Pre-Dentistry
Students pursuing a career in dentistry should take special care to prepare. While most dental schools require the completion of a four-year degree from an accredited institution, the pre-dental coursework requirements vary from school to school. Every dental school has unique requirements which may include coursework, laboratory, volunteer, and healthcare experiences. Each school determines their own list of required and recommended pre-dental coursework. Students are encouraged to review curriculum outlines for years 1 and 2 of the professional programs to which they intend to apply and are encouraged to enroll in coursework that provides foundational knowledge to support their success when planning electives to complete their academic plan.
Pre-Professional Advising: Many students at UMKC are interested in career paths in healthcare. For students who plan to enter professional schools after finishing their undergraduate degree, we offer a variety of workshops, seminars, and pre-professional advising. Students are encouraged to select a major that matches their interests and provides the foundation necessary for success in their professional curriculum.
Students interested in preparing for a career in dentistry or other healthcare areas are encouraged to connect with a Pre-Professional Advisor early and often. Pre-professional programs can be found in RooGroups. Students with a declared plan of Pre-Dentistry will find the Pre-Professional Health Advisor in their Success Network under “Your Connections” in UMKC Connect and can schedule appointments there. All other students can contact Roo Advising at 816-235-1148 or rooadvising@umkc.edu for more information or to schedule an appointment.
Common Required Courses:
Common requirements for most dental schools include the courses listed below. UMKC Courses that will universally fulfill the requirements are listed along with alternative options. It is the student's responsibility to ensure that any alternative options selected are acceptable for satisfaction of the requirements for the schools to which they intend to apply.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| One Year of Biology: | ||
| BIOLOGY 108 & 108L | General Biology I and General Biology I Laboratory | 4 |
| BIOLOGY 109 & 109L | General Biology II and General Biology II Laboratory | 4 |
| Alternative courses may include (NOTE: most schools require biology courses to be completed with a lab): | ||
| BIOLOGY 202 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 206 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 218 | Introductory Anatomy | 3 |
| NURSE/HLSC 120 | Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| NURSE/HLSC 160 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| One Year of English: | ||
| ENGLISH 110 & ENGLISH 225 | Introduction to Academic Prose and English II: Intermediate Academic Prose | 6 |
| Alternative courses may include: | ||
| English Composition I | 3 | |
| Any Writing Intensive (WI) Course | 3 | |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Two Years of Chemistry (through Organic Chemistry): | ||
| NOTE: Most schools require chemistry courses to be completed with a lab. | ||
| CHEM 211 & 211L | General Chemistry I and Experimental General Chemistry I | 5 |
| CHEM 212R & CHEM 212LR | General Chemistry II and Experimental General Chemistry II | 5 |
| CHEM 321 & 321L | Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I | 4 |
| CHEM 322R & CHEM 322L | Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II | 4 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| One Year of Physics: | ||
| PHYSICS 210 & PHYSICS 220 | General Physics I and General Physics II | 8 |
| OR | ||
| PHYSICS 240 & PHYSICS 250 | Physics For Scientists and Engineers I and Physics For Scientists and Engineers II | 10 |
UMKC Dental School Specific Requirements:
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Anatomy and Physiology (choose one of two options below): | ||
| BIOLOGY 218 & 218L | Introductory Anatomy and Introductory Anatomy Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOLOGY 316 & BIOLOGY 217L | Principles of Physiology and Human Physiology Laboratory | 4 |
| OR | ||
| NURSE 120 | Anatomy & Physiology I | 4 |
| NURSE 160 | Anatomy and Physiology II | 4 |
| Cell Biology and Biochemistry: | ||
| BIOLOGY 202 | Cell Biology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 441 | Biochemistry | 3 |
Common Recommended Courses:
Students are encouraged to engage in academic or laboratory research opportunities as part of their preparation for dental school and related professions. Early exposure to scientific inquiry demonstrates interest and involvement in the creation of knowledge, improves critical thinking, and assists with writing and communication skills. Visit Undergraduate Research @ UMKC for more information.
The following courses are commonly recommended to students to ensure they have foundational knowledge in subjects that comprise curriculum in the first two years of the professional dental curriculum.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Science | ||
| BIOLOGY 206 | Genetics | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 306 | From Bench to Bedside: Translational Research | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 313 | Microbiology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 319 | Global Health: New and Emerging Infectious Diseases | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 328 | Histology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 409 | Developmental Biology | 3 |
| BIOLOGY 435 | Immunology | 3 |
| HLSC 125 | Medical Terminology | 1 |
| HLSC 410 | Epidemiology | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Social Sciences | ||
| ANTHRO 103 | Introduction To Cultural Anthropology | 3 |
| HLSC 252 | Human Growth and Development | 3 |
| HLSC 300 | Diversity in Health | 3 |
| HLSC 404 | Introduction to Social Justice | 1 |
| PBHL 158 | Public Health Principles | 3 |
| PBHL 335 | Historical and Contemporary Issues in Public Health | 3 |
| PBHL 358 | Environmental Public Health | 3 |
| PSYCH 210 | General Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 222 | Child Psychology | 3 |
| PSYCH 433 | Psychological Perspectives on Mental Health | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Humanities | ||
| ART-HIST 110 | Introduction to the History of Art: Pyramids to Picasso | 3 |
| COMM-ST 277 | Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| COMM-ST 344 | Organizational Communication | 3 |
| ENGLISH 304WI | Professional and Technical Writing | 3 |
| PHILOS 210 | Introduction to Philosophy | 3 |
| PHILOS 221 | Contemporary Moral Issues | 3 |
| PHILOS 321 | Ethics | 3 |
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Statistics (choose one of the following): | ||
| BIOLOGY 304 | Biostatistics 1 | 3 |
| CJC 303 | Introduction to Statistics in Sociology and Criminal Justice | 3 |
| PSYCH 316 | Quantitative Methods In Psychology | 3 |
| SOCIOL 363 | Introduction to Statistics in Sociology/Criminal Justice | 3 |
| STAT 115 | Statistical Reasoning | 3 |
| STAT 235 | Elementary Statistics | 3 |
Students can utilize PlanMyDegree to plan common admission course requirements
Students can learn more about preparing for a career in dentistry, including lists of U.S. and Canadian dental schools and their requirements through the American Dental Association (ADA) and American Dental Education Association (ADEA).
ADEA: https://www.adea.org/godental
In addition to specific admission requirements, all dental schools require students to take the Dental Admissions Test (DAT) as part of a comprehensive admission process. Students can find more information about these exams, including subject components, scoring, and resources for preparation using the link below. Students planning to take the DAT are encouraged to complete coursework in the subject components to ensure they have a foundational understanding of the material for successful completion of the exam. Students preparing for the DAT should consider applying for the Dental Scholars program.
DAT: https://www.ada.org/education/testing/exams/dental-admission-test-dat
Dental Scholars (STAHR): https://info.umkc.edu/stahr/scholars/dat-prep/
Students applying for professional schools of dentistry do so through a centralized application service. Two such services are utilized for schools in the U.S. and Canada; the Associated American Dental Schools Application Service (AADSAS) and the Texas Medical and Dental School Application Service (TMDSAS). Students can learn more about the centralized application services including requirements for personal statements, letters of evaluation, timelines and fee assistance programs through the links below.
AADSAS: https://www.adea.org/GoDental/Apply/
TMDSAS: https://www.tmdsas.com/
Students interested in applying to the Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS) program through the UMKC School of Dentistry are encouraged to schedule a one-on-one meeting with an admissions advisor to meet to discuss the DDS program and tour the school. Students can email dds@umkc.edu for assistance scheduling this appointment. More information is available on their website including information about DDS Information Events, shadowing at the school, Dental Explorer’s Post, the DAT Prep Program and STAHR Scholars Dentistry Program.
UMKC School of Dentistry: https://dentistry.umkc.edu/