Doctor of Optometry

Entry requirements

To be considered for admission into the OD, an applicant must have:

• have a bachelor's degree in biomedical science, or an equivalent qualification, as recognised by UWA. Recognised bachelor’s degrees are those conferred by Australian universities or higher education institutions recognised by the Australian Qualifications Framework or the National Office of Overseas Skills Recognition (NOOSR). While academic results from postgraduate study will be taken into account, postgraduate studies undertaken without a bachelor’s degree cannot be accepted as an equivalent qualification
• the equivalent of a Selection Weighted Average Mark (sWAM) of at least 65

Applicants who can meet the prerequisites and sWAM may be offered an interview. After the interviews, final ranking for course offers is by sWAM and interview score (equally weighted).

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Application timelines and due dates

• Domestic and International applications open on 1 March and close on 31 August the year prior to commencement. Apply via UWA’s online application process for postgraduate coursework studies. International students may also apply via an authorised international education agent.
• Domestic applicants who may be eligible to apply as an Indigenous applicant should contact the Admissions team or contact the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) regarding this pathway.
• Domestic applicants who may be eligible to apply as a rural applicant should submit the Rural Eligibility form with their application.

Interview periods

• The School of Allied Health plan to carry out interviews for shortlisted domestic and international applicants during October.
• Applicants who are eligible for Indigenous entry should contact the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) regarding interview timelines for the current admissions period.

Course offers

• Offers are planned to commence during November. Timing of subsequent round offers will depend on the outcome of previous rounds
• An offer cannot automatically be deferred; in exceptional circumstances, a deferral request may be considered on a case-by-case basis. Applicants should consider their personal circumstances and apply during an admissions period where they are prepared to commence should they receive an offer.

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Quota

Up to 64 places will be offered across all quotas. Please refer to quota eligibility information on the admissions tab.

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Commonwealth Supported Places in the Doctor of Optometry

Domestic applicants for the OD are able to apply for consideration for a Commonwealth Supported Place (CSP) in the Doctor of Optometry. Successful applicants will be offered one of a limited number of Commonwealth Supported Places for the Doctor of Optometry.

All minimum requirements under the current Admission Rules for the Doctor of Optometry must be achieved to be eligible for consideration for a CSP, including attending an interview.

In addition, the following eligibility categories will be considered:

Rural applicants – To be eligible for the Rural quota, your principal home address must have been in an area defined by the Department of Health as regional, rural or remote according to the Modified Monash Model (MMM) for any five years consecutively or at least 10 years cumulatively. A search engine for eligible locations can be found on the DoctorConnect website - click on Modified Monash Model 2019. Applicants who have completed the Rural Eligibility Form and returned it to the Specialist Admissions Team as part of their application will automatically be included for consideration for a CSP. If you have not returned the form, and you believe you are eligible, please complete and return the Rural Eligibility Form.

Indigenous applicants – If you believe you are eligible for this pathway, please contact the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health for more information at [email protected].

Academic Merit demonstrating Financial Need – Eligible current applicants will be invited by Admissions to submit an application to be considered for a CSP demonstrating financial need.

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Prerequisites and recommended prior study

Applicants must complete a bachelor's degree in biomedical science, or an equivalent bachelor's qualification and must meet the following prerequisites:

• Chemistry – Year 12 ATAR Chemistry is accepted, or a tertiary chemistry unit
• Mathematics OR Statistics – Year 12 ATAR Mathematics Applications or higher is accepted, or a tertiary mathematics or statistics unit
• Microbiology – tertiary level (for example MICR2209, MICR2208 or equivalent foundation unit)
• Pharmacology – tertiary level (for example PHAR2210 or equivalent foundation unit)

ELC requirements must be met as at the application closing date.

Recommended prior study

It is recommended that applicants have undertaken studies in some or all of the below listed fields. These subjects are not prerequisite; however, in addition to the prerequisites will provide applicants with a strong foundation of knowledge for their Optometry studies.

Anatomy at Tertiary level
For example: ANHB1101 Human Biology I: Becoming Human; or ANHB1102 Human Biology II: Being Human

Physiology/DNA, RNA Cell and Molecular biology at Tertiary level
For example: SCIE1106 Molecular Biology of the Cell

Genetics at Tertiary level
For example: GENE2250 Principles of Inheritance

Metabolism, Cell signalling and survival at Tertiary level
For example: PATH2220 Introduction to Human Disease. Or BIOC2001 Biochemistry and Molecular Biology of the Cell

Population health and disease at Tertiary level
For example: IMED1108 Issues in Women's Health Across the Lifespan

Physics to Year 12 or Tertiary level
For example: Physics ATAR; A-Level or IB Physics, PHYS1021 Applied Physics A; PHYS1030 Physics Bridging Unit

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Final ranking for course offers

• Final ranking for non-rural domestic and international candidates will be based equally on sWAMand interview score.
• Final ranking for rural candidates will be based equally on sWAM, interview score and rurality rating.

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Degree completion – conditional offers

Applicants who are eligible for a course offer during the final year of their initial bachelor’s degree will be made a conditional offer requiring them to:

• attain a minimum sWAM of 65 for semester two of the final year of their degree; and
• complete their bachelor’s degree requirements by the end of the year prior to commencement.

Applicants who are in progress of their initial bachelor’s degree and undertake a course of action that will result in receiving late results may not meet offer conditions. Therefore applicants must take care when undertaking any course of action which could delay the receipt of results or degree completion. This may include undertaking deferred/supplementary exams, undertaking units that fall outside normal semesters (e.g. summer units or trimester units) or going on exchange during the final year of study. Applicants who do not complete all requirements for their initial bachelor’s degree by the 31 December deadline will have their offer withdrawn.

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Interviews

• The School of Allied Health will interview selected eligible applicants.
• Applicants who can meet the eligibility requirements and prerequisites will be ranked and shortlisted for an interview based on their sWAM. Shortlisting for interviews will take place after applications have closed.
• Eligible applicants will be contacted with more information after shortlisting is complete (approximately mid-September).
• The interview will be a structured process allowing applicants to display some of the personal qualities considered desirable in allied health practitioners, and increase their competitiveness for a place.
• Applicants who accept their interview will be provided with information and preparation material prior to the interview.
• Interviews are planned to be held early October.

WAM refers to Weighted Average Mark and is a numerical value out of 100 that is calculated from marks received in each completed unit.

For Allied Health courses with a competitive entry process the selection WAM (sWAM) will be calculated from all degree qualifications completed or due to be completed by 31 December the year prior to course commencement.

Results from any degree which will be incomplete as at 31 December of the application year will not be included in the sWAM calculation. The exception is where such studies have been applied as credit or advanced standing to a later degree which is due for completion by 31 December of the application year. 

The sWAM will be determined for each included qualification and then weighted by overall duration. All marks received within or credited to a completed degree will be included, including Fail results.

All studies up to the application deadline will be included. Where an applicant qualifies for a course offer with a sWAM calculation which includes a degree due for completion by 31 December of the application year there will be a condition to meet the minimum sWAM of 65 in the final semester of study.

The sWAM will be rounded to two decimal places.

PhD holders will be automatically awarded a selection WAM of 85. This is regardless of other completed degree studies.

The Admissions team can help should you have any queries regarding quota eligibility.

Domestic
Australian citizens (including dual citizenship holders), permanent residents and New Zealand citizens must apply for a domestic place.

International
Applicants who are not Australian citizens, permanent residents or New Zealand citizens, must apply for an international place. International students who have applied or are intending to apply for Australian permanent residency or citizenship need to be aware of the following:

• An offer for an international place will lapse if residency status changes before commencement. Applicants in this situation will need to re-apply during the next admissions period for a domestic place.
• A student whose residency status changes after commencement in a course subject to quotas cannot be guaranteed a domestic place.

Rural (Domestic)
The Rural program is part of a Federal Government initiative to address workforce shortages in medicine, dentistry, and allied healthcare in regional, rural and remote Australia. To be eligible, an applicant’s principal home address must have been in an area defined by the Department of Health as regional, rural or remote according to the Modified Monash Model (MMM) for any five years consecutively or at least 10 years cumulatively. A search engine for eligible locations can be found on the DoctorConnect website - click on Modified Monash Model 2019.  The MMM 2019 rates locations based on 2016 census data on a scale of 1 - 7. If you are a domestic student who lives or has lived in areas rated MM-2 through MM-7 for the defined periods you may be eligible for consideration within the Rural quota.

Domestic graduate applicants who believe they fit the rural definition must submit UWA's Rural Eligibility form with their UWA application to be considered for a Rural place. 

Indigenous (Domestic)
Applicants who identify as an Australian Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and are accepted as such by the community in which they live, or have lived, are eligible for consideration as an Indigenous applicant. Applicants must provide a person or organisation who can verify their Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander status.

Graduate applicants may initially contact the Centre for Aboriginal Medical and Dental Health (CAMDH) or the Admissions team for additional guidance regarding this pathway.

• Applicants who can meet the eligibility requirements will be ranked and shortlisted for an interview based on academic results: selection WAM for graduate applicants and ATAR or equivalent for school leaver applicants. 
• Eligible applicants will be contacted with more information after shortlisting is complete.
• The interview will be a structured process allowing applicants to display some of the personal qualities considered desirable in allied health practitioners.
• Applicants who accept their interview will be provided with information and preparation material prior to the interview.