Pre-Dental Pre-requisite Courses
Note: The pre-requisites listed here are a general guideline of common courses required by Dental schools or will help you prepare for the DAT. It is your responsibility to research the specific requirements for each school you are interested in applying to. If you have questions, always contact each individual program.
Required by most dental schools with a grade of C or better (generally avoid online pre-req. options):
- Intro to Writing: ENGL 1010
- Intermediate Writing: ENGL 2010 or 2020
- College Biology I and II with labs: BIOL 1610/1615 and 1620/1625
- Principles of Chemistry I and II with labs: CHEM 1210/1215 and 1220/1225
- Organic Chemistry I and II with labs: CHEM 2310/2315 and 2320/2325
- College Physics I and II with labs: PHYS 2010/2015 and 2020/2025
- Human Anatomy: ZOOL 2320/2325 (strongly recommended)
- Human Physiology: ZOOL 2420/2425 (strongly recommended)
In addition, many schools require the following courses:
- General Psychology: PSY 1010
- Biochemistry: BIOL 3600
- Microbiology: MICRO 2060/2065 or MICR 3450/3455
Additional recommended courses:
- Trigonometry: Math 1060
- Cell Biology: BIOL 3400
- Molecular Genetics: BIOL 3500
| What kind of degree do I need to apply for Dental School? |
At least 90 completed semester hours are required before matriculation into dental school; however, more than 90% of all first year dental students have completed a bachelor's degree. Because of this, it is recommended that all pre-dental students plan on completing a bachelor's degree.
Although many pre-dental students select biology as a major, dental schools do not consider one major as better than another. Your major should be chosen based on your interests and strengths and can be in any discipline, science or non-science. It is important to select a major that suits you. Keep in mind that you may use your undergraduate degree to fall back on if you are not accepted into dental school or if you choose to pursue alternate options.
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