Dental schools require a minimum of two years of college work before the student is eligible for admission. However, dental schools rarely accept students who have only two or three years of college work, so pre-dental students should plan to complete a baccalaureate degree before leaving Eastern.
To be a a competitive applicant, students must maintain a high grade point average, score well on the Dental Admission Test (DAT), and acquire some experience in the field. Students apply through a centralized application service (AADSAS) in the fall preceding their entrance year. Be aware of application deadlines and make sure you meet them!
Additional information about dentistry and important links can be found at the American Dental Association and the American Dental Education Association websites.
Advisement checklist and suggested course sequence (PDF) Revised Fall, 2012
Tentative course offerings
Necessary Undergraduate Coursework
Students may major in any field, but MUST meet the following minimum course requirements:
- English Courses —Six Total Semester Hours
- ENG 1001G
- ENG 1002G
- Chemistry Courses —12 to 21 Total Semester Hours
- CHM 1310G, 1315G, 1410 and 1415 (Eight Hours of General Courses)
- CHM 2430 and 2435 (Minimum Four Hours of Organic Chemistry)
- CHM 2440/2445 then 2840/2845 (Eight Hours of Organic Chemistry Recommended)
- CHM 3450 (Three Hours of Biochemistry Highly Recommended)
- Physics Courses —Minimum Eight Semester Hours
- PHY 1151G, 1152G, 1161 and 1162
- Biology Courses —Minimum Six Semester Hours
- BIO 1100 - General Biology (Four Hours)
- BIO 1300G - Animal Diversity (Four Hours)
- BIO 2200 - Anatomy (Highly Recommended)
- BIO 3300 - Microbiology (Highly Recommended)
Additional Recommendations
Dental schools also recommend that their applicants build broad educational backgrounds with courses from the social sciences, humanities, behavioral sciences, fine arts, foreign languages, speech and economics — although not necessarily to the exclusion of such courses as biochemistry and microbiology. Because of the manipulative nature of the profession, courses in art and sculpting are also useful.
