, and wave/acoustics.

    PREREQUISITES:

    MATH1032, Coreq: PHYS1032L

  • PHYS1032L
    GENERAL PHYSICS I - LAB

    PHYS1032L
    GENERAL PHYSICS I - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    PREREQUISITE: MATH1032 Laboratory for PHYS1032 General Physics I

    PREREQUISITES:

  • PHYS1033
    GENERAL PHYSICS II

    PHYS1033
    GENERAL PHYSICS II

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    PREREQUISITE: PHYS1032 The second of a three-semester introduction to calculus-based physics. Concepts covered are thermal properties and electromagnetism: thermo dynamics, electricity, magnetism, electromagnetic wave, geometrical optics, and physics optics.

    PREREQUISITES:

    PHYS1032, Coreq: PHYS1033L

  • PHYS1033L
    GENERAL PHYSICS II - LAB

    PHYS1033L
    GENERAL PHYSICS II - LAB

    Credits (Min/Max): 1/1

    Laboratory for PHYS1033 General Physics II

    PREREQUISITES:

  • PSYC1021
    INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY

    PSYC1021
    INTRO TO PSYCHOLOGY

    Credits (Min/Max): 3/3

    This survey course introduces students to several critical areas of psychology. Throughout the course, there is an emphasis on the scientific method, its application to psychology, and the insights gained from scientific research. The interactions among biological processes, cognitive and emotional responses, sociocultural forces, and behavior are examined. Included are such diverse topics as: health, stress, and coping; consciousness, sleep and dreams; effects of psychoactive drugs on behavior and health; psychological disorders; social psychology; types of learning and behavior management, information processing approaches including memory, encoding and retrieval; and the relationship of the nervous system to thought, feelings, and behaviors.

    PREREQUISITES: