PREDENTAL PROGRAM
Prepared by: Dr. Anne L. Ewing Assistant Professor/Health Professions Advisor Department of Biology 200C Howell Hall (405) 974-5733
aewing2@ucok.edu
Academic requirements for admission to dental schools vary. To be eligible for most U.S. programs, you are advised to complete the following:
1 year of English composition 1 year of organic chemistry w/lab 1 year of general biology w/lab 1 year of physics w/lab 1 year of inorganic chemistry w/lab
Additional requirements do exist and they must be met or the applicant will not be considered. (Beware: CLEP and/or AP hours are not always acceptable).
For example, academic requirements for admission to the University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry include certain coursework, a minimum grade point average of 2.0 in at least 60 semester hours, and an acceptable score on the Dental Admission Test (DAT). The course requirements may be met by the following specific courses at OSU:
| Inorganic Chemistry CHEM 1103 + 1112 CHEM 1223 + 1232 | General Biology* BIO 1404 BIO ---4 | English ENG 1113 ENG 1213 |
| Organic Chemistry CHEM 3303 + 3312 CHEM 3323 | General Physics PHY 1114 PHY 1214 | Psychology PSY 2703 Recommended: Mathematics, |
| technical writing, speech, | ||
| business, upper-division | ||
| biological sciences |
* The University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry requires a minimum of eight (8) hours of biological science, but recommends that prospective students take 20-24 hours in order to become more competitive applicants and to be better prepared to succeed in dental school.
Students planning to apply to dental schools other than OU need to check the specific admission requirements of those schools by consulting their predental advisor.
CREDIT HOURS AND GRADE POINT AVERAGE (GPA): All applicants to the OU College of Dentistry must present a minimum of 60 semester credit hours from an accredited college or university. Applicants with only this minimum, however, are not encouraged to apply unless they have demonstrated exceptional personal and intellectual maturity. If a student has completed at least 109 hours, the possibility exists that UCO will grant a bachelor’s degree in Biology after successful completion of the first year in dental school. This is an option requiring careful supervision by the predental advisor. About 90% of the students in recent classes have completed bachelor’s degrees or higher. Nationally, 85% of first year dental students have completed four years of pre-professional education.
In addition to the minimum hours, applicants must present a minimum grade point average of 2.0 (A=4.0) with a minimum grade of “C” in each required course. For those admitted to the 2004 OU entering class, the average GPA was 3.54 overall and
DENTAL ADMISSION TEST (DAT): All applicants to dental school must take the American Dental Association Dental Admission Test before the admissions deadline. Registration is completed on-line but the exam is taken at Sylvan Learning Centers. Students should complete all the required courses before taking the test. To register, they may obtain information at: http://www.ada.org/prof/ed/index.asp OU College of Dentistry indicates that students need scores of at least 18 on each part of the DAT to be competitive for admission. The average DAT score for the 2004 successful applicant at OU was 18.2.
ADVISEMENT AT UCO: Advisement for students planning to enter the health professions is coordinated by Dr. Anne Ewing in the Biology Department. Graduation checks and curriculum planning are coordinated by Ms. Brenda Brent; NUC 1211. Since the predental advisor will prepare a letter summarizing the Predental Committee’s evaluation when students apply to dental school, wise students will visit Dr. Ewing regularly enough to be known by her personally and benefit from her knowledge of the application process. However, it is essential that dental students hold themselves responsible for knowing the requirements and deadlines.
SELECTION OF MAJOR: It should be emphasized that “predental” is not a major. It simply means that the student is meeting requirements for admission to dental school. Thus, in addition to satisfying these requirements, the student should be working toward a baccalaureate degree in some academic discipline. There is no recommended major for predental students. Dental schools encourage a broad general curriculum in the social sciences and humanities in addition to a high level of competence in the physical and biological sciences. Good communication skills are also important. Beyond this, the best advice for students is to select a major in a discipline that will offer satisfying challenges and provide a viable alternative to dental school if they are not admitted.
QUALITY OF CURRICULUM: Predental students should choose a curriculum that demonstrates a capacity to handle the rigors of dental school. If they choose the easiest curriculum they can manage, it will be obvious to the Admissions Committee that they have been protecting their GPA. It will certainly deprive them of the level of preparation they need for professional school.
DENTAL EXPERIENCE: Predental students should test the depth of their commitment by getting direct exposure to the world of dentistry by talking with and observing dentists, visiting dental schools, and keeping informed about new developments in dental education and dental practice.
HEALTH PROFESSIONS CLUB: This organization meets on the 1st and 3rd Tuesday of each month in HOH Atrium. It offers programs of speakers and films, involvement in blood drives, volunteer experiences, visits to medical and dental schools, and assistance in the application process. All prospective applicants are urged to attend and any student may join.
http://biology.ucok.edu/Pre-medweb/medweb/PremedHealhome.html
Anne L. Ewing, Chairman Riaz Ahmed John F. Barthell Robert O. Bost Brenda L. Brent Olivia L Hanson Jenna J.Hellack
Biology, HOH 200C Biology, HOH 200E Biology, HOH 118 A5 Chemistry, HOH 320E Advising, NUC 1211 Chemistry, HOH 314G Biology, HOH 200
D. Michael Hellwege Luis D. Montes Paul A. Stone Gregory M. Wilson Chemistry, HOH 314B Chemistry, HOH 314E Biology, HOH 200F Biology, HOH 200B
For more information about Dentists and Dental Programs: http://www.adea.org/links/default.htm For information from the University of Oklahoma, contact: Ms Jeannie Peterson, The University of Oklahoma College of Dentistry, 1001 Stanton L. Young Blvd., P.O. Box 26901, Oklahoma City, OK 73190. 405-271-3530. OU College of Dentistry: http://dentistry.ouhsc.edu/
Revised 10/04
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