Pre-Dentistry
General Information
| Bachelor’s Degree Required | Yes |
| Entrance Exam | DAT (Dental Admission Test) |
| Entrance Exam Resources | DAT Overview (ADEA) What is the DAT? (Kaplan) What is on the DAT? (Princeton Review) DAT (ADA) |
| Patient Care Experience &/or Shadowing Hours | Shadowing (ADEA) |
| Application Systems | ADEA AADSAS |
| Application Timeline & Checklist | ADEA Timeline to Apply ADEA School-Specific Deadlines |
| Program Directory | Dental Schools Search (ASDA) ADEA Dental School Explorer |
| “Pre-Professional Resource Library” | Coming Soon! |
| Professional Associations & Accreditations | American Student Dental Association (ASDA) American Dental Education Association (ADEA) American Dental Association (ADA) |
| Additional Resources | Preparing for Dental School (ADEA) ADEA AADSAS Application Guide (ADEA) ADEA/AADSAS Participating Dental Schools Required & Recommended Courses The Admissions Process (ADEA) |
Recommended Coursework (PDF)
*Courses listed are based on the most common prerequisites to Dental Schools; make sure to always verify what the specific prerequisites are for the Dental School(s) you plan to apply to as programs can still differ in their requirements.
| Biology Courses | BIOL211 Principles of Biology w/ Lab (5) BIOL212 Principles of Biology w/ Lab (5) BIOL213 Principles of Biology w/ Lab (5) BIOL231 Human Anatomy & Physiology I w/ Lab (4) BIOL232 Human Anatomy & Physiology II w/ Lab (4) BIOL233 Human Anatomy & Physiology III w/ Lab (4) BIOL317 Vertebrate Structure (5) BIOL445 Immunology (3) BIOL462 Cellular Neurobiology (3) |
| Chemistry Courses | CHEM204 General Chemistry w/ Lab (5) CHEM205 General Chemistry w/ Lab (5) CHEM206 General Chemistry w/ Lab (5) CHEM334 Organic Chemistry I (4) CHEM335 Organic Chemistry II (4) CHEM338 Organic Chemistry I Lab (1) CHEM336 Organic Chemistry III (4) CHEM339 Organic Chemistry II Lab (1) CHEM450 Structural Biochemistry (4) CHEM454 Biochemistry Lab (4) CHEM451 Metabolic Chemistry (2) |
| Physics Courses | PHYS201 General Physics w/ Lab (4) PHYS202 General Physics w/ Lab (4) PHYS203 General Physics w/ Lab (4) |
| Math Courses | N/A |
| Social Science Courses | SOC204 General Sociology (5) SOC205 General Sociology: Problems (5) PSY201 General Psychology (4) PSY202 General Psychology (4) ANTH203 Introduction to Cultural (5) |
| Strongly Suggested Electives/Additional Courses | N/A |
| Notes | The Pre-Dentistry curriculum prepares students for the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) and entrance into Dental school. Although some Dental schools do not require a Baccalaureate degree (B.A./B.S.) for admission, it is highly recommended that students plan to complete a Bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation. Typically, students choose to follow a degree program in Biology or Chemistry-Biochemistry, although other majors may be pursued. Students are strongly encouraged to obtain prerequisite information from the school to which they will be applying and to work closely with their Pre-Health Advisor when selecting appropriate coursework to meet the prerequisite requirements. |