John Nilsson and Mayumi Kasai, Pre-Professional Advisors.

Courses:

In order to complete minimum course work for most U.S. dental schools, the following courses are required:

English. Two semesters of English composition or writing. Courses from the following are suggested: WRTG 1010 or 2010, 3200, 3400, 3500, 3510, 3700; ENGL 2500, 3510, 3520, 3610.

Math. Math 1050 College Algebra and Math 1060 Trigonometry are prerequisites for chemistry and physics (see below).

Biology.

BIOL 1210 Principles of Biology (F, S, Su)

BIOL 2010 Evolution and Diversity of Life

BIOL 2020 Cell Biology (F, S)

BIOL 2420 Human Physiology (F, S, Su)

BIOL 2325 Human Anatomy (F, S, Su)

BIOL 3510 Biochemistry (F, S)

Chemistry. (prerequisite MATH 1050). General Chemistry CHEM 1210, 1220, with labs 1215-1225 (starts fall, spring, or summer); Organic Chemistry 2310, 2320, with labs 2315, 2325. (Students with no previous high school background in chemistry are strongly encouraged to take CHEM 1200 Introduction to College Chemistry before beginning the 1210 series.)

Physics. (prerequisite MATH 1060). General Physics PHYS 2010-2020 with labs 2015, 2025 (or 2110 series, prereq.: MATH 1210). (Both 2010 and 2110 series start fall semester; 2010 series is offered summer accelerated.) The engineering physics 2210 series also fulfills this requirement. 

Application to Dental School

Extracurricular activities that demonstrate leadership, interpersonal communication skills, and commitment to service are important for personal development. Some excellent campus opportunities include laboratory research, teaching assistantships, community service, and your choice of 200 student organizations.  You should also shadow dentists to make an informed decision as well as to satisfy dental school admission requirements.

The Dental Admissions Test (DAT) must be taken by the time of application to dental school. There are four examinations included in the DAT which are designed to measure the applicant’s academic and perceptual ability: natural sciences (biology, general and organic chemistry), reading comprehension, quantitative ability (math), and perceptual ability (spatial judgment).

Letters of recommendation: All dental schools require recommendations from instructors and general references from others who know you well.

Selecting dental schools: Utah does not have its own dental school. However, Utah does participate in a cooperative dental education program with Creighton University School of Dentistry (the Regional Dentistry Exchange Program). The RDEP program currently has 10 positions available each year for Utah residents. RDEP applicants must have been Utah residents for a minimum of five years by the time of application to dental school. It is important to apply to a number of different dental schools in order to maximize opportunities for admission.

Advising. Predental information sessions are offered for beginning predental students. Students are encouraged to meet with the predental advisors regularly. Also available in the Pre-Professional Advising office is a library of predental publications.