Pre-Dentistry

Overview

Pre-dentistry programs prepare people to attend dental school.

Pre-dentistry programs include topics such as:

Social science
Biology
Chemistry
Laboratory science
English composition

Schools

Many community colleges offer associate degree programs in pre-dentistry. An associate degree program at a community college usually takes two years of full-time study to complete. After earning an associate degree students must transfer to a four-year college to earn a bachelor's degree.

Many colleges and universities offer bachelor's degrees in pre-dentistry. A bachelor's degree usually takes about four years of full-time study.

See schools that offer this program.

Related Educational Programs

Related Careers

Careers Directly Related to this Program of Study

Dentists

Other Careers Related to this Program of Study

Dental Hygienists

Program Admission

You can prepare for this program by taking courses in high school that prepare you for college. This typically includes four years of English, three years of math, three years of social studies, and two years of science. Some colleges also require two years of a second language.

You may also need to take either the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) or the American College Testing (ACT) exam.

Below is a list of high school courses that will help prepare you for this program of study:

Anatomy and Physiology
Community Health
Dental Assisting
Dental Laboratory Technology
Food and Nutrition
General Computer Applications
Health Education
Introduction to Business
Psychology
Safety and First Aid

Typical Course Work

Program Courses

This program usually includes courses in the following subjects:

Calculus
English Composition
General Biology with lab
General Chemistry with lab
General Physics with lab
Organic Chemistry with lab

The above courses are the typical prerequisites for dental school. However, dental school admissions committees want to see a well-rounded applicant with varied course work. Because of this, your program may encourage you to also include the following subjects in your curriculum:

Communication Skills
Humanities
Psychology
Social Sciences
Statistics

Things to Know

Many dental schools expect applicants to have some exposure to what it is like to work as a dentist. You may want to supplement your course work in this program of study by asking a dentist if you can observe or job shadow them.

Majoring in pre-dentistry does not guarantee admission to dental school, although it does give you a taste of its rigorous course work. This program prepares you for the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and provides a good background for more advanced study in the natural sciences.