The UT Martin Pre-Dental Plan is designed to prepare students for application to dental school. By following the Pre-Dental Plan recommendations, students will be eligible for admission into most Doctor of Dental Surgery (D.D.S.) or Doctor of Dental Medicine (D.M.D.) programs; however, the undergraduate courses required for admission vary substantially from one institution to the next. The courses listed below are intended only as a guideline and students are strongly encouraged to review the requirements for their school(s) of choice as they vary from school to school. Additionally, the Pre-Dental Plan is not a major and does not fulfill the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at UT Martin. The courses listed below are recommendations and are not required for degree completion unless also listed under the student’s chosen major.
Most D.D.S. and D.M.D. programs do not require applicants to earn a baccalaureate degree before matriculation into the professional program; however, very few students are accepted who have not earned a baccalaureate degree. The Bachelor of Science in Biology-Cellular and Molecular Biology Concentration and Bachelor of Science in Chemistry major include many of the courses listed below; however, students may choose to major in any subject area they wish as long as they also complete the courses required by their chosen D.D.S. or D.M.D. program(s).
For most D.D.S. and D.M.D. programs:
- Students are eligible to apply after completing a minimum number of semester hours (approximately 90 hours) of course work; however, most dental schools expect or require a bachelor’s degree prior to matriculation.
- Applicants must demonstrate that all required coursework will be completed with a grade of C or better prior to admission. Some schools require that prerequisite coursework be completed with a grade of B or higher.
- Applicants must complete the Dental Admission Test (DAT) and meet the technical skills as defined by the professional school.
- Applicants are expected to have some knowledge of the field from direct observations as part of their pre-professional experiences.
- Applicants should submit their applications through the American Dental Education Association Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (ADEA AADSAS) in the summer of the year preceding the desired admission date.
At a minimum, most dental schools require:
- 8 hours of biology
- 8 hours of chemistry
- 8 hours of organic chemistry
- 6 hours of English
- 8 hours of physics
- 3 hours of biochemistry
While the above list of classes meets the minimum requirements for most dental programs, successfully admitted students take classes well beyond the minimum and students are strongly encouraged to pursue as rigorous a schedule of courses as possible to be competitive. In particular, students are encouraged to take 15-16 hours and multiple science classes each term in preparation for the rigors of dental school.
While not an exhaustive list, the following courses are strongly recommended for students considering applying to dental school. As noted above, the requirements for the different dental schools vary and students should always check with their adviser and/or school(s) of choice before deciding which classes to take. Additionally, students are encouraged to take advanced math courses such as statistics and calculus as well as social science and humanities courses such as literature, philosophy, business administration, economics, public speaking, and computer science. Because many dentists open their own practices, students may want to consider combining a science major with a business major or minor.