Pre-Dentistry
Dentistry is a rewarding healthcare career with competitive salary and a sustainable work-life balance. Dental graduates can choose from private practice, working within a health maintenance organization, hospital emergency rooms, conducting advanced laboratory research, teaching future dentists or even traveling the world with international health and relief organizations.
Dentistry schools do not require a specific academic major for admission and students may complete the prerequisite courses as part of an undergraduate program that includes any major of their choosing. Dental schools are looking for well-educated and well-rounded individuals and although many don’t require a bachelor’s degree, to be competitive, students should plan to complete an undergraduate degree.
Application for admission to a dentistry school is normally made during the senior year of college. To be eligible for admission, students must complete a series of specific prerequisite courses as part of their undergraduate program. While prerequisite requirements vary in detail, all emphasize course work in the natural sciences. All prerequisite courses need to be completed with a C or above by the spring semester for enrollment the following fall.
The prerequisite courses that are generally required for admission to dentistry school include:
Prerequisite Courses
| Area | Requirement | Semester Credits | SCU Courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Biology | General Biology or Zoology with lab | 8 | BIOL 1710 and BIOL 1720 |
| Chemistry | General (inorganic) Chemistry with lab | 8 | CHEM 1110 and CHEM 1120 |
| Chemistry | Organic Chemistry with lab | 8 | CHEM 2010 and CHEM 2020 |
| Physics | General Physics | 8 | PHYS 1080 and PHYS 1090, or PHYS 1110 and PHYS 1120 |
| English | English Composition (1 semester can be literature) | 8 | |
| Mathematics | College Algebra or above | 3-4 | MATH 1090 or MATH 1130 or STAT 1090 |
Additional Courses often Required
| Area | Requirement | Semester Credits | SCU Courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry/Biology | Biochemistry (The appropriate course will have the organic chemistry sequence as a prerequisite. Lab is not always required) | 3-4 | CHEM 4400 |
| Biology | Microbiology | 3-4 | BIOL 2200 or BIOL 3210 |
| Mathematics | Statistics and/or Calculus | 3-4 | MATH 1130 or STAT 1090 |
| Psychology | 3-4 | PSYC 1001 | |
| Sociology | 3-4 | SOCI 1000 |
Typical Recommended Courses
| Area | Requirement | Semester Credits | SCU Courses |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art | Three-Dimensional Design | 3-4 | ART 1010 |
| Communication Studies | Speech / Public Speaking | 3-4 | COMM 1030 |
| Biology | Human Anatomy or Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 | BIOL 2610 and BIOL 2620, or BIOL 3120 |
| Biology | Genetics | 4 | BIOL 3444 |
| Biology | Human Physiology / Comparative Physiology | 4 | BIOL 2610 and BIOL 2620, or BIOL 3140 |
| Biology | Histology | 4 | BIOL 3250 |
| Biology | Cell Biology | 4 | BIOL 3224 |
| Biology | Developmental Biology (Embryology) | 4 | |
| Biology | Immunology | 4 | BIOL 4220 |
| Biology | Molecular Biology | 4 |
Dental Admissions Test
The dental admissions test, often taken in the summer between junior and senior year, includes a survey of natural sciences, perceptual ability test, reading comprehension test, and quantitative reasoning test. Completion of at least one year of college-level courses in biology and general and organic chemistry is recommended before taking the DAT. To prepare for the perceptual ability portion of the test, we recommend that students take a course in 3-Dimensional Design (e.g., ART 1010 Three-Dimensional Design) and possibly a course in computer-aided design (CAD).